As the Internet landscape evolves, good design has become a key factor to all businesses. Large businesses boast iconic images and initially unknown brands are skyrocketing to worldwide recognition.
At the bottom of the pack are small businesses, spending their money on employees and projects instead of cultivating a solid brand and investing in a strong online presence through their websites and social media presence.
Good design is no longer an option if small businesses want to be noticed. Let’s talk about why.
1. First impressions are the most important.
Everyone hears this anecdote at least once in life, and while it originally pertained to face-to-face meetings, it now encompasses every interaction.
Step back and take a look at your branding. Does it intrigue you? Is it indicative of what the business is or stands for? Would you would want to know more about it simply by coming across the website, or viewing the logo?
The answer should be a resounding yes.
Make sure your branding presence, the design of your website, advertising and anything else representing your business is well designed. If the design is not aesthetically pleasing, you run the risk of losing a customer simply based on appearance.
It is imperative to grab the viewer’s attention immediately. Ill-fitting colors, bad fonts, difficult navigation or unsightly products are no longer excused. Cutting costs when it comes to your businesses presentation is not wise and earning a good reputation will be more difficult.
2. Good design builds trust.
When you come across a beautiful website, a pleasing advertisement or clean logo, how does it make you feel? Most likely, it impresses you and for some reason there is an instant belief it must be a reputable brand without knowing much about the business or product.
Where does this impartial trust come from? Who knows. But its something you want to harness as a small business owner. It is important your consumers experience an emotional attachment to your brand. They should want to share it with their friends or find out more about it on their own.
A well-designed and orchestrated branding presence communicates dedication and trustworthiness to the consumer, it says, “We understand an investment in ourselves is also an investment in our customers.”
Similarly, if your website is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate and contains information presently clearly, customers will feel appreciated.
Contemplate Apple for a moment. The iPod and iPhone are not the only products available with mp3 and touch screen capabilities, but they continually dominate due to the clean, straightforward product design. Apply built a foundation of trust with its Macintosh clients, but innovated through the power of excellent design.
3. Good design is everywhere.
Solid design is taking over the world as we know it. Even toilet paper and cleaning product companies are going out of their way to finesse the packaging and revamp their image. No one can sidestep good design.
This translates to an emergency level of awareness for the small business owner. Your out-of-date website is no longer acceptable, the old, flimsy logo or the poorly designed paraphernalia associated with your business. Whether they are price tags, packaging, web sites, or uniforms – everything about your business must be designed with intention.
It is a key ingredient in building a loyal base of customers and establishing yourself in a world consuming itself with pleasing exteriors.
If you do not make good design a priority for your business, you will eventually pay the price. Design is not to be pushed aside.
4. Good design impacts search results.
In regards to an online presence, bypassing design can have drastic effects on who finds your business. Good design can elevate your position in the search results and add potential leads.
Slow page speeds are dangerous in the eyes of Google and will send the viewer to another page quickly. Content placement below the fold is not wise and too much advertising above the fold can disrupt search results.
Internal linking can become problematic if its unnecessary and forgetting to add social media is online suicide.
Learn about Search Engine Optimization and implement smart design in conjunction with how the business site is constructed. Both are crucial assets.
5. Shows respect for your clients and customers.
How many times have you went looking for the Contact Us tab on a website and was unable to locate it? How did it make you feel? Were you irritated or frustrated?
Although good design is imperative to every brand’s image in today’s economy, the first goal should be to make yourself open and available to your customer.
Business services should be simple to understand, the mission readily available and websites easy to navigate. The number one goal is to make it easy for your customer, and design makes this goal attainable.
Smart design is not just for big brands, it is an indispensable step for small business that want to compete in the world market and grab the attention of consumers.
Why do you think good design is important for small businesses?
Ahna Hendrix is LinchpinSEO's very own Social Media expert. She previous designed Facebook product launches for Eva Longoria, Angry Birds Space book, Wolfgang Puck ads and National Geographic Books campaigns. Based in the NYC area, she enjoys running with her dog, Mani, indulging in oaky red wines, and curling up with a good book.
Click here to learn more about LinchpinSEO's social media expert.
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