Posted by Joel LafferSr. Director of Marketing at Yodle

Your website is the face of your business; potentially the first interaction most potential customers will have with your brand and of course it’s a very effective tool for ongoing communication with existing clients too. But a cluttered, unpleasant, or disorganized design can turn people off from your site and keep them from employing your services.

When you’re planning and designing your site’s look, our recommendations are:

1. Stay away from the glitz. Your graphics should illustrate your product and purpose. Anything else just distracts from the sale and creates confusion. When in doubt, be sparing with decorations and extra graphics. Here is an example of a beautiful yet effective site.



2. Use everyday language. Don’t be too formal when it comes to addressing your potential client. The more relaxed a prospective client feels on your site, the greater the chance that they’ll buy from you. Remember that the Internet is basically a conversation. If you act pretentious, you will just turn people off. In the screenshot above, notice the informal language (marked 2).

3. But don’t be too folksy. Write as you speak, but leave out unusual colloquialisms or language that’s too cutesy. After all, you also want to sound the way your customers speak.

4. Keep it brief. Don’t be Long-winded Larry. Make sure your sentences are short, punchy, and purposeful. Use bullet points whenever you can: People’s eyes are naturally drawn to text that’s set apart from the rest.

5. Organize it well. Heard of the pyramid structure in news stories? Well, it applies to the web too. Calls to action, promotions, and other key information should be toward the top of a page, otherwise a potential client is likely to miss it.



6. Keep the design sparse. Since you can add as many pages as you want to a website, it’s a good idea to spread out your information into readable, easy-to-understand parts.

7. Be direct. Make sure that customers can easily find the information they are looking for by using clear menus, site maps, and section/page titles. Don’t hide what you have to offer, and how people can respond to it, in an easy-to-overlook place.

8. Balance text with graphics. Too many graphics can make it more difficult for a reader to find information. Too much text can be off-putting. As in all things, make sure you maintain a balance.

9. Update your website! This may seem like a no-brainer, but too many business owners put together a website and then never update their content. Make sure to update your site with new information about your business: That gives your customers a reason to keep checking in to see what’s new.

With these tips, you’ll be on your way to a website that helps draw serious business!