GUEST BLOG: Make Your Business’ Web Site Engaging, Intuitive and Professional

This guest blog about business web site design is the first in a series of informative posts presented by The Web Guys — a web design and digital marketing agency located in Carmel.

As the world becomes increasingly more digitized, a business web site is no longer optional. When looking for information, the average consumer’s first impulse is to head for Google — not the Yellow Pages. In the article “B2B’s Digital Evolution” on Google Think Insights, the author asserts:

New research from CEB’s Marketing Leadership Council shows that potential business customers are increasingly using digital channels to form opinions about major purchases. Today’s business buyers do not contact suppliers directly until 57 percent of the purchase process is complete. The challenge for marketers is to be present in these channels at all times with content that educates buyers and helps guide commercial decisions.

It’s important to realize, though, that not just any old web site will do. A well designed web site will have a higher conversion rate than one with a “one size fits all” approach, especially for younger, design-savvy visitors. Bad design shouldn’t happen to good companies, but all too often a business owner or manager will quickly slap up a sub par web site, bypassing the professional business, content and marketing expertise needed to drive traffic to the site and increase sales.

Web design companies know that in order to be truly effective, business web sites need to meet these three criteria: they must be engaging, intuitive and professional.

Every web site relies on visitor engagement to flourish; after all, it only takes a click of a button to leave a disappointing web site and look for greener pastures. Each company approaches engagement differently — some focusing on graphics while others rely on attention-grabbing content. The best sites usually are a combination of both of these elements.

Getting a visitor’s attention is one thing, but keeping it is quite another. A web site with navigation that takes more than five seconds to understand will confuse and irritate potential clients. Visitors should see a clear, intuitive path through the site. Avoid the trap of “Mystery Meat Navigation” – links that say “Click Here!” without any indication of where they lead. Consistent, clear labeling with call-to-action buttons that direct customers to get quotes, make purchases and contact businesses should stand out on every page.

Even an engaging, intuitive site can fall flat, however, if its design looks unprofessional to users. Consumers approach the Web expecting businesses to have professional, informative websites — not throwbacks to the 1990s. If you’re still relying on flashing animations, ticker tapes scrolling by and black text on lime green backgrounds to catch attention, a face-lift is long overdue.

When hiring a Web design agency to create a web site, business owners should research available options. Find an agency with experience, and ask detailed questions about the design process before committing to a partnership. For Indianapolis and Indiana business owners, working with a local company like The Web Guys enables them to provide optimal content paired with SEO services to reach their target markets.

First impressions are everything — and an unprofessional, confusing site will send potential customers running to the competition. Creating an engaging web site only requires a modest investment of time and resources but will generate traffic and new customers for years to come.

Next month, look forward to learning about the importance of having proper web site visibility on Google, Yahoo! and Bing!

IndianaChamber.com has New Look

The Indiana Chamber has just gone live with our new web site, which features a sharper look, greater usability, and all-around cleaner appearance. And it tingles — tells me it’s doing more (that’s for all you Denorex fans out there).

Some highlights include:

• An updated store with more categories to search by. This will be much more convenient for our customers who purchase our publications and attend our conferences. By having more categories in our store section, potential customers can come to the site with a vague idea of what topic they are searching for and likely find the perfect publication or product on the site.

• A more consolidated, cleaner Business Research Center page featuring tools and publications to help Indiana’s businesses find the information they’re looking for

• A new media center featuring our many employment-related reports and studies, along with press releases and other information to keep media or the general public up to date on the current business climate in Indiana

• An overall improved design that is much easier on the reader’s eye and is more intuitive

• A search function and menu that allows users to find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily throughout the site

The Chamber welcomes you to visit our web site often, as we now feature upcoming events on our home page as well as a link to our blog, which has been read and sourced by some of the top pundits in Indiana. Additionally, if you’re not a Chamber member, be sure to visit our Member Benefits page to discover how joining could actually help your bottom line to join.