EVH Marketing Brings Winning Web Design to Our Clients
Whether you are launching a new website to support a new organization or your current website needs an update, we are ready to deliver for you. While we know that the appearance of your website is an integral part of its design, we also know that "beauty is only skin deep." Therefore we look beyond what is just pleasing to the eye and ensure that all aspects of your new website align to meet your and your website visitor's goals.
A website design or redesign can fix underperforming or stagnant websites and revitalize your digital brand. Poor web design can harm conversions and lose sales.
Regardless of your company size or industry, it's crucial to approach your website design strategically. Identify what's not working, what's currently working well, and what goals you want to achieve.
You need a redesign if your website doesn't support your business goals. But before you consider a new website, consider your wants and needs, and more importantly, your customers' wants and needs. Planning ahead will save you time and money, help us efficiently design and produce your new website, and avoid costly mistakes in the long run.
Let's explore some techniques we use when creating a website redesign strategy to maximize your return on investment.
Take a close look at what you have.
The planning stage of the web designing process begins by finding your starting place. Look closely at your current site.
We help you consider the following:
- Does it meet your prospect's and customer's needs?
- Does it meet your organization's needs?
- Does it drive conversions with sales, form fills, phone calls, etc.?
- How much existing content can be used or updated on the new website?
Analyze what is and is not working.
- Are there pages or content areas that get more traffic?
Convert more? - What is the visitor engagement rate? Do people spend reasonable time on your site, or is your bounce rate through the roof?
- Does your color scheme and other design elements look "old" or outdated?
- Does your site correctly reflect your brand, values, and message?
- Has your brand identity or business goals changed since the existing website was launched?
- Is your website user-friendly?
You may not want to hear this, but it's more important that your website appeals to customers or prospects, not necessarily you or your employees.
Do the language and terms you use on your website match those your customers use, or are they obscure company branded or "industry" terms?
We can help you align your language with your target audience by creating user personas. Fleshing out a persona for each different type of target audience enables you to understand and better engage with each of them.
Remember, the "conversion factor" trumps the "cool factor" 100% of the time. A fancy visual style with all the bells and whistles, flashing signs, and fun and games aren't bringing you business (unless you sell flashing neon signs)!
Now ask yourself, is my existing site:
When you've considered the above and concluded it is time for a new web design project, you're ready to move on to the discovery stage.
Define your website's goals.
Any adventure should start with a clear goal in mind. The trek to a great website starts with a well-defined vision.
First, what are your business goals?
It's impossible to set your website's goals without having a goal for your business. Are you aiming to drive sales, branch into a new market, or crush your competition? Your organization's goals will be the endpoint in your road map of the design process. The design strategy is how you get from where you are (as above), to where you need to go.<?p>
Be clear on your website's objectives; what must it do to meet your goals?
When starting from scratch or redesigning your website, it's important to know what you want users to take away from it. What message do you want to convey? What call-to-actions do you need to include? What resources should your website provide to your customers and prospects? Understanding these focal points allows you to create a design that maximizes their impact.
Identify problems and solutions
Your role is to know your audience's pain points and find the most effective solution. Gathering feedback and conducting your research will help you identify what your ideal customer is looking for and how your website can be the answer. EVH Marketing will help you gather and analyze this information as well.
Align your website design with your brand.
A website shouldn't exist in isolation. Instead, it should align with your broader brand strategy. Whether your website provides entertainment or information, it should bridge the gap between what customers currently know and what you want them to know about your brand.
Focus on the Big Picture
Avoid getting caught up in minor details during the initial stages. Instead, focus on your business's overall goals and how your website can help you get there.
Recognize deadlines
If you have a drop-dead date, a sale coming, or an event that the site must support, recognize that deadline and work diligently to stay on track. Your delays will delay the launch, so commit to a realistic timeline.
Choose a Target Audience
As mentioned above, when designing a website, it's crucial to consider your target audience(s). A great design begins with understanding who the website is for and what they want. Knowing your audience's demographics and preferences allows us to provide, and you to choose the correct design elements to appeal to them.
