Just saying you need a website to “help you stand out from the crowd” doesn’t quite get the point across. The internet is like a city of 5.16 billion residents — so imagine living with the entire populations of Tokyo, Beijing, and New York City all around you. Multiply by 50, and you’ll know why just any old website won’t be enough to help you rise above your competitors. So what do you need?
You can achieve true online visibility with increasing levels of website design specialization. As a business in Las Vegas, you have customers in your immediate service area who deserve your attention, but they’re not alone. Your primary focus is anyone who wants what you offer, which is why you need effective Las Vegas website design.
More than just a way to grab as much attention as you can, your website should be your primary vehicle for customer service and experience. Here’s how.
The Elements of Personalized Website Design
Your website reflects your business’s identity. Just as a living room tells the story of the family who lives in it, a website tells the story of your business. It speaks both verbally, in its copywriting, and non-verbally, in its design choices.
Many companies accidentally turn their websites into camouflage instead of bait. They imitate what everyone else is doing and forget to inject their own unique identity into their website. And since most businesses fail, these unfortunate mimics also achieve the same results — nothing.
That’s the wrong way to go about designing your website. Here’s the right way:
- Build out your business identity. You may know ‘what’ it is, such as a printing company, but that’s not the same as an identity. Just as Starbucks is more than a coffee shop, you also need to develop a vibrant brand that speaks to ‘who’ you are, not just ‘what’ you are.
- Pen a comprehensive set of brand guidelines. Decide what’s inside and outside of bounds for your business.
- Don’t be afraid to flirt with controversy. If you have a unique, important, or unusual take, broadcast it with a digital megaphone.
- Have an original business voice. Every person and business has their unique way of speaking, so find yours!
When NeONBRAND customizes a website’s messaging, we start with the customer first. We think about who they are, what they want, and what they’re looking for when they first type a keyword search into Google. This helps us craft a to-the-point website design that conveys your business’s exact message and personality.
Integrating the values of your business is what makes a great website. Communicate who you are. Use consistent, forceful branding that syncs across every platform you use. When prospects see a specific logo or a unique color palette, they should think of you.
Done right, a website can become a home away from home for a brick-and-mortar business. It’s your forward-facing outpost in the cyber wilderness.
The Difference Search Engine Optimization Makes
Google processes billions of searches per day. Complex search engine algorithms process and refine those search queries based on their keywords, geography, and other analytical criteria. That’s how Google, Bing, and other engines present you with a context-relevant search engine results page (SERP).
Search engine optimization (SEO) is how you can use that knowledge to your advantage. By understanding what Google uses to process search results, you can influence the system to your advantage. For instance, you can:
- Research the exact keywords or phrases your customers use and layer your website copy with them.
- Make liberal use of geotagging to target customers in your area of interest, even down to specific neighborhoods.
- Use polished meta descriptions and title tags in your website copy to help search engine crawlers process your site faster.
A website optimized for SEO boosts you higher on the results page. More than half of people only click on the top three results when they’re looking for something specific. And barely any will ever visit the second page. That’s why optimizing your web design principles for search engines is essential.
Some technical knowledge is necessary here. It helps to include images in your sitemap with a suitable file name and optimized dimensions. Write descriptive sketches of your images to explain what they depict — it helps accessibility, which helps SEO.
In the same vein, your website must be mobile-friendly. Research shows that more searches originate from mobile devices than desktops, so make design choices compatible with both mediums.
Build a Website That Converts
Your website’s entire purpose is to get your customers’ attention and give them the service they need. It’s not enough for them to click on your search results link and then back out almost immediately. They need to do something productive on your website, such as buy something.
But making a purchase is not the only metric conversion. A prospect converts whenever they take the action you want them to take. That could mean making a purchase, but it could also mean signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, or some other useful action.
You can tell them what you want by:
- Using a well-designed landing page that leads their eyes down the page to the exact points you want to make.
- Offering high-quality, relevant content that they didn’t have before.
- Filling your page with clear calls-to-action that prompt visitors to fill out your contact form, schedule a consultation, or take any other desired action.
Design your website to guide visitors’ actions. Communicate what you want and why. How will they benefit from taking that action? If your newsletter provides lots of valuable information about their exact area of interest, tell them so — and tell them to sign up.
Let Us Help
Your website is the one thing you have to get right. It informs every other aspect of your marketing, affecting your performance on social media, search engines, and elsewhere. Think of it as a home base for your business and give it the attention it deserves.
But with so many other business tasks draining your focus, finding leftover energy for website design inspiration can be challenging. That’s where a team like NeONBRAND can give you a boost.
If you need a helping hand with your site, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.