Website Design
Here are some commonly asked questions about this topic.
Can I design my website myself?
Yes. But the effectiveness will depend on the clarity of your message, strategy and design.
Yes, there are many DIY website builders available. However, unless you have a background in web design, you may struggle with more advanced elements of web design like user experience, SEO, and mobile optimization.
Yes, you can design your website yourself, and there are many tools available to help you do so. Here are some options:
- Website Builders: Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly provide drag-and-drop interfaces that make it easy for anyone to create a beautiful website without any coding knowledge.
- Content Management Systems (CMS): WordPress is the most popular CMS. It's slightly more complex than simple website builders, but it offers more flexibility in terms of customization and functionality. There are thousands of themes and plugins available that can help you design your site and add features like contact forms, galleries, and shopping carts.
- eCommerce platforms: If you're planning to sell products online, platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce are designed to make it easy to build an online store. They offer templates and built-in features to handle everything from product listings to shopping carts and checkouts.
- Learning HTML/CSS/JavaScript: If you're more technically inclined, you could learn to code your website from scratch. There are plenty of free resources online like Codecademy and freeCodeCamp where you can learn to code.
Over the past few years, I've mostly built sites for clients using Webflow because it provides a nice balance between the simplicity of typical website builders and the power of a CMS. Webflow describes itself as no-code but there is enough technical language and features that it can be intimidating to those without any experience.
While these tools can help you create a website, there are benefits to hiring a professional web designer, especially if you need a complex site or you're not comfortable doing it yourself. Professionals have the skills to create a site that looks good, works well, and provides a great user experience. They can also help with SEO and mobile optimization, which are crucial for attracting and retaining visitors.
If you are looking for a simple website you can build yourself, check out the Better Story Marketing OS. It's included in the Coordinate level.
If you're imagining a more custom design and want someone to create the site for you, I recommend learning more about the Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
Should my website be mobile-friendly?
For most small business and nonprofits, it's more important that your website works well for mobile than for desktop.
Absolutely. With the increasing number of people using their mobile devices for internet access, having a mobile-friendly website has become a critical part of having an online presence.
Here are a few reasons why:
- Improved Search Visibility: Mobile-friendliness is a ranking factor in search engine algorithms. Websites that are optimized for mobile devices often rank higher in search engine results, which can lead to increased traffic.
- Improved User Experience: A mobile-friendly website is easier to navigate and interact with on mobile devices, providing a better user experience. This can lead to longer site visits and higher conversion rates.
- Increased Lead Generation & Sales: Mobile users are more likely to make quick buying decisions. Having a mobile-friendly website makes it easier for potential customers to browse your products or services and make purchases.
- Improved Brand Identity: A mobile-friendly website can improve your brand image, showing that your business is modern and understands its customers' needs.
- Greater Reach: The majority of internet users now access the web through mobile devices. If your website isn't mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on a significant portion of potential customers.
- Competitive Advantage: Many businesses still don't have mobile-friendly websites. By ensuring yours is, you can gain a competitive advantage.
So, considering these points, having a mobile-friendly website is not just an option but a necessity in today's digital age.
Learn more about Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
Why is web design important for my business?
A good web design helps your customers find the value they're looking for.
Web design is crucial because it impacts how your audience perceives your brand. A good web design helps you keep your leads on your page, enhancing your customer's user experience.
An intentionally designed website is crucial for any business for several reasons:
- It helps your customers find value. A well designed site should make it easy and quick for your customers to find solutions to their problems.
- First Impressions Matter: When your audience visits your website, it gives them their first impression of your business. They will judge your business within seconds. In these first few seconds, you want to make a positive impact on your audience. If your website looks unappealing or outdated, your audience will immediately have a negative impression of your business.
- Aids Your SEO Strategy: Web design elements and practices influence how you publish content on your website, which in turn affects how search engine crawl and index your website. If your on-page SEO fundamentals are not up to snuff, you'll be fighting an uphill battle for visibility from the start.
