August 17th, 2008 
Brent One of the problems with web design is that many new software programs (Microsoft Expression, Adobe Dreamweaver, etc.) have made it seem relatively easy to build your own web site. If you have the software, it would not take you very long to build a web site. There are many inexpensive and free templates available to make it even easier to put together a web site. Getting a professional looking web site is not difficult at all. So you may wonder, why is that a problem?
The process of creating a web site does not end with making it look fantastic. In fact, that is one of the least important elements of a web site design. Let's face it, there are ugly web sites that make a lot of money. Since life is not fair, there are awesome looking web sites that make little or no money. I'm not saying the professionalism of your web site is not important; I am saying it's only one part.
There is a serious flaw in the web design industry, and small business owners are especially prone to fall victim to it. The problem is that usually, very little business planning goes into a web site design. There is as much planning that goes into a web site as the design or programming, sometimes more. Too many web designers are more concerned with selling web design graphic design and programming rather than taking the time to plan, build, test, and market an effective web site.
This comes from the fact that very few web designers are marketing oriented. Small business owners do not have large advertising budgets, so they are easily go to the low rates of average web designers. Good marketing means setting priorities and using your resources to accomplish goals.
The one element I find grossly missing in web design is the very thing that is the most important; that element is uniqueness. A Unique Selling Point is one of the basic factors of marketing. You must answer the questions: why should I buy from you, and, what makes you different from your competitors? If you fail in this area, your web site visitor will leave your site. You are left wondering why did they leave?
Read your web site copy to see if it contains another common error. Find someone that is not internet savy and have them read your site and then ask them did they find what they are looking for. Was it easy to navigate, etc. Does it say, you and your company, or does it speak to the visitor, address their needs, and solve their problem. It must move them into action in some way. You need to draw them in and sell them on your solution.
When you take notice of how many web sites violate these fundament marketing principles, you will start to see how you have the opportunity to get an edge over your competitors. Just think, if the majority of business web sites are ignoring these most fundamental principles, how much more could you benefit from hiring a professional web designer who eats, breaths, and sleeps marketing?
There is a lot of emphasis placed on search engine optimization (SEO), and there should be, it is very important if you want to have your web site found by people using the search engines. For most web sites, search engines account for 65% to 95% of all visitors. As important as SEO is, people are visiting your site and not buying, then SEO is not you first order of business.
The next principle is the one you will probably find the most surprising. People really do read web sites! Yes, they do have a short attention span, but they do read. There have been studies done to document the way people use web pages. Even though so much attention is given to graphics, the studies show that over 75% of the time, web page users read the text before they notice graphics.
This does not mean that graphics are unimportant. Visual elements are one of the many advantages a web site can provide. Providing stimulating information (sight, sound, and interactivity) can mean the difference between winning a customer, or surrendering them to your competition.
Attention span issue. It is often called the 3 second rule. According to web studies, if you cannot capture the attention of your visitor in approximately 3 seconds, that's how fast they usually leave your web site. The solution is to have a fast loading page that quickly states a their problem and you can solve it. If they can "skim" in a few seconds, and you get their attention, you have successfully pulled them in so they will stay a while.
Statistically, it takes 7 visits before you make a sale. If your web site is not done correctly, you will have dismal results because you can't get them to come back seven times. That is why so many web site owners are disappointed with their success. That is why some web designers provide what seems to be a bargain, while other web designers have to charge more to give you a better value. It takes more time to plan and create a good web site design.
The good news is that most of your competitors will go for the bargain and suffer the same fate as everyone else who does not realize the value of a professional effectively done web site design. Very few of them will invest the resources and their own time needed for success. If you do, you can win. This does not mean you need the big budget of a major corporation, or that it has to be expensive, it just means you need to be willing to do better than average. The rewards are much greater when you stretch beyond the norm.
One last important word. Make the web site designer site down with you and explain anything you do not understand. Some web designers are not able to speak in terms for the small business owner to understand, If you still don't understand, try asking another designer to explain it to you.
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