How to Get Started Designing a Website that Generates Results

Introduction

Ever since the internet became a presence in people’s everyday lives, savvy business owners and marketers have rightfully recognized the need to build an online presence for their company. Fast forward and it’s no longer enough to just have a website. It’s now critical to design a website that generates measurable, real-life business results.

Unfortunately, we’re still seeing so many websites that:

  • Don’t appear high on search engines
  • Have outdated designs that are not mobile-friendly and look tacky
  • Have zero capability for digital marketing
  • Don’t allow for easy edits to content
  • Don’t have any viable means to bring in leads or revenue

And we get why. Websites don’t really come cheap, in terms of time or money. The planning process is meticulous, it takes a long time to gather resources to build the site and someone has to be paid for the labor involved.

It’s now critical to design a website that generates measurable, real-life business results.

The Purpose of this Page

We’re writing this guide to give you some broad, foundational knowledge that you can use to take meaningful action whenever the time comes to design a website for your company. Not technical jargon about writing code, but information and vocabulary that is absolutely crucial to your understanding of how your website should function in relation to your business.

Maybe you don’t have a website at all. Maybe you’re considering a redesign of your current site. Or, maybe you’re just kicking around the idea of building a brand new website and stumbled upon this page out of sheer curiosity.

If you were to ask us what you need to know before designing a website, sit back and just let us talk, this is what we’d tell you.

Our ultimate goal is for you to feel comfortable once the time comes to design a new website, whether you choose to attempt it yourself or use a professional web design agency.

Our ultimate goal is for you to feel comfortable once the time comes to design a new website, whether you choose to attempt it yourself or use a professional web design agency.

What is a Website?

We know that you know what a website is. We’re not going to give you the definition of the word “website” because you can find it anywhere on the internet.

Instead, let’s break down ways to think about what a website is within the context of your company and its place in the world.

A Customer Service Tool

First and foremost, your website is not (entirely) for you. It’s for potential customers to learn about your company and easily contact you or make a purchase if they desire to do so.

If your website meets your visitors’ needs, it will meet your needs too, because it will encourage many of them to become customers.

Key Ingredients of a Website that Never Expires

Depending on your business’ industry and goals, the necessary elements of your website will vary.

However, broadly speaking, there are a few things that literally every single website needs, whether it’s for an online retailer, a local accountant or anything in between.

Think of having these features as future-proofing your website so you don’t have to redesign it every two years. Instead, you can adapt to the evolving digital landscape and continue growing.

Search engine optimization (SEO) involves applying a set of proven tactics to your website so it appears towards the top of search results and is easy for people to find.

Think of having these features as future-proofing your website so you don’t have to redesign it every two years. Instead, you can adapt to the evolving digital landscape and continue growing.

3 Major Types of Websites

In general, there are three main types of websites. This is where things start to vary depending on your industry and your goals.

Informational Websites

Every website is informational in some capacity, but a truly information website prioritizes the communication of information as the main goal.

It’s ideal for publications or government organizations, and typically needs a strong blogging platform so content can be updated easily.

A Brief Walkthrough of the Design Process

Setting Goals

The first step to designing a website is to understand exactly what you want it to achieve. Possible goals include:

Increasing sales

Increasing sales

Growing your email list

Building brand authority

Increasing website traffic

The above goals are vague, but they’re a start. In the words of our friends at HubSpot, make your goals SMART:

Increasing sales

Increasing sales

Growing your email list

Building brand authority

Increasing website traffic

Breakdown of Each Phase

In this stage, you’ll determine exactly which webpages you need. This will most likely consist of one webpage per product or service, an “About” page, a “Contact” page, a homepage (obviously) and possibly even more.

The scope of your website will be directly informed by its goals.

Conclusion

So that’s it. That’s what we’d tell someone who asked us for our full advice on website design. Whether you choose to design it yourself or hire a web design agency, expect to put in the effort. That’s the only way to design a website that generates true results.

Get started now on the first step of the process: goal setting.

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