It is a good idea to look in more detail at the thought that must go into the design of a website outwith the obvious talents of the designer themselves. It can no longer be enough to just have a site that pops out of the screen whenever an individual lands there because the days of the actual design itself being the most important aspect are now long behind us. Instead, people are used to seeing cool things on sites and this has meant that functionality and content takes precedence.

In other words, what your website is about is the key way to not only keep people on your site, but also to encourage them to contact you.

Looking At Industry Specific Websites

Let us take the example of a law firm to really explain what is meant by us looking at the importance of design according to an actual type of business.

Whenever people are actively going onto the Internet and searching for a law firm, they have a very specific reason in mind for venturing onto a site. They are not interested in a fancy design that really manages to showcase the talents of the designer. They prefer to fully understand what the website is about and whether or not the law firm in question will be able to help them.

What this means is that there has to be a clear understanding between both the client and designer right from the outset and communication between the two throughout the developmental stage is essential.

For our law firm, there would be a number of key components that simply cannot be missing from the site. First, there would need to be a detailed bio because, after all, the people going to the site would want to learn as much as they could about the law firm before contacting them.

There would also need to be a number of ways to contact them and that these contact details should  be easy to find at all times. There should also be links from the site to external websites that help to strengthen the confidence in the lawyer, so official accreditation in some way is another item that needs to be included in the design.

The quality of content is also extremely important as it needs to be both clear and concise so that the visitor gets everything that they need from the visit. By doing this, you will make it more likely that they will then take some form of action and that has to be the ultimate aim with pretty much any website.

Other Ways In Which The Business Shapes The Website

Of course the ways in which the business, or industry, shapes and moulds a website does vary a great deal. Think about a restaurant. Does the person visiting the website want to see a fancy and elaborate design for the menu? Not really, because they just want to know what is on the menu in order to decide if they wish to make a booking.

The same can be said for websites that have been designed for businesses in the construction industry. If a designer wants to create something elaborate, then they are going off on their own adventure because the main thing for this type of website is that the visitor can learn about the experience and qualifications of the company, if they are insured, and see examples of their previous work. Nothing else matters apart from those things. As long as the website is easy to use and they can get the information that they need, then that is all that is required.

The point that is being made here is that business owners need to take more of a vested interest in their website and to have more in depth discussions with web designers prior to any work being started. Yes, there has to be an acceptance that the designer knows what they are doing from a technical point of view, but you as the business owner should have a better understanding of the key  things that people look for from you.

It is impossible for the designer to fully understand every single type of business and industry. They  may be able to take an educated guess, but if there is a lack of communication, then there is a greater chance of the client being unhappy with aspects of the site once it is nearing completion.

As we said at the start, the days of the design being the number one thing to grab attention have gone. Now, people need to understand that the viewing public want other things as the novelty of being able to view websites wore off years ago. The key is in delivering what the visitor wants and doing so in an easy fashion.

If you are thinking about getting a new website, or re-designing an old one, then talk to the designer and stress what you want in your site. A good web design company will be more than willing to listen and if you find that you are in this position, then contact us now to arrange a member of our team to discuss your exact needs to give you the site you deserve.

Should you take the golden generation into consideration when you are designing a website? The short answer here is of course you should and in actual fact it is now essential that you think about the age range of people that could view your site when it is being designed. Studies have shown that  the part of the market in the United States of people over the age of 55 using the Internet is now roughly equal in size to the number of people that own an iPhone. Now, do you feel that your website can ignore them?

The problem here is that people are often guilty of thinking about producing a website that is spectacular on the eye and full of seriously cool things and with social media icons plastered all over. However, even although this may very well look nice from a design point of view, we need to think about the practical aspect of a website when taking into consideration this golden generation.

A Simple Layout Is King

First, the layout. There is no doubt that a nice, clean, simply layout is the best option. It is important  that you get your message across, but never overfill the homepage in particular because too much info from the outset is not going to do you any favors. Instead, break it up into useful sections on various pages and you will get a far better response.

Think About Fonts

You need to remember that, as we get older, our eyesight tends to not be as good as it used to be. What this means from a design perspective is that those crazy fonts could lead to problems for you. Keep it clean, although remember clean does not have to mean boring, and avoid using too many small font sizes either or you will find that people will feel that there is no point in them staying on your site.

Make Buttons And Links Bigger

Due to both eyesight and a reduction in what is known as motor control, which is a fancy way of talking about your ability to co-ordinate between your eyesight and hand movements. From a design perspective it means that you should increase the size of the buttons and links on your site just to make life that bit easier.

Keep Forms And Signups Simple

If you require people to sign up for an account for your site, say for example if you have an ecommerce website, then keep the form as simple as possible. Too many boxes and options can just be confusing and this is something that has to be avoided. Make life easy by limiting the information that you require or at least offer an easy to understand explanation of the details you want and the reasons behind it. A long form may look impressive, but is there any point to it if people are unable to complete it?

Make Contacting You Clearer

People need to know how to contact you, but it should also not be hidden away in a corner. Make the different contact options as clear as possible so that it cannot be missed as you will tend to find that people with less confidence in using the Internet will indeed have more questions. If they struggle to see how they can get answers to them, then it will lead to them clicking off and moving elsewhere instead.

Remember The Experience With Technology

However, even when you take everything above into consideration it is still vitally important that you remember their experience with technology. This becomes even more important when you push the age further and discover that more people over the age of 70 are now using the Internet and this entire idea of talking to people around the world in an instant is completely new and baffling.

Never assume that everybody that is viewing your website is an absolute expert with technology as that is not the case. Instead, it is best to always think of them as having the same limited knowledge and design your website around that.

Your designer will be able to advise you on the best course of action to take with your site because there is of course an understanding that some sites are promoting services, products, or ideas that are specifically aimed at the younger generation. This does mean that the advice above does not always apply, but at least knowing that there is a problem is a good step forward.

Only thinking about the younger generation is a major error on your part and even though it is impossible to predict how much revenue you are missing out on the mere fact that you are allowing any part of your market to pass you by is a real mistake. It only requires slight changes to what you are doing now, but those changes are important, so contact your web designer and ask their advice because exclusion is a bad thing unless it is for specific reasons of course.