This is the first in a series we will be writing about aligning your website (both look and functionality) with your brand’s image.
Now, a perfect world, all websites would have an unlimited budget that lets their designer be as creative and fun as they can be. But, alas, this is not a perfect world! Real websites have budgets and deadlines, and some websites wear their budget like a badge (both at the high and low-end). So what makes a website great, budget aside? Well designed, planned and executed navigation and upkeep. (You don’t want a dead give away that you hired your neighbor’s kid to set up your site.)
Today’s focus is the little things that let someone know you are professional.
It is not necessarily the design that is key (I know, a designer saying there is more to a site than its design? Blasphemy you think – but, here me out). A lot of times it is the little things such as a copyright date being a year (or 5) out of date. It is your latest news item having been posted more than 6 months ago. It is having never changed the any of the content on your site.
The point is, everyone can’t hire a professional designer, but there are things you can do to make things professional:
- Keep your copyright date up to date (on all of your pages)
- Keep your contact information current.
- Make sure your copy is easy to read and approachable (note: this means different things to different sites a law firm’s site should probably not have the same style of writing as a design studio)
- Organize, organize, organize. Having an organized site structure goes a long way in this world.
