Web Design Templates Are So Last Year

Written by wfootD on January 7, 2015. Posted in Templates, Uncategorized, Website Design.

You may have come across a number of websites that offer you the opportunity to go ahead and design your own website for either no money whatsoever, or a very small fee. This does of course sound rather promising because we all like something for nothing, but is it actually worth all of the effort on your part?

Why Those Free Templates Are Useless

To actually answer this question, we need to look at the templates that you are going to be working with. In the majority of cases they are rather plain, unable to be personalized a great deal, and generally lacking in anything enticing. Instead, these templates are used more for purely practical reasons, but even here there are problems.

You see, a website should reflect what you do, but how can this be possible when you use a template that is identical to possibly thousands of other websites out there? The only difference is going to be your name, some images, and of course the content, but the overall structure will still be the same on every website that has ever been created by these means. Now, do you think that this is attractive to people that visit your site?

Studies have shown that people are more receptive to websites that come across as being unique. You just have to think about it yourself when you have stumbled across a site that looks strangely familiar to another one that you looked at the other day. How do you feel? Do you perhaps feel slightly cheated? Do you feel that the people behind the website do not actually care that much about their site that they have not bothered to make it personal to them? Most people will then change their opinion of the company in question and if you want people to spend cash with you, then do you think that this is now possible with how they feel about you?

Having Your Own Website Is More Productive

What we are saying here is that these templates are pretty much a waste of time. Sure they allow you to have an actual website, but at what cost to how you are viewed by others? Instead, you are much better off actually investing a relatively small amount of cash in your own unique site. The reasons as to why this is better are plentiful.

1. It is tailor made

The first advantage is of course that it is tailor made to suit your own individual needs. This means that you can sit down with the designer and come to some agreement as to what your site should look like and what should be in it. You really do not have this option with those free templates as you are pretty much stuck with what is available and being able to be flexible with a website is very important if you are to be happy with the end result.

2. It is easier to optimize it

With a website, one of the key things is search engine optimization and when you have your website made by an actual designer, they can do the correct work for SEO as the site is being built. This will tend to mean that you will get better results on the likes of Google whereas those templates make this vital part so much harder to do. You need to think about things carefully here because what is more important to you? Saving money and getting a free website that nobody sees or paying money for something that is more visible and attracts more attention?

3. It is easier to make changes

A good website should be fluid and by this it means that various things can be changed as and when required. However, it is also important to make sure that everything continues to look perfect from a design point of view whenever those changes are made. Now, how much easier will life be when you leave it in the hands of a talented designer? Compare this to you making your own attempt via those free templates with you being fully aware of the possibility of you changing something and the design then being completely thrown out. Would you know how to rectify it?

4. You can continue to build

With templates, you are pretty much stuck with what you get at the outset and where is the fun in that? However, when you use a designer life becomes so much easier in so many ways. How would you go and deal with adding in details regarding your Twitter account showing your latest Tweets on your site? How would you add a cool gallery that now has to hold more images than ever before? How would you make sure that it could be easily viewed on smartphones? There are so many things that you can do with a website, but those free templates usually lack them and it is you that will be missing out.

What You Need To Do

The only option that you have available is to use a professional web designer to create your site in a professional and efficient manner. They can take your ideas and turn them into reality rather than you trying to squeeze them into a pre-existing template that just doesn’t work. Give us a call today to discuss your needs with a member if the team and look forward to having a website that you are proud if.

Do You Need To Keep Up With Web Design Trends?

Written by wfootD on July 17, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized, Website Design.

If you are a business owner and you have a website, then hopefully you will be quite content with the way it looks. Your site is like a permanent shop window for your business and the old adage that first impressions count really does apply even with here. The problem is that most business owners, no matter the size of the company, are unaware of the fact that there are actually trends when it comes to web design and it is actually quite easy for your own website to end up looking outdated without you even being aware of it.

Take 2014 for example. Industry experts talk about trends such as more creative fonts being used for the words on the pages and people moving away from simply having Times New Roman or any of the other regular fonts that you see everywhere. They also talk about having a large space at the top of the home page, referred to as the hero area, with creative graphics or something to really grab the attention of your visitor. A major improvement in the functionality of websites on mobile devices. Using videos to illustrate points in web pages rather than just a plain old image. There are so many things, so you can see how your website can start to look past its best can’t you?

What do you need to do?

We are not saying that you should change your website on a yearly basis in order to reflect these trends, but at the same time if your website has been left unattended to for a couple of years, then you are missing out in a big way. We should say that this is not only from a design point of view, but also limiting the way in which visitors can interact with your website and this will only lead to them being disappointed with what you have to offer as a company. Can you as a business afford to do that?

It is widely accepted that the best course of action for you to take is to first of all do some market research all on your own in order to identify problem areas with your website. Ask people to evaluate your site and even create a form that you can email to them in order to get some feedback on areas that they feel could be doing with being improved upon. We are all guilty of seeing things through rose tinted glasses and believing that everything is perfect, but in the business world it is important that this is avoided as much as possible.