- Sets the Impression for Customer Service: People can judge how you will treat them by looking at your website. Your design gives them insight into how you view your audience. If you don’t put any effort into your website’s design, your audience knows that you won’t put effort into helping them.
- I tells your brand story. When done right, you customer will see themselves in the story you're telling because it is their story. This makes it easy for them to understand what you offer and choose to buy.
Investing in a quality web design can be a cost-effective decision for your business in the long run. It not only improves your site's user experience but also builds trust with your audience, encourages conversions and sales, and helps drive your business's growth.
Learn more about Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
How much should I expect to pay for a website?
The cost of a website can vary greatly depending on its complexity, the number of pages, and the particular features you want.
The cost of a website can vary greatly depending on its complexity, the number of pages, and the particular features you want. It could range from a few hundred dollars for a basic site to tens of thousands for a custom, professional site.
The cost of building a website can vary greatly depending on your specific needs and the complexity of the site.
- Basic web hosting can range from $30 to $500 per year, and a theme or template can cost anywhere from $0 to $200 as a one-time fee.
- The average price of developing and designing a bespoke small business website can typically range from $5,000 to $20,000.
Some key factors that will impact the cost of your website design.
- How complicated your site is (simple landing page vs. e-commerce site)
- What specific functionalities you want on your site.
- If you want to edit a template or have someone design a unique experience.
- The amount of content you already have created.
- How you will maintain the site.
Learn more about Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
Can I update my website content after it is completed?
Yes, but how to update your website will depend somewhat on where it's hosted.
Yes, most modern websites are built on content management systems that allow for easy updating of content. However, significant structural changes may require the help of a web developer.
It's important to update your website and keep your site relevant and up-to-date. Here's how you can do it depending on how your website is hosted.
- Content Management Systems(CMS): If your website was built using a CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, you should be able to easily make updates and changes to the content through the CMS dashboard.
- Website Builders: If you used a website builder like Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace, these platforms typically offer user-friendly interfaces that allow you to edit and update your website content directly.
- Direct Editing: If your website was hand-coded and you're comfortable with HTML/CSS, you can directly edit the website files to make updates.
- Webmaster/Designer: If you had a webmaster or a designer build your website and you're not comfortable making changes yourself, you can ask them to make updates for you. Note that they may charge a fee for this service.
Remember, regular updating of content is recommended for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes. Fresh, relevant content can help improve your search engine rankings and attract more visitors to your site.
Learn more about Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
How can I make my website more visible on search engines?
Focus on low competition search questions that are ideal customers are asking.
You can improve your website's visibility on search engines through SEO practices. This includes keyword optimization, creating high-quality content, and building backlinks to your site.
Making your website more visible on search engines involves several strategies:
- Website Indexing: Ensure your website can be indexed by search engines. You can submit your site to Google Search Console to help with this.
- Quality Content: Publish high-quality, user-focused content. This not only attracts users but also helps improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Keyword Research and Optimization: Identify the right target keywords relevant to your business and use them strategically in your website's content, meta tags, and URLs.
- Website Speed: Improve your website's load speed. A faster loading website provides a better user experience and is favored by search engines. Google's core web vitals is a great resource for checking your page's load speeds.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. More people are using mobile devices to access the internet, and search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites.
- Regular Updates: Regularly update and optimize your existing and evergreen content. Keeping your content fresh and relevant can improve its visibility.
- Long-tail Keywords: Focus on long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they're closer to the point of purchase or when they're using voice search5.
Remember, improving your website's visibility on search engines is a process that takes time and consistent effort. It's not a one-time task but an ongoing process that involves monitoring your website's performance and making necessary adjustments.
And remember your not just looking for any traffic to your site. You're looking for your ideal customer. Creating a customer journey map is a key step to identifying content and search terms that will effectively engage your ideal customer.
Learn more about Better Story Marketing's Web Design Solutions.
