By the time most clients consult our design professionals, they already have some idea of what they want their websites to look like. They either have their own stylistic preferences or have seen a site after which they would like their website modeled. Most clients have strong preferences when it comes to color or content, but many fail to take into account the most important aspect of the site: what the customer will think of it. No matter what your personal preferences for your site, you have to try to think like one of your customers—after all, they’re the ones who will be using the site, not you. If your goal is to use your website to further your business, you’ll first need to get into your customers’ heads by figuring out what they want most out of a website. Appnet is an SEO Hosting Web Design company that will work with you every step of the way to help you achieve the user-friendly feel you need to secure a loyal online following. There are a number of ways to create a website that is both functional and user-friendly, so before you consider creating a website of your own, take some tips from us.

Fancier is Not Always Better
With today’s technology, it is possible to make some mind-blowing sites. However, these kinds of sites are not always the most user-friendly. Since functionality is the goal, it is wise to keep the ornate effects to a minimum. Sure, flash is eye-catching and impressive to look at, but it does not always make for a better website. When potential customers are searching for you on the internet, they want relevant information, and they want it fast—and this is not always possible with flash. Sites built with flash take longer to load and cannot always be indexed by search engine spiders, both of which will prove detrimental in your quest to attain good SEO ranking.

Page Load Time
Page load time is another important factor. The internet is all about instant gratification, so if your pages don’t load within the first few seconds after a potential customer has clicked on them, that potential customer is likely to leave your site. To keep pages loading quickly, don’t load them down with unnecessary text or graphics. Only include essential information and that which will help boost your SEO ranking. Keep graphics small, and make sure the website developer you rely on is doing all he or she can to properly optimize any images for faster loading time.

Some More Common Issues
By now, most people know that links are a big part of SEO, but beware of the broken link. Not only do they make you look unreliable to your potential customers, but they can also hurt your search engine ranking. Appnet properly links and codes your site and checks all links to ensure that none of them are broken or going to incorrect locations. It is also essential that your site be compatible with all of the major browsers that are out there. Though most people use Internet Explorer, there are a number of popular programs that allow people to surf the Web, and you want your site to look good in each of them.

Make it Easy for your Customers to Find What They’re Looking For
Now that we’ve discussed the more technical issues, it’s time to get back to the basics of customer service. First and foremost, you’ll want to make it easy for potential customers to contact you with any questions they might have. Make sure you contact information is easy to access and that you answer any customer questions in a polite and timely manner. As an SEO Web Design Company, we can help you achieve top ranking, but if users come to your site and do not know how to contact you, or the contact information you’ve provided is incorrect, it defeats the whole purpose of trying to achieve Top Ten Search Engine Ranking.

You also want your site to be easy to use. This is where navigation comes in. Navigation is one of the most important parts of your website because it is how customers access the information you’ve provided. You’ll want every page of your site to be easily accessible from every other page, so make sure that your navigation bar is conspicuously placed and easy to use. Providing plenty of links that connect each page to the others is also essential. Just because the pages are easily accessible doesn’t mean they’re easy to read, which takes us to our next point: You’ll want to make sure your text is readable. This seems simple, but there are a number of factors that can detract from text’s readability. For instance, dark text on a light background is easy to read but distracting backgrounds can make it nearly impossible for potential customers to read the information you’ve provided. Keep it concise, simple, and clean. Only include the most necessary information, as most visitors will not take the time to read lengthy explanations. Finally, make sure that the information you include is free of spelling and grammatical errors, as these can make you seem unprofessional to potential customers.

Appnet is a successful North Carolina Website Design company has helped thousands of clients since opening in 1996, and we can use our expertise to create a functional, user-friendly site that will have your customers coming back to you time and again. If you are interested in creating a new website or revamping your current site, give us a call. We’ll help you avoid the many pitfalls mentioned in this article and create a website that will exceed today’s standards and help you grow your business.