Whether you are running an exclusively online business or you have a physical presence and your website is one of a number of ways in which you address your target market, there are few better ways in which to promote your business than through a well designed site. But why is it that site design is so important? Can`t you simply put up some basic information cheaply and hope that it reaches the right audience?

Web Design and Usability

The first and initially the most important aspect of web design is the presentation of your site from both an aesthetic and usability point of view. If you have a site that is attractive and looks professional then first time visitors will be subconsciously reassured as the value and quality of your business. It is easy to put people off with basic, bland or plain shoddy design, so make sure you avoid false economies in this area. You`ll also need to collaborate with your web designer or team to make sure that the site is easy to use and simple to navigate. If it is only going to be a few pages in size then this should be relatively easy, but more complex sites will require careful planning and a simple interface that masks this complexity from the average visitor. Avoid reams of text, vast menus and clutter as this will look muddled and will put people off, losing business and thus revenue.

Content and Maintenance

In order to survive in the cut throat on-line world, you will need to seriously consider the design of your site from a content and maintenance point of view. Fresh, regularly updated content is not only vital for your visitors but it is a key element in getting them to the site in the first place. You will need to work with your designers to ensure that you can easily and accurately add, update and remove products and other content on an ongoing basis.

Search Engine Optimisation

The way in which over 80% of people find sites offering specific products or services is by searching using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. These search engines generate their results based on a large and complex set of factors in the hope that they will provide the most relevant sites to their users. Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is a complex discipline that addresses the needs of the search engines to ensure that you don`t simply end up with a beautiful looking website that no-one ever sees! The process starts with identifying the most relevant search terms - terms that real users will enter when looking for your products or services. There are a number of techniques and tools used to identify them. Search terms or `keywords` are then used to drive the remainder of your online marketing activities. The same terms are also used in the design of the site including the underlying HTML code, headers, menu and navigation bars and internal links. Whilst few bus iness owners will necessarily want to become SEO experts, it makes sense to consider home learning internet & web design courses in order to understand the basics and to allow you to communicate your requirements more effectively with your website designers.

Social Media Optimisation

The same keywords should also drive the creation of text content for the site: also vital for long term search engine rankings. Once your site is built and populated with content, you will also need to consider the means by which you are going to attract links from other relevant site owners; either by link building or by Social Media Optimisation (SMO), another discipline in its own right but one that is becoming ever more important as fast broadband connections mean that ever more of your target audience will now expect some degree of real time interaction with you. On the subject of interaction, you may want your web designers to include a blog on the site, allowing to you enter into and manage public dialogues with your customer base, potential customers and perhaps industry partners.

All elements of SEO and SMO thus rely upon a high quality web design. The high traffic, highly ranked sites we see today all started with a good business proposition - and no traffic, building over time. Professional website design will allow you to keep your site updated with interesting and relevant information, which will not only entice visitors to return but will further improve your search engine ranking: a history of fresh content is absolutely vital as far as the search engines are concerned.