
Like it or not, in the digital world, looks are everything. Here’s why:
- More than 85% of prospective customers will check out a company’s site before visiting its physical location.
- More than 95% of them admit that the website significantly influences whether or not they will choose the company’s products or services
- 100% admit that they will leave a site because it’s difficult to use or poorly designed.
If you want to be successful, you’ll need to pay attention to appearance.
Your website has a crucial impact on your business. But simply having any kind of website isn’t enough. You need to look attractive and professional. You need to build your brand.
Your brand is how people perceive you. In today’s digital world, it’s a collection of impressions made mostly online. For that reason, your website needs to be a reflection of your business. In other words, your website needs to be branded. Having a branded site helps build credibility, which means consumers will be more likely to trust you and choose you over the competition.
Here are 7 tips to help you create an awesome branded site.
1. Know Who You Are
Defining who you are is the foundation of successful branding. How can you expect customers to understand you if you don’t?
Writing a mission statement might be very helpful for this. A mission statement is a statement of a company’s purpose. It helps:
- Identify the scope of your operation
- Identify what type of services and products you provide
- Identify your target audience
- Identify what values you adhere to.
Your mission statement can also include a short statement of your company’s philosophy, it’s main competitive advantages, as well as its vision, intentions, and desires for the future.
Having a mission statement will help you direct your business in the right direction. In addition, it will play an important part in helping you make solid decisions that can be quite beneficial to your brand image and revenue flow.
2. Keep Things Simple
Your customers should be able to easily find what they’re looking for. For that reason, be sure that your site is simple and functional.
Avoid using too many different colors and too much text because it can create complexity and overwhelm visitors’ brains. High-quality photos, lots of whitespaces, and small color splashes are just enough to liven up your website but still keep it look elegant and easy to navigate.
3. Create a Logo
Having a logo is important because it grabs attention and makes a strong first impression. It’s memorable, it separates you from the competition, enhances brand loyalty, and forms the foundation of your brand identity.
Make sure your logo is simple, that it speaks to your target customers, and conveys the spirit of your brand.
If you need a logo but you’re on a rather tight budget and you need inspiration and affordability, consider using a free logo maker. If your budget is big, use the help of a professional branding agency or a freelance designer.
4. Choose Great Images
Photos are a great away to convey emotion, so make sure to choose the best ones for your brand. You can always use stock photos but try to avoid them. Instead, use professional-looking photos of your company, employees, products, and satisfied customers.
5. Don’t Forget About Content
Even though your website’s design is the key factor when it comes to impressing your audience, the content you serve is just as important. Design is what provides an immediate impression of your brand but the content is what helps develop the brand in the long run.
Remarkable content allows you to establish the respectability of your brand. So, how do you develop remarkable content that grants your website a shiny status?
If visitors don’t see any value on your website, chances are your bounce rates will skyrocket. It’s crucial that your site presents quality, useful content that benefits your customers. Make sure the content you produce is unique, solves customers’ problems, educates them, or gives advice. In other words, it’s not just about talking, but also giving something.
6. Rely on SEO to Make It Easy for People to Find You
When people search for your brand online, they need to be able to find you. Start by identifying the best search phrases people would use to find your business. These can be your company name, services, location, as well as names of your key employees. Then, set up your site with tags for these terms and include them in your content.
7. Go Mobile
Considering the fact that people are increasingly relying on their smartphones to search for businesses, it’s clear that your website needs to be optimized for mobile.
Let’s take a look at some figures:
- More than 90% of adults have their smartphones within hand’s reach 24/7
- When searching on their smartphones, 70% of the time they take action within an hour.
In addition, Google ranks non-responsive sites lower in search results, so there’s an extra reason to go mobile!
Final Thoughts
Following these 7 rules will help you figure out who you are communicating with online and how to do it properly.
Bear in mind that people are visual creatures and make immediate assumptions based on appearance. According to surveys, 80% of people say they chose a company’s services over a competitor’s just because it had a better-looking website. Make sure it’s your company they choose!