Monday

Website Design With Customers in Mind

By Gary Klingsheim


Creating a website can be tough if you have never done it before. Trying to choose from all the different colors and styles can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The options seem to be endless, and you may have considerable trouble trying to narrow it down to that perfect one. To make it easier, remind yourself that you aren't making the site for you. You are making it for your customers.

Is the Look Inviting or Distracting?

Have you ever been to a website that was too flashy, one that had obnoxious colors, distracting animation, and was just an overall headache? You probably have. Most people have, and if you're like most people, you probably left that site as soon as possible. Take that as a lesson when making your site. You never want to use any colors, fonts, or images that will run customers away by straining their eyes.

Remember that not all computer screens are made in the same way, so a color that looks fine on your screen may look completely different on a customer's screen. To avoid this problem, choose colors from the "browser-safe colors" chart that can be found line. Along with the actual colors to choose, you must consider the color combinations (the font versus background contrast). It the colors are too much alike or the font is too fancy, it will be hard to read. If the colors are too harsh or bright, it will still be too hard to read. That is why a black background with white letter is not a good idea. Black letters on a white background is better, but may be too plain for your tastes. If so, try a navy blue background with white letters. It's an easy way to switch things up without sacrificing the readability of your content.

Is All the Necessary Information Available?

This is the most important part of the site, so you have to pay special attention to what you include. Some people rush to put up their products, but forget there are other pages that are just as important. A Contact page, for example, should be easy to locate for any customers in need of more information. They will grow frustrated and, perhaps, decide not to purchases if they can't get in contact with you easily. Therefore, the more options a person has to choose from, the better. Be sure to include a physical address (if available), an email address, and a phone number.

In addition to the Contact and Home pages, there should be an About page, a page that gives background information on you and your company. This is where you will talk about what it is you sell, how long you have been in business, and whatever else you would like to include that you feel will give your customers a feel for you and your business. Think of the things you would like to know about other companies. Chances are, your customers want to know the same about yours.

Another way to give customers information about your business is to include a FAQ page. There are certain questions your customers will have over and over again. It will be in everyone's best interest to have those answered beforehand. Otherwise, you'll end up wasting a lot time answering the same questions. People usually have questions about shipping charges, return policies and other terms of service, and forms of payment accepted.

The Arrangement

Once you know what you will put on the site, you will have to think about how to arrange it. The quickest way to run a potential customer away is to have too much writing on your page. Let's face it. Most customers are lazy. They don't want to read lots of tiny, mashed-together text. It's a turn off. If you put all the information together is one big block, it will end up being a waste of time because people will not read it. Instead, use big, stand-out headings, and only include the most important information. Use short paragraphs and subtitles and bullet points where possible. Imagine if a person only had 2 minutes to read your site. Would they be able to read all the valuable information in that time? If not, you may need to trim it.

When it comes to websites, less can be more. Rather than trying to impress customers with fancy graphics, put them at ease with easy-to-read text, relaxing colors and simple navigation.




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