Web Design 101

The success or failure of your company could be riding on your website, especially these days when people look for everything online. If you don't know the first thing about designing a website, you might end up shooting yourself in the foot. We here at Bekal Tesome can save you from this potentially disastrous gaffe by designing your website for you. Here are some of the things we'll be keeping in mind when we design your site:

Ease of Use

Nothing turns customers off faster than a website that is difficult to use. There are certain conventions in web design, such as navigation menus and in-text links, that people expect to see when they're exploring your website. If they can't immediately find the page that they're looking for or how they can contact you, they won't stick around and try to figure it out. They'll click away and find another website. Check out the difference between ABBA Parts and Wikipedia. ABBA Parts purpose is clearly to sell pump parts, while Wikipedia is to inform people of a wide range of topics. There are differences in the design to make the use of the website clear.

Attractiveness

Human beings, especially ones belonging to the internet generation, share some common instincts with magpies. When we're looking for services, we'll tend naturally to trust the nicest looking website. Sites that are written in basic HTML with formatting and alignment errors seem unprofessional and more likely to be scams. So we look for companies with a smooth, attractive, well designed look.

Functionality

At its most basic level, websites are just another venue for print advertisements. With no pull-down menus, links, webmail features, catalogs, or interactive features, a website is just an ad, and people don't like ads. They want to be able to contact you, to get free online estimates of how much their job will cost, and to click-and-drag features to design their own house. Give these things to them, and they'll stick around.

Content

A website without informative content is a waste of your customers' time. You can't just sprinkle your page with filler text that won't enlighten a doorknob and expect to be successful. You need to explain what rotary valves are and how they're made. You need to outline the history of your company. You need to give instructions on how to order. You need charts of shipping times and costs. But at the same time, it needs to be laid out properly. Cramming too much content into a single page is a turnoff too.