7 Key Secrets Designers will Never Tell You

Ever felt duped by a graphic designer who promised you a brilliant design but all you got was no less than a mess. Well, you are certainly not an expert but surely smart enough to know what's good and what's not.

The objective of your website is to help you succeed online but when you don't get the desired result from your website than all the efforts goes in vain. Well, don't despair, here we present you seven secrets that graphic designers will never tell you and knowing them can save you lot of your time, energy, resources and above all does not interfere with your business reputation.

1. Looks matter but aren't everything- Yes you heard me right, Looks aren't everything, but that does not mean that your website can be shabbily designed or looks like a two- minute quick fix, in this case, you are literally shouting to your customers that you are unprofessional.

It is important to have a good-looking, top quality website as it attracts the audience. But it is equally essential to have a user experience design so that people are able to interact with the site conveniently and comfortably . Well, your website is a virtual representation of your company and communicates that you are stable, successful and mean real business. Although, it is not to say that you need to have an excessively fancy looking website but it should not fall below a certain standard of design quality.

A well-designed website seamlessly direct visitors wherever they want to go and helps in driving conversions. So, go with a winning design for your site that looks nice and also gives you good results.

2. Chances are you don't need to re-design- When you think of improving your website, re-designing is not the only solution. Let me dig deep, if you think of improving your overall appearance, ask a make up artist and he/she will spontaneously suggest you need a make over, ask a hair stylist and he will suggest a good hair cut will do the trick, ask a life style coach and he would say you need some personality development classes. In the same way when you ask a graphic designer how you can get best mileage out of your website design, random answer would be-Re-design.

The Point here is you need to think beyond the look and feel of your website as the design is only one piece of the bigger picture and to improve the results, you need to focus on other aspects as well. For instance- may be a minor copy write editing can do the trick, or you need to pay attention to on-page SEO or SEO content writing , etc. So, never think re-designing is the only solution.

3. You don't need to pay through the nose- It is a universal belief that you get what you pay for. Well, it is true to some extent but not in every case. To have a nicely designed website that drives results, you don't need to pay through the nose. You can have a good website even within your budget without compromising on the quality or style. But for this, you need to do a bit of R& D on your part including analyzing website of your competitors, taking note of other websites you like and then get a clear picture what kind of functionality, features and overall look and feel you want for your website. Pick famous graphic designers who are quite well-versed with the concept and falls within your budget too. You can also contact the designer who has designed the sites you liked, ask for quotes, negotiate, take your time and then freeze. This will help you save tons of money and pick a sound designer.

4. Maintaining a website is not expensive-Graphic design and website development is a one time expense. Often business owners keep spending recurring charges for website maintenance. Well, you only need to pay for web hosting charges, and you can yourself manage upgrades that come now and then. If any kind of changes are required in content then here a content management system wins, just a few clicks and you can update or edit the information. And if you are not interested in maintaining your site then hire someone who can do it for you, just be alert that you are not being overcharged.

5. Fancy design does not always win- It is true that to take an edge over your competition, you need to differentiate yourself from the rest. But it does not mean you need to opt for the most fancy customized design that costs you a fortune. A nicely design website that goes with the web conventions and sticks to usability rules works best. The ultimate goal of having a website is, turning your visitors into conversions and if your fancy looking website fails to do so then it is of no good for your business. So, don't waste your time and resources, on a fancy looking site that just end up looking like a hot mess with a complex navigation. Such website can only distract the visitors rather than giving them a seamless user experience.

For instance- There are some simple web rules like navigation bars are just behind the footer, CTA buttons are well placed and prominent, email-opt in is at the top right, website link page contains all important links and more. Follow these rules else you will end up confusing your visitors.

6. Every designer is not good at Branding-Graphic designers, or web designers are great at making website or logos but are not skilled when it comes to developing brand identity. To make sure that your website reflects your brand identity, you need to work exclusively with designers and give them a briefing about your marketing message, target audience, values of your business and more. If you are still not satisfied, you can hire a brand specialist who can help you create a website that clearly reflects your brand identity and thus attracts your niche audience.
For instance- If your company deals with cleaning services then your website needs to have a different theme, and if it deals with B2B services, then it will have more clean, organized and professional look.

7.Designing is more about Psychology-A well-designed website is not only about having a beautiful interface, compelling content and appealing images. The goal of a well-designed website is to influence the visitor's psychological state of mind. A good designer knows whether a colorful or bold theme will work for your company's website or a simple & sophisticated approach will be better. What will draw the target audience and influence their psychological state of mind?. The more your designer knows about consumer behavior, their reaction to different elements, how to generate leads . better he will be in implementing persuasive strategies into your site. The objective of your site is to draw in visitors, capture their interest, hold it and turn them into conversions.

Final word- I am sure, the above points will enable you to overcome any shortcomings your website may have and turn any bad design experience into a good design experience.