What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?
Oh, the times, they are a-changin'. As a boy, I recall that when my father wanted to drum up some business, all he had to do was put his picture in the yellow pages. But now the year is 2023, and if you haven't got a website, you could be missing out on more than a few potential clients.
Furthermore, the Internet, and
specifically the practice of using websites as a business tool, has been around for quite a little while, meaning the standard of
excellence has become rather high. That is, having a mediocre website could ultimately be more detrimental than having nothing at all.
You might be surprised to learn just how complex and advanced the technology behind website creation has become. As a consequence, the gap between quality and sub-quality has widened greatly. Today, we'd like to tell you just what makes a good website, and more importantly, why it matters so much.
Credibility
These days, not having a website is like not having a sign above your front door. You can't expect people to find your business driving down the street if there's nothing there to notify them. At this point in the game, a website is an absolute necessity. So just how much effort should you put into your website?
A recent trend that's gaining
popularity are DIY website kits online. These grant you a URL and some pretty colors to paste your text against. The problem is that
they're generic, often unnavigable, and lack demographic and analytic resources. These types of websites work just fine for my
aunt selling jewelry out of her living room, but for an ambitious business, quality counts, and people can tell. Don't underestimate
your potential customers.
The average Internet user visits about 6 – 10 new sites per day. With such abundance, this has resulted in an overall low tolerance for cookie-cutter websites. If 9 of those businesses have used a DIY kit, and you've got a one-of-a-kind, customized website, you're really going to stand out.
This abundance also means smaller attention spans. When driving potential clients to your website, you have a very small window to make a great first impression. The attention span for your average Internet user is about ten seconds, meaning if you aren't able to capture their eye or differentiate yourself in that time, it's bye-bye business. And remember, there's more to it than just clicks to your site – you ultimately want people to familiarize themselves, and explore every page.
There are certain tactics that work,
and certain ones that don't, when it comes to getting people to your
site, and having them stay once they arrive. A beautiful, customized
website ultimately lends you credibility by letting people know
you're there, setting yourself apart, and grabbing attention when you
most need to, in a world where it's most difficult to.
Demographic Data
By utilizing all of the resources
available to you, you can operate your business smarter. Having a
quality website, complete with all of the current tools, can help you
determine who's reaching out to you, as well as where –
what part of the country (or world)
– they are; when people are buying your products, and
oftentimes why they are getting such good use out of them.
These resources can allow you to deeply familiarize yourself with
your client base, predict purchase patterns, and ultimately identify
and target new business.
Brand Identity
In creating a website, it's
important to think about the big picture. A critical aspect of any
business is the branding and marketing persona you wish to put forth,
and your website should be an inseparable appendage of that. It's
almost a guarantee that competitors in your industry also have a
website. But simply choosing background colors and writing adequate
content isn't going to cut it here in 2014.
A truly good-looking website can use
subtlety to say a lot. Visitors to your site may not realize it on a
conscious level, but they will feel that everything you do is unified
and deliberate. With a website like this, you go from having people
click to your site, scanning the first paragraph and ducking out, to
people who are interested, who want to see what each page has to
offer, and who will ultimately reach out to you.
In summation, a quality website helps
you to run your business smarter, sets you apart from the
competition, and overall, helps you grow your client base. When you
build a custom website with HDM, you are given access to a wide range
of user-friendly resources that will help you track data and stay in
the know. We have years of experience building websites, and as so,
have stayed on the cutting edge of the latest design technologies.
Finally, we also specialize in brand marketing, and will work with
you to make sure that your website says everything it ought to, up
front and between the lines.
Please take a look at our portfolio to see some of our
pieces. We take great pride in our work, and strive to make each
website unique and beautiful. Or, for any questions you may have,
please feel free to Call or Contact Us anytime.
Oh, the times, they are a-changin'. As a boy, I recall that when my father wanted to drum up some business, all he had to do was put his picture in the yellow pages. But now the year is 2023, and if you haven't got a website, you could be missing out on more than a few potential clients.
Furthermore, the Internet, and specifically the practice of using websites as a business tool, has been around for quite a little while, meaning the standard of excellence has become rather high. That is, having a mediocre website could ultimately be more detrimental than having nothing at all.
You might be surprised to learn just how complex and advanced the technology behind website creation has become. As a consequence, the gap between quality and sub-quality has widened greatly. Today, we'd like to tell you just what makes a good website, and more importantly, why it matters so much.
Credibility
These days, not having a website is like not having a sign above your front door. You can't expect people to find your business driving down the street if there's nothing there to notify them. At this point in the game, a website is an absolute necessity. So just how much effort should you put into your website?
A recent trend that's gaining popularity are DIY website kits online. These grant you a URL and some pretty colors to paste your text against. The problem is that they're generic, often unnavigable, and lack demographic and analytic resources. These types of websites work just fine for my aunt selling jewelry out of her living room, but for an ambitious business, quality counts, and people can tell. Don't underestimate your potential customers.
The average Internet user visits about 6 – 10 new sites per day. With such abundance, this has resulted in an overall low tolerance for cookie-cutter websites. If 9 of those businesses have used a DIY kit, and you've got a one-of-a-kind, customized website, you're really going to stand out.
This abundance also means smaller attention spans. When driving potential clients to your website, you have a very small window to make a great first impression. The attention span for your average Internet user is about ten seconds, meaning if you aren't able to capture their eye or differentiate yourself in that time, it's bye-bye business. And remember, there's more to it than just clicks to your site – you ultimately want people to familiarize themselves, and explore every page.
There are certain tactics that work, and certain ones that don't, when it comes to getting people to your site, and having them stay once they arrive. A beautiful, customized website ultimately lends you credibility by letting people know you're there, setting yourself apart, and grabbing attention when you most need to, in a world where it's most difficult to.
Demographic Data
By utilizing all of the resources available to you, you can operate your business smarter. Having a quality website, complete with all of the current tools, can help you determine who's reaching out to you, as well as where – what part of the country (or world) – they are; when people are buying your products, and oftentimes why they are getting such good use out of them. These resources can allow you to deeply familiarize yourself with your client base, predict purchase patterns, and ultimately identify and target new business.
Brand Identity
In creating a website, it's important to think about the big picture. A critical aspect of any business is the branding and marketing persona you wish to put forth, and your website should be an inseparable appendage of that. It's almost a guarantee that competitors in your industry also have a website. But simply choosing background colors and writing adequate content isn't going to cut it here in 2014.
A truly good-looking website can use subtlety to say a lot. Visitors to your site may not realize it on a conscious level, but they will feel that everything you do is unified and deliberate. With a website like this, you go from having people click to your site, scanning the first paragraph and ducking out, to people who are interested, who want to see what each page has to offer, and who will ultimately reach out to you.
In summation, a quality website helps you to run your business smarter, sets you apart from the competition, and overall, helps you grow your client base. When you build a custom website with HDM, you are given access to a wide range of user-friendly resources that will help you track data and stay in the know. We have years of experience building websites, and as so, have stayed on the cutting edge of the latest design technologies. Finally, we also specialize in brand marketing, and will work with you to make sure that your website says everything it ought to, up front and between the lines.
Please take a look at our portfolio to see some of our pieces. We take great pride in our work, and strive to make each website unique and beautiful. Or, for any questions you may have, please feel free to Call or Contact Us anytime.