Five Steps To Get Better Graphic Web Design for Your Business

By now, the concept of graphic web design is familiar to most small business owners who are looking to create a website in order to promote their venture. However, effective web design poses a host of challenges. For one thing, the typical plumber, contractor, or lawyer, and the like, usually lacks experience in building websites. Yet, at the same time, many small business owners tend to think they can take the do-it-yourself route and succeed.

Together, a lack of experience, combined with a stubborn sense not wanting to hire someone, is a recipe for disaster. Actually, it's a recipe for an expensive disaster, either through wasted money or wasted man-hours in getting the website up and running.

The good news is that it does not have to be this way. Learning a few basic tips on good web design practices will give business owners the knowledge they need to hire the right professional to do the job. Ultimately, this will save time, money and effort 

1. Forget about ASAP. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Many business owners decide they need a website - now - and hurry to get something up as soon as possible without proper planning. This usually results in a poorly designed website that fails to present the business in a positive light.

Remember, most clients make a decision about a website in less than eight seconds. If your web design looks amateurish, or like you did it yourself, the customer will see this immediately, and immediately develop a negative impression about your business.

Instead, most of the work on a web design should take place on a good old fashioned blank piece of paper. In carpentry there is an expression, measure twice, cut once. Similarly, when it comes to building a website, plan twice and three times before opening the computer.

Planning requires knowing who your target market is, what the purpose of your website is, and what you want to say on the site. Take time to answer these questions slowly and with careful consideration before committing to a design.

2. Use the KISS principle. The most successful websites - let's say Google, or the Drudgereport.com, have extremely simple web designs. Flashy graphics and other bells and whistles should only be used if they help communicate the message of the site.

Graphic designers and website builders are often just that - technical experts who enjoy tinkering with the latest gadget. However, true web design experts will always stress that content is king. An effective website should communicate what the business is all about and how customers can get the information they need.

3. Tell them what you want them to do. In world of the web, this is known as the "Call to Action." Each page should have a clear call to action. What do you want your visitors to do? Call you? Submit their contact information? Stay on the site researching information? Buy something. Customers do not always know what they want when they arrive on a site. It is the website's job to tell them what to do next. This means a business owner also has to have that worked out before building the site.

4. Don't pay too much - or too little. Knowing how much to pay is one of the greatest challenges facing business owners intent on building a website. Every day another company appears offering free do-it-yourself websites. The templates always look so perfect - until you actually try to build it yourself. A similar danger comes from the nearly free or extremely cheap offers out there. In a certain sense, you do get what you pay for. Anyone willing to work for sub-standard wages will probably produce substandard work.

On the other end of the scale, there some outfits that present themselves and world-class experts in building a website and will charge thousands of dollars for their services. While there is no hard and fast rule about how much to pay for a site, a certain level of common sense applies here. A website represents a significant portion of your business. It requires an investment. Unless you simply want a one-page informational site, you should be prepared to invest an appropriately significant sum.

5. Make sure to update the site regularly. Part of the functionality should include a way for you to update the site regularly. Whether this is a blog, or part of the contract, this is important, because search engines value updated content. Also, you will want to be able to post seasonal specials and other new content without having to redo the whole site. The easiest way to do this is to include a blog in the site, though there are other methods a well.

Hiring a competent writer should be included in this tip as well. As alluded to before, many website designers are well versed in everything except the creation of the actual content. Too often, a business owner will hire an individual or company to build a site only to find himself at a loss when told to "send us the words."

Make sure the webdesign professional has a relationship with a professional web content producer who can provide this service. As a business owner, you should not have to write your own copy. In addition, there are technical aspects of creating copy, such as search engine optimization, which are best handled by someone with experience in that area.