Seven Ingredients for a Professional Web Design

Online visitors have increasingly less time to determine whether an online shop (website) is for them or not. The growing supply of various web shops and sites, the online searcher (consumers and businesses) increasingly critical.

Often in a few seconds "to determine whether an online shop (website) interesting or not. A very important aspect of this 'first impression' is a professional web design: the look and feel of the page.

Is the layout clear and concise?
Is it clear at a glance where the site is about?
Support image, the user can identify with?
Is the use of color in harmony?
Is there a clear and legible logo on a logical place?
If one or more of these points are not properly executed, it is a missed opportunity! The benevolent, koopbehoevende visitor leaves your site within seconds.

Web design plays a very important role in the total mix of website conversion (visitors to customers). How can you now make sure that the design of your website as a home and within a few seconds to retain new visitors know and persuade? And preferably also receives a limited budget?

That is what this article. Reading this article can help you design your own shop or site under review it and determine what the potential of your online proposition. To improve the online presence of your company is doing right lower bounce rates and greatly influences the final outcome of your shop (site).

7 ingredients for a professional webdesign SME

Broadly speaking, the success of a web design MBK determined by two factors.
1. The plan as a basis for a commercially successful web design
2. The principles / guidelines for a good web design.

Part 1. The strategic plan as a basis for professional web design

A thoughtful and professional web design is always a strategic plan for this. Of course, colors, logos, images, facial expressions, etc. are properly designed, a web design but is only really successful if it matches the one on a strategy and marketing of the shop or website.

In our approach we start every website conversion improvement with a strategic online marketing session. In this session, all relevant factors presented; market audiences, customers, customer behavior, competition, segmentation, trends, developments, etc.

Strategic Plan website
In this strategic plan the layout of the site established as a basis for our web designer, to give shape to the concrete.

Guidelines / principles in this plan:

Make sure the USP's (up to 4) of the shop (site) prominently reflected in the web design;
The logo will be prominently in the shop (usually top left);
Usually there is a header specifying a title + a slogan of the Web site;
At least one conversion tool (action that encourages conversion) should be embedded in the web design;
The online shop (website) get a clear navigation structure;
Typically, a footer part of the 'interactive design' (you can offer an alternative search method + SEO landing pages to connect to the website).

Part 2 Principles / guidelines for a professional web design

Here are 7 tips and principles for the optimal design of your web design. The items below are only guidelines in most cases to achieve positive results.

1. Less = more
A traditional pitfall that is often made, the homepage (and sometimes the rest of the site) to do so full that there is' always something about what might be interesting. " The disadvantage of overcrowded sites is that there are so many elements require attention (main navigation, sub navigation, secondary navigation, deals, news, footer, extra menus, etc.), that it almost impossible to 'the trees for the forest to see '.

It is therefore advisable to first make a plan of the main points that you want to transfer your website. A website where simplicity rules, it creates a calm and knows the right way to balance the elements are presented.

2. Create a unit
Where many online shops (sites) go wrong is in designing a design that fits seamlessly with the company, its products and services to the market, with the logo and corporate identity. A successful web design includes all these points and form a unit.

A professional web design is also particularly well to the needs and preferences of the entrepreneur and the company. In our approach, we always work with a design study where our clients through a questionnaire to express their preferences.

3. Be careful with colors
Through an online shop (website) in an optimal way to convey a message, it is important to the colors in balance. We do this by working with 1 or 2 basic colors along with an accent color. By a prominent web design not too many colors to be present, there is peace and it is much easier to give extra attention to certain elements.

In addition, it often happens that certain colors are used together in a design, but the colors really do not match. For example purple and red, we call this inconsistent use of color or, as' the colors clash. Inconsistent use of color can lead to feel "that something is wrong 'without knowing what is right. When in doubt, but the visitor leaves the site in an instant.

4. Consistent application
A professional web design is built from a corporate website. It will define how certain parts of the website will be built. In particular, the fonts, letter spacing, title page formats and font color of the various content sections.

Capturing and consistently apply this style ensures that (new) visitors faster your shop (site) to understand, making them easier to find what they are looking for. It seems sometimes that web shops (sites) are not consistent, so visitors quickly drop out or irritable.

5. Build ID
A very important part of an SME web design is a well thought out and striking logo. A good logo tells more than 1,000 words. It gives the new visitors to your shop (site) the ability to quickly 'get' what your shop (site) is about.

A good logo is certainly readable and can contain a logo. This mark may be additional information bring the central message of your shop (site) even better across.

6. Reinforce your message with appropriate images
The use of images in your web design can be very much information at once across. Picture is worth 1,000 words. But once again, be economical to use other image'll see you through the forest for the images.

And depending on your business and objectives (what do you want in your shop or site to achieve?) Image can be used for various purposes. Example, to indicate who the primary audience is, to a certain atmosphere or decor to give to the design or a particular emotion to summon.

7. Ensuring the right balance
Although the format (interactive design) of the shop (site) is engaged in the strategic plan, it is important to find the right balance between the various elements.

Example. The size of a header is determined based on overall objectives. Are mainly the products of a shop or to the overall concept? If you block an action at the top post, will not automatically mean that it gets the proper attention. And you must be careful that certain elements do not compete with each other. Make a choice in what you think is important to bring to the attention and dare to delete elements.

Summary
If you want more from your shop (site) to get it is useful to the design of your shop (site) are investigated and where necessary to take (to) improve. The design, together with the content of your shop (site), is the first (visual) impression of new visitors online.

If this is good first impression visitors go faster 'inside'. They do not look only through the window (home / landing page), but they actually come inside to see if they actually get what they want here.

A strong design always starts with a good strategic plan, which eventually "translated" to be a concrete and successful web design.