Chances are you don't have a website just to have one. Your website probably has a specific purpose of selling some type of product or service. If your potential customer is what your website has in mind, don't push them away by making your website too complicated.
A website with a design that is too complicated may look good to you, but it may also drive away your customers. To prevent this common mistake, make sure your website is as easy to navigate as it is attractive. Videos and graphics are nice, but can be overwhelming. If they don't explain to the customer what to do, or don’t lead the customer to do something, they are defeating the purpose.
It is possible to have a website that is attractive and functional. It simply requires a little forethought into what the website is supposed to do. If your website is intending to encourage people to call your office, be sure to place the phone number prominently on the site.
Typing the phone number somewhere within the text is not going to be enough. Make sure that the number is not shrouded by other graphics or actions. Basically, make sure the phone number is easy to find.
A website whose function is to drive traffic can be a little more complex with its design. If your website needs people to click a link, make clicking it easy for your visitors. Sometimes this means incorporating your link into other content such as text and images. You may even have to place links in multiple places in order to encourage visitors to click. Designing a site like this may require a little design know how, but it is not rocket science.
The key word here is overly. A website can be complicated. Complicated is probably preferred over a design that is too simple. It's when it is more about the design and less about the product that it becomes a problem. That is why it is so important to design your website with your customer in mind. Save you complicated designs for your design portfolio!
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A website can be highly effective without being overly complicated. All that is needed is a clear focus on the desired customer or end goal. As you design your website, or hire someone to do so for you, make sure you remember why you are doing it. If it is not for your customer, you should stop, rethink, then start all over again.
When it comes to website design, think of the old K.I.S.S. acronym: "Keep it simple stupid". This saying was created because people all over the planet were over complicating processes and trying to re-invent the wheel. This is a sure way to fail.
At Funnel Boost Media, we have a different view of this acronym. Instead we think "Keep it simple & sexy". With this, we focus on keeping it simple, but we also make sure to take time into planning out the lines, colors, and layout of the site.
Simple does not mean ugly. Website that are simple can still be "sexy", it just may require some out of the box thinking. Play around with your designs and ask friends and family for honest opinions. You'll know when you land the perfect schemes.
Web designer, Ryan Duncan, has been building websites for half his life. Creating new designs and pushing the boundaries of contemporary design. Now, part owner of Funnel Boost Media, Ryan strives to take his unique look on website creation and turn it into a service of helping local companies in the San Antonio area.
Ryan DuncanAbout the Author:
With a growing internet user base, marketing is leaving the traditional world and entering the online realm, leaving business owners in the dust. Ryan helps these companies build pleasing, engaging websites that convert traffic into business relationships.