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Top 10 Web Design Tips - Part 1

Posted Fri, September 18, 2009 — by Paul Russell

South Australia Tourism (www.southaustralia.co.nz)

1. Start with your brand 

Most businesses simply transfer their offline branding to their websites, but what works on the printed page rarely works at 72dpi. The web has quite different requirements and your brand should be where your website design journey begins. A website needs to communicate a business' brand and USP literally in seconds, or the visitor will simply click away. 

2. Define the site’s objective

How your site’s going to look and feel should not be your focus. Successful websites are designed and built to deliver to a clearly defined objective e.g. either generating a lead or a sale. This is achieved by designing clear pathways through the site that end at a conversion point.

3. Build it and they will come

Its a common mistake for a business to believe that once they’ve built their website, it will get visitors. Or that a website is all you need to generate leads or sales from the online channel. Before designing and building a new website, develop a plan to market it as well.

4. Choose your website designer carefully

Many businesses select their website designer based on a referral from someone and the price quoted. There are many more important criteria that need to be considered. What is their level of expertise with search engine optimisation, usability, information architecture, conversion, content management systems, ongoing support, website marketing ? Remember, you only get what you pay for - a cheap website will unlikely deliver a measurable commercial outcome. 

5. Optimise the site during design and build

Good Search Engine Optimsation (SEO) starts with the structure of the site. Like a house, you have to get the foundation right first. Avoid the mistake of designing and building your site, then having someone try to optimise it - chances are the site’s structure and code won’t be aligned with Google, and any attempt at SEO will be compromised.