In addition to demographics, it's essential to understand what drives your audience and their beliefs and values. Knowing which companies they buy from and the products they use will help you design a website that meets their needs.
Put yourself in your users' shoes and create buyer personas for different types of users. Consider what they will be looking for on your site and how easy it is for them to find that information. Think about your marketing goals and what you want users to do when they arrive at your site.
Consult Your Competitors
A key part of the website design process is competitor website analysis. To outshine your competition, examine their marketing strategies and uncover hidden opportunities. No matter what industry your business is in, you can always benefit from scoping out your rivals. We have tools that will help you understand your competors strengths and weaknesses.
Analyze your competitors' websites to see what works and what doesn't. Look at usability, design, content, layout, navigation, and optimization. Use this information to gain a strategic advantage and improve your own website.
Gain insights into what strategies are effective and which fall flat so you can optimize your website for maximum impact. Even if your competitors aren't implementing groundbreaking strategies, analyzing their websites can still reveal valuable insights and opportunities to enhance your brand.
Content and SEO
Designing websites isn't all about the look; what's on the inside counts! It's essential to have a content strategy. What items do you want to highlight on the website? Is specific functionality required (e-commerce, communication tools, etc.)? Who will be doing the content creation? Whether you write your content or outsource, assign an internal point person (subject matter expert) responsible for obtaining, gathering, or creating content and gathering approvals so there are no delays. Don't forget we must SEO-optimize your content as you build your site. It's easier to do while making than after. In fact, most customers have us optimize and then post your approved content. We have the experience and resources to provide supporting images and lay out each page for maximum impact.
There are several elements of content to consider. These include the information needed to tell your story, key marketing messages, the brand style and tone of voice, and the balance of text with other visual elements such as photography, graphics, video, or downloads.
To review and assess the content, we work closely with clients, whether they are new businesses or well-established ones. Our copywriters conduct research and interviews when necessary to develop content, which will then be sent to you for approval. This ensures the content aligns with the design and supports your brand and communication objectives.
We also conduct a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) audit, which provides a snapshot of your website's current ranking on search engines like Google or Bing. This analysis informs the development process and serves as a benchmark for evaluating the new website's SEO performance. We use tools such as SEMRush, Spyfu, SerpStat, and AhRefs to guide future content development.
Furthermore, we create a comprehensive SEO strategy that includes ongoing support and monthly activities. This may involve site audits, fixing technical errors like broken links, creating blog content, building links, and optimizing local search.
By following these steps and utilizing analytics, we can help businesses create excellent website content that contributes to achieving their website and communication goals.
Website Structure
The design phase considers your website structure beyond individual page content. It's about creating a seamless experience that guides visitors from one page to another, helping them achieve their goals.
Define your site's goals to ensure an optimal user experience (UX). We refer back to these goals as we build and refine your site structure. As we work together, ask yourself, "Does this structure align with my objectives?"
Wealways remember to embrace web standards. While originality is important, sticking to familiar conventions like the shopping cart icon on checkout pages ensures ease of navigation for your users. Keeping obvious elements in obvious places avoids user frustration.
Next, we consider how your web pages are linked. Intentional linking is key to a well-structured website. Determine which pages should lead to others and aim to minimize the number of clicks it takes to reach important content. Ideally, visitors should be able to find what they need in three clicks or less.
Use a notepad to sketch a diagram of your most important pages and their connections. This simple visualization will help you ensure easy accessibility to key goal pages. We will also use Screaming Frog (yes, we know) to visualize your old and new website structure, and can also provide the structure of your key competitors.
We focus on building menus and navigation that facilitate smooth site exploration as we progress. We group common links together and create menus based on your site structure diagram to make all your content accessible. Take inspiration from competitors for effective navigation design.
Remember that header menus are crucial, while footer menus should encompass all important policy, privacy, and content links. Consider including page-relevant menus either below the main menu or in the sidebar. These menus can link to specific categories or tags, enhancing the user experience on relevant pages like blog listings.
