Why is it that some small businesses stand out and thrive while others struggle to garner attention and customers? There are, of course, several variables to this question. But perhaps the most important of these in the modern age deals with online presence. And when you think about it, this makes perfect sense. For most of us, the Internet rules much of our daily lives. We use websites to socialize, read, research, shop, entertain ourselves, and so much more. Additionally, the Internet is now at our fingertips all the time with the advent of smartphones. With so much of our attention aimed at the online world, it’s no wonder why it’s crucial for businesses to carve a space for themselves there.
To better illustrate this point, let’s take a look at a hypothetical, small software solutions company and how they might approach their marketing. In the past, software companies, like all other companies, had to use classic marketing tactics to obtain customer attention. This meant putting ads on radio and TV, in newspapers, and also setting up mailing lists for outbound marketing. While all of these tactics were effective and still are used today, the online marketplace has made them somewhat outdated. Today, not only is online advertising a powerful tool, the design of the company’s website itself is key to attracting and maintaining customers.
This hypothetical software company will therefore need a software solutions website to represent its presence in the online sphere. In the early days of the Internet (Internet 1.0 as some call it) it was good enough for a business to simply have a website. Online traffic wasn’t nearly as congested in those days, after all, and fewer entities had an online presence. The bar had also not been set yet for what good web design looked like. Today, however, a website can’t simply exist to be effective. It needs to be designed in such a way that is intriguing, appealing, elegant, informational, and easy to navigate. In fact, 94% of online users base their trust of a website on its design, and 48% use a website’s design as their basis for judging the business’ credibility.
In short, then, website development and design isn’t just important, it’s necessary for any business to thrive. So in our example of the software solutions website, what sorts of things need to be present to make it effective? For starters, the website needs to state clearly what the business is about in the simplest way possible that still provides accuracy and clarity. People visiting this site for the first time probably won’t know much about it or the company, so this description is vital. The way this information is conveyed visually and spatially is also very important. People don’t want to be bogged down by a boring block of text. A better way to convey this information is in chunks, each with a visual cue to make it easier to grasp and remember.
For instance, if the software solutions website provides multiple services for small businesses such as payroll and analytics, these pieces of information should have their own spaces where they can be easily seen and then elaborated upon. These images and descriptions can also feature links that lead to pages within the website with further information. Dividing information up in small informative chunks is less intimidating for the user and leads them to navigate the site at their own pace commensurate with their interests.
Another important aspect of the web design for this software solutions website is to keep mobile in mind. Mobile devices with online capabilities like smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly common. As a result, more websites are now being viewed from smaller screens with different navigational methods than traditional desktops. These sites must be designed with this type of viewership in mind. If the site isn’t optimized for mobile viewing (clunky text formatting, tiny links, etc.) users won’t bother staying on the site for very long, if at all.
For small businesses, the best way to stand out and thrive these days is with effective web design for the modern age. Mobile friendly websites that are simple, clear, and engaging will do more for your business than you might have thought before.
