What Does Your Website Design Reveal About You?

October 7, 2008

Having been in the web design business for quite some time, I’ve seen a lot of sites.  Some are hip and edgy, some are cool and confident.  Others are fun and exciting.

How your website is designed can actually reveal a lot about you and your company.  The problem is – your website’s “look and feel” may not match the brand you’re trying to portray to your customers.

For example, how easy it is to get around your website?  Dropdown menus have long been used to pack a lot of information into a small space, but they also have the undesirable side effect of not being indexed by the search engines.  It might sound old-fashioned, but good old graphical buttons and text links still reign supreme when it comes to on-site optimization.

The font style you use can have an effect on your readers too.  Cursive fonts denote elegance and refinement, while blocky fonts showcase a solid, reputable and grounded company.  Look carefully at the typography used on your website.  Does it work for the type of message you’re trying to convey?

Even the colors used in your website can have some unintentional pros and cons.  For example, if you run a website about food, using warm, earthy tones like brown, orange and dark red can help stimulate appetite.  Cooler tones like blues and greens are widely regarded as “safe” colors and are generally favorable with international audiences too.

To find out more about what your website is subconsciously telling your visitors about you – and your business, think of three words you’d use to describe yourself.  That’s you, personally.  Not your website or your company – just yourself.  For example, I describe myself as:

1. Creative
2. Unique
3. Practical

Now you try it.  Three words to describe yourself.  Got your list?  Good.  Now go to your website.

How well does your list match with what you see?  If your website is throwing you mixed signals, you can bet it’s doing the same to your visitors – and possibly costing you sales as a result.

Being able to take a good honest look at your website and see how well it blends with your personality and your business is crucial to building a brand that lasts.  In my case, I want people to know that the person behind iElectrify is not your average designer, but someone who’s willing to help you create a brand and a site worth promoting.

Design is serious business, and having a design that matches well with your personality and goals is what gets people to take your business seriously.

Good luck!

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can find even more web design tips at iElectrify

Sherice Jacob specializes in creating professional, affordable and creative websites that get results.  With a strong background in internet marketing and niche marketing, Sherice works with small to medium-sized businesses to help them easily create and manage their own websites.

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