Laura Hogan
The homepage for Code and Theory, a website design company, has only 12 words on it. But don’t let that fool you. It features a level of sophistication and user friendliness rare in the online world.
The company recently redesigned the homepage of Vogue right before Fashion Week in September. Dan Gardner and Brandon Ralph told Inc. magazine the redesign of Vogue.com was necessary because the site was no longer accommodating the way people were using the Internet today. The old page, which Code and Theory also designed, did not allow real-time interaction nor was it responsive to user behavior. I’ve put in a screen shot below but click the link above to see how it works, it’s really awesome.
So often today, the first impression customers, leads, and potential business partners get of a brand is from its website. Here’s how to create a great first impression:
Mobile Friendliness
Just as cellphones gradually decreased the importance of land telephone lines, mobile devices are making desktop computers obsolete for many purposes. A 2014 Nielsen study found that U.S. Internet users spend about 61 hours per month online. Smartphones and tablets accounted for 56 percent of those hours versus 44 percent via desktop computers.
It’s a good idea to frequently access your website on various Web browsers, particular the mobile Web. Granted many platforms are coded by default to display correctly when it detects websites being accessed via mobile devices. But if not, you must take a few extra steps.
Use a mobile Web design service like DudaMobile or Mobify to create a separate mobile site if necessary. The problem with those sites though is that it will have its own subdomain and may not index in search engines. The best solution for this is simply placing a link to the mobile site at the top of your regular site.
Change with Online Marketing Trends
Yahoo! began as “Jerry and David’s guide to the World Wide Web” in 1994. Jerry Yang, one of the co-founders, used to display his golf scores and names of other Web sites he discovered while messing around on the very young world wide web. But when the focus changed from weekend college project to multinational corporation, the website had to change as well.
Websites must evolve with technology and business goals. Your best bet is to use analytics software to determine which pages of your site are accessed most and what the website is lacking. From that information you can decide what content is worth keeping amd what you don’t need anymore.
Also, whether your company just recently incorporated social media into the business plan or if you’ve been using it for awhile it’s important to keep socials in mind when redesigning. Make certain your blog has “share” buttons so readers can post your articles to their Twitter and Facebook with the click of a button. You might also consider live chat applications which provide instant access to a customer service representative.
Website Topography
One of President Barack Obama’s first items of business when he was inaugurated in 2009 was to bring the White House website into the 21st century. A much-needed navigation bar was added to the top of the screen, and jQuery code was incorporated for that carousel (scrolling) effect for pictures. The administration also added a blog. If the white house (a building 215 years old )thought it was time for an update then you probably should too.
New color schemes should also be considered during redesigns. A 2006 University of Winnipeg study concluded that 90 percent of purchases are based on color alone. Dr. Douglas Fields, of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, wrote that harmful food dyes are used by food company solely to trigger emotional responses. In short, there truly is psychology involved with colors. Red represent intensity, assertiveness and power. Green triggers relaxation and equilibrium, while blue is the favorite color of both men and women.
Takeaway
A website should both represent everything about your business and increase revenues. If it’s not doing both right now, a redesign should be in your plan for the near future.
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