By getting some feedback it is then easier for you to determine the changes that need to be made to your site and of course you then need to consult with a web designer to see how easy it is to implement the changes that have been suggested. It is not then simply a case of taking these suggestions and throwing them all onto your website, even if that is what you feel should be done, because there are still issues regarding how the different ideas can even just work together on a website.

From a technical point of view, never mind a design perspective, there are some things that just do not work even if you have read about different trends and want them all included. Just because something is a trend, and you feel that you need to keep up with them, does not mean that it will work for you. These web design trends tend to speak in general terms in order to cover as many different styles and types of websites as possible, so clearly you need some professional advice on how your website can be brought up to date, but in a functional way.

The difference it can make to your business.

So what does it do for your actual business if you have a website that is always relevant and provides your visitors with a wonderful experience? This in itself should be pretty self explanatory because it just means that people will have a better impression of your business and you will really be selling yourself to them. If they see a business that is providing them with all of the information that they need and does so in an easy to understand manner, then surely you can see how it then improves the chances of them then spending money with you? Your business will no longer come across as being stale and boring and that has to be a good thing.

It is a widely accepted fact that a website that has not kept up with the latest design trends and, therefore, looks tired and old will only lead to visitors clicking off that page almost immediately. By having a modern, clean design that works you will encourage people to explore your website more fully and with any website visitor retention is absolutely key. Quite simply, without it you may as well not even have a website.

The best advice to give to you is to have your current website assessed by a member of our team here at Webfoot Designs and see what modern changes should be made to it. You may be surprised at how little has to be done to then make a big impression and if that then leads to an increase in business, then surely you have nothing to lose?

Why an outdated design can have a detrimental effect on your business

Written by wfootD on June 6, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized, Website Design.

Think for a second about your reaction when you walk past a real life store and see that the outside is in a terrible state. The paintwork is peeling, it is dirty, it looks old and past its best. Do you feel drawn into spending some money there or do you feel as if you need to just walk on by and try somewhere that is clearly so much better?

Of course the vast majority of people would simply not bother dealing with that business and the same theory applies to websites. Studies have shown that you have a matter of just a few seconds to grab the attention of a potential client or customer with your website before they go elsewhere, so clearly it has to look fresh or your business is in trouble right from the outset.

Changes to websites.

If your website was designed more than five years ago it will be using techniques and coding that have now been surpassed by modern day equivalents. This latest coding makes websites load faster, work more smoothly, and they are also far more interactive than ever before and these are the things that people are looking for. Just think about the biggest websites out there and how they keep on updating their websites even just with small changes here and there. If they are doing it, why would you not follow them and do the same?

Bad design putting off customers.

One of the major things that will put people off your website is if it is not fully working or if the design looks old and has clearly not been updated for a good number of years. People automatically look for something that does not have to be slick, but at least is modern and clean looking unless the type of business dictates otherwise. They do not want to see graphics that were designed on programs that pre-date Photoshop, they do not want to see layouts that were more about the designer showing off than being effective, and nor do they want to see a website that just looks dead.

The impact it has on the visitor.

It is fine just saying that people will look at the website and not be impressed, but we should also think about the actual impact it has beyond that initial disappointment that they feel. Having an outdated website just makes people feel as if you simply do not care about your marketing or business because a website is your very own 24/7 marketing tool. People just get the impression that you are lazy, you care little about how people view your business, or that you are struggling and cannot afford to make changes that could potentially save your business.

The result of this is that people are more likely to want to go elsewhere and they will just never spend any money with you. You come across as being unprofessional and would you want to deal with a company where you felt that about them?

Think back to what was said earlier on about having just a matter of seconds to convince people to stay on your website. Would you be convinced by that real life store with it looking as if it has been abandoned?

How it can hit your business.

It should be very clear as to how it can have an impact on your business and there is no way that you can turn this into a positive experience. You will be losing turnover as a result of your website and the part that should concern you the most is that this turnover will be going to your competition, so they will be getting stronger as you get weaker. People will also not recommend you to others if your website is not up to scratch, so yet again you are missing out on potential income and no business is able to turn down extra business no matter how busy they may be.

The scary part is that there is no way of knowing just how much money you will have lost by your website, but surely it makes sense to stop the rot now and change things before it gets even worse?

What you must do to rectify the situation.

There is only one solution available to you in order to rectify this problem and that solution is to get your website re-designed and brought up to modern day standards. The best part is that so many of the individual components that are required when building a site are already there since the writing and even images can still be used once again. However, the structure of the website can be changed, the graphics brought up to date, and of course some vital SEO work can be carried out that meet modern day rules and your website can only benefit as a result.

The best course of action available to you right now is to contact us here at Webfoot Designs and allow a member of our team of designers to check out your website and come up with a plan. We can assess what your business needs, offer advice on what to do next and then put that plan into action with amazing results.

Bring your website into the modern world and stop being left behind by your competition and how times have changed. Check out our design portfolio today!