By following these steps and creating a well-thought-out website structure, you can ensure a user-friendly experience that meets your goals and improves your website's SEO.
Website Launch
Ready to launch your website? Before showing it off to the world, ensure you've covered all your bases. From connecting essential tools to setting up security and backups, there's much to consider behind the scenes.
And don't forget to involve your website visitors in the planning! Consider running an email or social media campaign to generate excitement and drive traffic to your site from day one. Get ready to make a big impression with your new website.
Debug
We ensure you will have a successful website launch by addressing issues such as plugin conflicts during the quality assurance (QA) phase. We work to eliminate anything hindering functionality and site speed. In addition, we use BrowserStack to test your layout's mobile and platform compatibility. EVH Marketing will provide and use these tools during your website development process's site debug and load testing phase.
Choose the Perfect Launch Date
After completing debugging and ensuring user satisfaction, it's time to set a launch date. Establishing a launch date keeps your team aligned and informed about project timelines. Consider seasonal happenings, the best day of the week (Tuesday), and your audience's time zones for optimal impact.
Promote Your Website
An effective promotion strategy is critical for boosting website traffic and building brand awareness. Select social media platforms that align with your target audience's demographics, utilize email newsletters, and implement content sharing and content marketing programs to maximize the impact of your website investment.
Debug
A press release is an excellent way to spread the word about your website's launch, creating buzz and attracting attention. Maximize the impact of your launch with strategic communication efforts.
Maintenance
After launching a website, regular maintenance is crucial to prevent technical issues, enhance user experience, and maintain a high position on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Discover the key types of website maintenance you need to know:
A professional digital marketer like EVH Marketing will create a stunning website and help ensure it meets your performance goals. We know that a beautiful website that no one sees will not help you grow your business and make more money, It's crucial to consider your digital marketing early on. A proactive marketing strategy will help avoid last-minute surprises and allocate resources appropriately.
Have a post-launch strategy
So your new site is live. Think you're done? Think again! There are a few critical steps to take after the launch phase:
Test Your Site UX
Check links, buttons, and navigation for a seamless user experience. Find and fix any small coding mistakes that may have been overlooked.
Ensure Your Site is Secure
Protect customer information and prevent hackers by implementing security measures. EVH has several security plugins that we recommend for WordPress sites and hosting partners that carefully monitor and maintain their servers.
Verify Your Analytics
Set up and monitor analytics tools to gain valuable insights for future improvements and tracking.
Submit Your Sitemap to leading search engines
Increase visibility by submitting your sitemap.xml to Google Search Console.
If your site menu or structure is changing, make sure that key redirects are in place so your users bookmarks are gracefully handled.
Check for Technical SEO Errors
Crawl your site to identify and fix any post-launch issues. Review SEO components for accuracy and optimize load time.
Promote Your New Website
Use SEO, paid advertising, email campaigns, and social media to generate buzz, increase brand awareness, and attract potential customers.
Backup Solution
Double-check that your backup strategy is in place to prevent data loss.
Test Conversion Paths
If you're an e-Commerce site, confirm that contact forms, payment processes, and other conversion features work flawlessly.
Have an acquisition strategy – Where do prospects/customers come from to get to the site? Where should they land? What do you want to tell/offer them first?
Have a conversion strategy – What CTAs do you need? What do you want visitors to do on the site or off the site?
Why hire web designers?
You are reading this article because your website performance does not meet your expectations. Resist the temptation to use one of the “You can build a professional website yourself” sites like Wix, Squarespace, Godaddy, etc. Even with handy articles like this, the web development process is beyond the scope of the average business owner. Don't sit around and let your business website go unnoticed! If your online presence is lacking, it's crucial to invest in the expertise of a web designer. Whether you need a complete website overhaul or refresh, a professional will make all the difference.
The consequences of a poorly designed website are staggering. Consider these numbers from LinkedIn:
- 75% of consumers judge a company's credibility based on its website design.
- 57% of internet users won't recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website.
- 38% of people will disengage from a website with unattractive content or layout.
