{"id":22392,"date":"2015-01-09T01:44:03","date_gmt":"2015-01-09T05:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=22392"},"modified":"2015-01-09T01:44:03","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T05:44:03","slug":"launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the need for a high quality website is a necessity to businesses of all sizes. It\u2019s essentially the only way to develop an online presence. Your company\u2019s website acts as a business card of sorts (only with more information). It provides your target audience with a general understanding of what your brand is and more importantly&#8230;what your products or services can do to benefit them. A low quality website essentially sends the wrong message and sends customers running in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Quality Web Design Matters?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/conversionxl.com\/first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design.jpg\" alt=\"first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design\" width=\"640\" height=\"489\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22395 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 640px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 640\/489;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>First Impressions Matter: The Importance of Great Visual Design<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Imagine searching for a product or service that you\u2019re in need of. You find a website through a search engine and decide to check it out. However, when you click on the link, it takes forever to load, is confusing to navigate, and really does nothing to interest you. What would you do? The average person is going to move on to the other competitors provided in the search engine results. When you put yourself in the seat of the average consumer, you can better understand <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/cherylsnappconner\/2013\/12\/01\/how-design-matters-more-than-ever-in-2014\/\" target=\"_blank\">why a quality website is imperative<\/a> to your brand\u2019s reputation and company success. As such, investing in the overall design of your website should be top priority.<\/p>\n<h2>So What Constitutes a Great Website?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/designmodo.com\/best-website-designs-2014\/?u=6\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg\" alt=\"huge-best-website-designs-2014\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22396 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/397;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Best Website Designs of 2014<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So now you understand the importance of a quality website, but what exactly constitutes a great website? Of course there is more than one way to skin a cat, and you obviously want your website to stand out from your competitors, but there are some key elements that must be kept in mind the entire time. Remember, the main objective is to make the site user\u00adfriendly and appealing to your target audience. So here\u2019s what you need to make the cut:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Easy Navigation \u2013 your customers need to be able to easily find the information they\u2019re looking for in a short amount of time. Your site needs to be organized, have clearly labeled links, and multiple pages with pertinent information.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Call to Action \u2013 What is the overall purpose of your site? What is it that you want your target audience to do once they\u2019ve arrived at your page? Do you want them to call you, shop online, or visit your store? Whatever actions you want them to take, they need to be clearly defined on your site.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Appealing Design \u2013 When it comes to design, you have to have balance. Too little input could result in your target audience getting bored easily, while too much could cause their eyes to go cross. Your designs should be appealing to your potential consumers without going over the top. Design Tip: Looking for a unique design that really captures the attention of your target audience? Look for professionals who have taken graphic or <a href=\"http:\/\/platt.edu\/areas-of-study\/web-design\/\" target=\"_blank\">web design classes at Platt College<\/a> or another accredited school for computer technology and arts. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Great Content \u2013 whether you decide to add a blog or just post important information on various web pages the content should be of value to your ideal customers. The information provided throughout your site should be interesting and accurate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why You Might Need a Professional Web Designer<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2014\/how-to-hire-freelancers-online-for-graphic-design-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/best-job-sites-freelance-designers.jpg\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/356;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>How to Hire Freelancers Online for Graphic Design Jobs<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Many new business owners make the mistake of assuming they can create a free or low cost website all on their own. Unless you happen to have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2014\/5-unique-careers-for-graphic-designers\/\" target=\"_blank\">career or business in graphic design<\/a>, chances are you\u2019re going to need the help of a professional. While free websites can pose financial benefits in the short term that does not always help out in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>Free and low cost websites are essentially \u201ccookie cutter\u201d sites. Essentially they offer the same templates and formats to all subscribers. This means that your site could look a lot like one of your competitors.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/graphicdesignjunction.com\/2014\/01\/innovative-ui-design-concepts-to-boost-user-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/Innovative-UI-Design-Boost-User-Experience.jpg\" alt=\"Innovative-UI-Design-Boost-User-Experience\" width=\"597\" height=\"298\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22399 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 597px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 597\/298;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>52 Innovative UI Design Concepts to Boost User Experience<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Professional web designers or graphic designers have the educational experience and natural abilities to help you create not only an aesthetically appealing website, but a user friendly website geared towards your target audience.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, you only get one shot at impressing the average online consumer. Your company\u2019s website acts as your calling card. Without careful thought, consideration, and user\u00adfriendly elements, your website will essentially blend in with the rest. To stay ahead of the competition, build search engine rankings, and increase sales, you must invest in making your website the best that it can possibly be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the need for a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[627,109,24,4206,5695,35,5633,107],"tags":[5891,5885,178,988,115,848,2149],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/andysowardsfan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"397\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@andysowards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Sowards\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/\",\"name\":\"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415\"},\"description\":\"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":397},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards\",\"description\":\"Design Inspiration &amp; Business Resources for Creatives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415\",\"name\":\"Andy Sowards\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Andy Sowards\"},\"description\":\"Im a professional Freelancer specializing in Web Developer, Design, Programming web applications. Im an Avid member of the Design\/Development community and a Serial Blogger. follow me on Twitter @AndySowards\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters","description":"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters","og_description":"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the","og_url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/","og_site_name":"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/andysowardsfan","article_published_time":"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":397,"url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andy Sowards","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@andysowards","twitter_site":"@andysowards","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andy Sowards","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/","name":"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg","datePublished":"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-09T05:44:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415"},"description":"You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression \u2013 especially in this fast paced world of business. Now that everything has gone digital, the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/assets\/huge-best-website-designs-2014.jpg","width":600,"height":397},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2015\/launching-a-new-business-why-quality-website-design-matters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Launching a New Business: Why Quality Website Design Matters"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/","name":"Daily Business Resources for Entrepreneurs, Web Designers, &amp; Creatives by Andy Sowards","description":"Design Inspiration &amp; Business Resources for Creatives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0f72bd7f6497fd883e2bd67d9f3415","name":"Andy Sowards","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15f95b011563b5894883b22bd4b32d59?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Andy Sowards"},"description":"Im a professional Freelancer specializing in Web Developer, Design, Programming web applications. Im an Avid member of the Design\/Development community and a Serial Blogger. follow me on Twitter @AndySowards","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.andysowards.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}