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Websites

All important informations before you start your digital project

Intro

The findings of David Dunning and Justin Kruger from Cornell University simply state that people don't know they don't know and make subjective decisions based on their lack of knowledge, leading to errors and losses. If you've been doing web design for a year or two, the amount of what you don't know and are unaware of is quite high.

The low entry threshold in the web design industry creates an overcrowding of low-cost and beginner web designers who in most cases don't know they don't know.

On the other hand, there is the client who feels their website could be made by a high school student.
They don't know what to ask for, demand unrealistic project constraints, and can only judge the outcome as like/dislike.

A perpetuum mobile of poor websites.

There is currently a high demand for web creators. Many clients are burnt when they choose a web designer based on low cost or even try to create a website on their own. There is no formal education in the web design environment. Universities don't understand web design as it is too interdisciplinary, so almost all web designers are self-taught.

To avoid these problems, I have created this article with basic informations on how web creation should look.

Its like you building a house, either you build it on bad foundations and it will fall down or you build it in the right way.

First of all - websites are just medium and must have some meaning and goal.

So the first question when you want to make website or web application is what specific meaning it will have and what goals we trying to achieve. Then we should look for a way. Period.

Before you start your digital project ask yourself on these questions because lot of times with my client we discuss the options and sometime we figure it out that they dont even need a websites or they just need to update their current websites little bit.

Mainly the websites are served for some general purposes which are:

1) Get a new clients

A web presentation aims to influence or change the behavior of a certain group of people - it presents a certain product or service and is often a channel for sales.

Often have a web presentation is not enough, especially for this purpose are these days used a lot of other stuffs because if you have great website and nobody knows about it, it will not work. As a support to your websites there can be lot of things done such as:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimizing a website for search engines can help attract new clients by improving the visibility of the site in search engine results pages (SERPs). This involves researching and using keywords, creating quality content, and building high-quality backlinks.
  • Social media marketing: Building a strong presence on social media platforms can help attract new clients by connecting with potential customers where they are spending their time online. This could include regularly posting content, engaging with followers, and running social media advertisements.
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Email marketing campaigns can help attract new clients by keeping existing and potential customers informed about company updates, promotions, and new products or services.
  • E-mail marketing: Paid advertising, such as Google AdWords or social media advertising, can quickly attract new clients by placing ads in front of a target audience.
  • Referral marketing: Encouraging satisfied clients to refer friends, family, and colleagues can be an effective way to attract new clients.
It's important to remember that attracting new clients is a long-term strategy, and combining several of these tactics can help maximize results. Additionally, regularly analyzing and refining the digital strategy can help ensure it remains effective over time.

2) Sell your service or products

The e-shop sells products or services online – the aim of the e-shop is not only the presentation of products, but above all their direct sale.

An e-commerce website or online store with the goal of selling products should focus on the following key elements to effectively attract and convert visitors into customers:

  • Product presentation: The website should feature clear, high-quality product images, detailed descriptions, and multiple viewing options to provide potential customers with as much information as possible about the products.
  • User experience (UX): A website with a well-designed user interface, easy navigation, and clear call-to-actions (CTAs) can improve the likelihood of visitors completing a purchase.
  • Payment and shipping options: Offering a variety of payment and shipping options can make the purchasing process more convenient for customers and increase the likelihood of a successful sale.
  • Mobile responsiveness: A website that is optimized for mobile devices is essential in today's digital landscape, as a large portion of e-commerce traffic is generated from mobile devices.
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimizing the website for search engines can help improve its visibility in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find the site.
  • Customer reviews and ratings: Displaying customer reviews and ratings can increase transparency and build trust with potential customers, improving the likelihood of a sale.
  • Customer support: Providing excellent customer support, such as live chat or a comprehensive FAQ section, can help address any questions or concerns potential customers may have and increase the likelihood of a successful sale.
  • Marketing and advertising: Running targeted marketing and advertising campaigns, such as email marketing or social media advertising, can help attract new customers and increase sales.
By focusing on these key elements, an e-commerce website can effectively attract and convert visitors into customers, growing its customer base and increasing sales over time.

3) Have it as an presentation or informative character

An informational website, which aims to provide valuable information to its audience, should focus on the following key elements to effectively attract and engage visitors:

  • User experience (UX): A website with a well-designed user interface, clear navigation, and easy-to-read content will keep visitors engaged and increase the likelihood of them returning in the future.
  • Quality content: The website should feature high-quality, accurate, and relevant information that provides value to the target audience. This could include articles, videos, infographics, and other forms of content that educate and inform visitors.
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimizing the website for search engines can help improve its visibility in search results, making it easier for potential visitors to find the site. This involves using keywords and meta descriptions, creating high-quality backlinks, and regularly updating the content.
  • Mobile responsiveness: A website that is optimized for mobile devices is essential in today's digital landscape, as a large portion of web traffic is generated from mobile devices.
  • Social media integration: Integrating social media into the website, such as allowing visitors to share content on their social media accounts, can help attract new visitors and increase the reach of the site.
  • Analytics: Regularly tracking website analytics, such as page views and bounce rates, can help the website owners understand how visitors are engaging with the site and make informed decisions about how to improve it.
  • Regular updates: Keeping the content fresh and up-to-date is important for maintaining the relevance and value of the site, as well as retaining and attracting visitors.
By focusing on these key elements, an informational website can effectively attract and engage its target audience, establishing itself as a valuable source of information in its niche.