- Two-thirds of people would rather read beautifully designed content than plain content in just 15 minutes.
So, why hire a professional web designer? Here are the key benefits:
A High-Quality Site
Don't settle for cookie-cutter templates. You'll get a dynamic, attractive website with a superior user experience from a professional web designer.
Better User Experience
Putting the user first is crucial. A professional web designer will focus on providing the most relevant information to your target audience, making it easy for customers to navigate your site and understand the benefits of doing business with you.
Striking the Right Balance
Avoid cluttered or overly simplistic websites. A professional designer will find the perfect balance between attractive visual design and concise content to engage users effectively.
Online Strategy
Our team at EVH will create a comprehensive strategic plan tailored to your business model and long-term goals, including SEO and social media integration.
Mobile-First Design
With the increasing use of mobile devices, a professional web designer can ensure your website is compatible and optimized for today's mobile technologies, increasing conversions and sales.
Creating the Perfect Call to Action
Boost user engagement and drive conversions with strong call-to-action content. Successful website projects end in more than just visitors; they end in leads that give you the ROI you expect. Don't miss the opportunity to make a lasting connection with your audience!
SEO
Get ahead of the competition with effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. Our proven web design process will make your website visible to potential customers and dominate search engine rankings.
Gain a Competitive Edge
Leave DIY web design behind and gain a competitive advantage with a professionally designed website. At EVH, we stay on top of web design trends to help you stand out from your online competitors with visually appealing and functional design.
Dependable Design
Avoid the headaches and risks of DIY web design. Ensure a reliable and trustworthy online presence for your business with the help of a professional web designer. Save time, money, and stress by letting the experts handle your website needs.
Fast Loading Website
Don't let slow loading times ruin your online success. Speed matters and significantly impacts user experience and search engine rankings. Our technical skills will ensure optimum page loading times so your users won't get turned off before they begin.
Avoid the Scope Creep
Have you ever felt overwhelmed and frustrated when a project expands beyond its initial requirements? Scope creep can be a problem in personal and professional life, causing stress and wasting valuable time and resources.
Scope creep refers to a project exceeding its original goals and objectives. And in the world of web design, it's a common problem. Clients often want to add extra features or services as they learn about them. But adding them on the fly can cause stress, consume time, and drain your budget.
At EVH we aim to address these issues upfront with open discussions about your priorities, goals, and budget. We can show you examples of previous work to establish clear expectations and timelines before starting the project.
Organization is key. Stay organized throughout the project to know exactly what needs to be done, by whom, and by when. Everything will be outlined in our contract so there are no surprises or misunderstandings. Communication is also crucial. We clearly define deliverables, timelines, and financial arrangements. Take control, stay organized, and communicate effectively to ensure smooth web design sailing!
Why trust EVH with your web design process?
At EVH Marketing, we specialize in building websites that look great and properly reflect your brand. As experts in marketing, we ensure that your website aligns with your brand identity and messaging. Whether you need a standalone website or comprehensive marketing services, we have you covered. With over 20 years of experience, we have developed successful marketing programs that drive sales and achieve corporate goals. Take a look at our portfolio of satisfied customers.
No matter the size or type of your business, we offer a range of marketing and business services. Whether you need assistance with specific projects or require a complete marketing plan, we can adapt to your needs. Together, we will determine the best use of your budget, taking into account timelines, resources, and goals. We will implement processes to measure results and ensure the highest return on investment.
Choose EVH Marketing for a website that truly reflects your brand and a strategic marketing partner that delivers results. Contact us today for a free consultation and breathe fresh life into your online presence!
There are lots of reasons why your business may not have marketing staff: you may not have 40 hours of marketing work to be done each week, you may not be able to afford salary and benefits for additional employees, or maybe you just don’t want those goofy marketing people dancing around the office everyday.
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Marketing isn’t about the latest, greatest, coolest, fanciest, funkiest, most award-winning…”campaign”. Yep, all those things are pretty good, but what’s most important is your business. Well, that and getting more of it.