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Website Design
an Functionality
GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS CONSISTENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY
E-Commerce Web Design

A poor website can cause visitors to doubt your company’s
credibility and relevance, which can negatively impact company
bottom-line

Your website could be lagging for numerous reasons:

it’s generic and un-customized, formatted for only one device

It’s lacking in visual appeal,

missing a clear, marketing strategy
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First: Start with Strategy

Understand your company’s market, customer base, and leads.

Ask how and why are people going to visit and use the website?

Each person lands on your website for a reason.

Center the project around providing something of unique value to
your customers.

Your website’s main goal is to help existing and potential customers
find the information they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
A strong website design plan needs marketing strategy to succeed
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Second: Understand Your Individual
Customers Better

Understanding customer’s tendencies, their motives, and how they
generally make decisions.

Develop detailed buyer personas for each type of customer.

Answer to their individual need, and prompt them to act

Process must be done before you develop your website
When you know their triggers, you can scratch their itch.
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Third: Choose the Best Language to
Build In

Most companies do not choose the language they want their
website built in, instead they usually choose an agency first.

Typically, an agency will only recommend the language that they
have experience in

Choose an agency based upon work they have done for websites
that you’d like to look and function like.
Choose a language to design your website on
that will add big value to your company.
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Fourth: Create a Site Map
& Wire Frame

Create a wireframe for your website so you can lay out the desired
conversion paths for each persona.

Including resources and tools to help them learn about your
company quickly.

Various easy-to-access conversion paths should lead to landing
pages with forms,
Thoroughly plan your website using a site map and wire frame.
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Fifth: Optimize Design for Different
Devices

“Mobile has swiftly risen to become the leading digital platform, with
total activity on smartphones and tablets accounting for an
astounding 60 percent of digital media time spent in the U.S."

With more users relying on mobile devices to surf the internet,
websites need to be designed to work effectively on the smaller
visual platform, using different navigation inputs than a
desktop/laptop/mouse.

Major difference is image orientation: vertical vs horizontal

Make sure fonts and pictures are easily loaded and accurately
displayed

Make sure all visuals are linked
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E-Commerce Web Design Trends

Objective of good design is to make life easier

Poor website design is stressful and frustrating for customer

Website design is more than just a place to view the product

Your website is a valuable component of the total customer
experience

With increasing numbers of online shoppers, keeping website design
in line with current trends is critical.
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Design Trends to Consider

With increasing tendency to surf, consumers will automatically
develop expectations based upon look and functionality.

As with other media, there are contemporary trends to be aware of.

Use current trends when re-designing or introducing a website.
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Trend 1: Nearly Flat Design

Key word is ‘Nearly’

Components are strategically placed to lead the eye to the
content

Calt- to-Action Buttons look 3 dimensional but don’t look cartoonish

Components are ‘placed’ on the page.
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Trend 2: Micro Transitions

Little details translate into large impact with website users

Micro Transitions are designed to allow roll-over commands instead
of deliberate clicks

Roll-over on large images provides a magnifying glass effect to view
product details

Roll-over for print and link functions reduces ‘functional friction’.

Impression on site visitors is subtle but quite positive enough to retain
customers to the particular site over competitors’
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Trend 3: Tiled Navigation

Product and menu choices are executed by clicking an image
rather than a word.

Interacting with images replicates the feeling of in-store browsing – a
comfortable experience for many shoppers

Bigger target encourages interaction
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Effective Home Page is Critical

Your homepage is one of the most important web pages on your website.

The homepage is its virtual front door to your business.

Unfortunately, a lot of people still judge a book by its cover.

Six ‘Look For’ features to consider for your e-Commerce website
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Clearly Identifies The Site

Clearly answers:

"Who I am,“

"What I do,“

"What can you (the visitor) do here.“

Most businesses still need to answer these questions so that each
visitor knows they are in the "right place.“

If visitors can't identify what it is you do within seconds, they won't
stick around long.
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Resonates with the target audience


A homepage needs to be narrowly focused to be effective:

Information

Style

Visuals
It speaks to the right people in their language

Integrated with the visual appeal of your other media to reinforce brand
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Communicates a compelling
value-proposition

When a visitor arrives on your homepage, it needs to compel them
to stick around.

The homepage is the best place to nail your value proposition .

Prospects will then choose to stay on your website and not navigate
to your competitors'.
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Include a call-to-action (CTA)

Effectively use primary and secondary calls-to-action to direct
visitors to the next logical step:

"Free Trial,“

"Schedule a Demo,“

"Buy Now,"

"Learn More"

CTAs tell them what to do next so they don't get overwhelmed or
lost.

CTAs turn your homepage into a sales- or lead-generation engine,
and not just brochure-wear.
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Home Pages Evolve

The best homepages aren't always static – they are responsive to a
changing marketplace and competition.

Constantly change to reflect the needs, problems, and questions of
their visitors.

Maintain some continuity to retain brand equity – don’t make a
wholesale change that leaves the visitor wondering where your site
went.
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Employ great overall design.

Don’t scrimp on the most important page on your website.

A well-designed page is important to building trust, communicating
value, and navigating visitors to the next step.

Effective homepages use:

Layout that presents information in the sequence identified as effective,

CTA placement that is immediately apparent after presenting information,

Whitespace to reduce clutter and focus visitor attention,

Colors that catch attention and are effective on PCs, tablets and phones,

Legible, contemporary and brand-supporting fonts,

Other supporting elements such as logical links and lists.
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Good Website Design
Drives Good Business

Design homepages to attract and keep the visitors you have
identified as potential customers.

Balance the brand with the target market to support your business
while being comfortable and informative for the visitor.

Regularly check on changes in the on-line environment for evolving
trends and preferences to update your website.

Don’t hesitate to invest in professional website developers.

Integrate all media, taking the rising importance of mobile and
tablet platforms.
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