4) Have an online service or web application

A web application solves a certain problem of its users through itself. It is not a channel to sell the product, but directly the product. The goal of a web application designer is to create a new habit - so the application fits into the life of the person who uses it

A web service or web application should focus on the following key elements to effectively attract and retain users:

  • User experience (UX): A web service or application with a well-designed user interface, clear navigation, and intuitive functionality will keep users engaged and increase the likelihood of them returning.
  • Functionality: The web service or application should offer useful and relevant functionality that solves a specific problem or meets a specific need for its target users.
  • Performance and reliability: The web service or application should be fast, stable, and reliable to provide users with a seamless experience and minimize frustration.
  • Security: Ensuring the security of user data is essential for building trust and maintaining the privacy of users.
  • Mobile responsiveness: A web service or application that is optimized for mobile devices is increasingly important in today's digital landscape, as a large portion of web traffic is generated from mobile devices.
  • Integration with other platforms: Integrating with other popular platforms, such as social media or productivity tools, can increase the visibility and reach of the web service or application.
  • Customer support: Providing excellent customer support, such as live chat or a comprehensive FAQ section, can help address any questions or concerns users may have and increase satisfaction.
  • Regular updates: Regularly updating the web service or application with new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements can help maintain user engagement and satisfaction over time.
By focusing on these key elements, a web service or application can effectively attract and retain users, providing them with a valuable and seamless experience.

Difference between successful and unsucessful websites

When do the sites work?

A website that works creates benefits and thus brings profit to the client. But that one it doesn't have to come right away. The benefits of the website are mainly due to three factors:

  • People will take a conversion action on it. It can be about sending an order, sharing a page on social networks, registering for a newsletter... conversion action is often easily measurable.
  • People can find information on it - a person on the web it finds what it is looking for, consumes the information and leaves. Maybe based on this information he will start in the future thinking about the need for your client's product, but this is a longer-term process. Alone consumption is measured significantly worse than conversion actions, but many sites are built precisely on capabilities to convey information in the right way. Thanks to the website then the load on the call center is reduced, it is gradually built up database of potential customers, increasing traffic and ultimately direct conversions.
  • People get a feeling based on the website - the website evokes emotions that the visitor associates with the website operator's brand. Thanks to the feeling of the website visitor more easily he remembers, he will rather talk about it with others and may come back in the future for information, i.e. conversion action.

When do websites fail?

In my practice so far, I have encountered these basic factors failure of the web project caused by the web designer:

  • Skills - Webdesigner is not able to deliver output in adequate quality and the project fails on his incompetence. The problem can arise at a strategic level, when a nonsensical website is planned that does not appeal to the target audience group. Or there may be a problem at the execution level when it is website slow, unusable or untrustworthy.
  • Communication - Bad or insufficient communication results in a mutual misunderstanding between the web designer and the client. This also includes corporate ignorance policy on the part of the web designer. The failure of a great project can happen, for example, when a person on the client's side appears out of nowhere, which has not yet been interested in the project, and its political power will stop it or significantly complicate it.
  • Project management - The web designer is not able to deliver the output in the agreed term and price.
  • Marketing - Some of the clients look to the launch of the website as a major milestone, which will solve all their problems. This notion is false. Web is one of the elements of the marketing strategy and without marketing it will not exist never work.

Successfully projects have the vision with which they can people identify not only product.

Question before we start to work together

1. Who are you?
2. What are you doing?
3. Why it should anyone interested?
4. What you trying to achieve and what is your vision

Then we can

1. Setting direction and strategy
2. Designing the structure and content of the website
3. Prototyping
4. Create final websites

Also some of next questions can be

  • The project, its benefits and the defining axis of the triple imperative. (Speed, price, quality)
  • The client's business - what it does, vision, mission, values and strategy.
  • Brand, key brand characteristics, story, archetype
  • Competition and allies.
  • Customer needs and motivations.
  • Where are we going to bring people to the site from?
  • Expectations from the website, conversion actions, basic restrictions in terms of documents (I have/don't have photos).

In conclusion, successful project have strong vision and foundations and serve to some goal or purpose and job of the developer is to make sure the client needs are satisfied on the first place