2nd May 2018

Web Design Calgary: 5 Things Customers Look for

Building a website is a good way to attract new customers and service and keep in touch with old ones. When embarking on a web design project, it is important to know what the customer will want from your website. It doesn’t matter if your business is ‘business to business’ or ‘business to customer’. What matters is that you factor in the needs of the people who will visit your website.

Here are some elements that must be present on your website.

 

  1. Clear and valid contact information.

Visitors to your website must know how and where to reach you. Whether you share your contact information on a ‘contacts page’ or in the footer of your website is your choice but it must be there. Make it clear and concise. It should not be hidden away in a place it will not be easy to see. Make sure all contact information are correct and up to date.

If your web design is mobile-friendly, and it should be, users should be able to click on your phone number and be able to call without having to write it out.

When listing emails or phone numbers, be sure to separate the contacts of your sales team from your customer service team. Your sales team can deal with leads but may not be able to answer all the questions about your business.

 

  1. Encryption and Security.

Security and privacy are very important on the internet. If you will be dealing with personal information such as social security number, credit card information, addresses and so on, you will want to keep everything as secure as possible.

To avoid a breach on your website, you can secure your data by encrypting them.

Getting an SSL encryption certificate will satisfy your customers and assure them of the security of their information. Data coming and going on sites with the security socket layer encryption are protected. Sites with the SSL protection will start with ‘https’ instead of ‘http’. Google ranks sites with SSL protection higher so getting this will also increase your search engine optimization ratings.

SSL encryption is not compulsory for every website but if your website has an e-commerce platform, your customers may not trust that their data is secure with you. Getting the SSL certificate can cost as little as $9 per year.

 

  1. Special offers and personalization.

No two customers are the same. Even if your business targets the same demography all the time, it is important to know that the needs of each customer will still be different. They each will have their likes and dislikes, including the products and services in your catalogue. Personalizing your website is the way to accommodate their differences.

There are several ways to personalize your customer’s experience and one of such ways is to run an accounts-based system. This way the user can log in, update personal preferences and account settings. You could also deliver customized special offers and discounts to loyal customers or deliver upgrades based on customer’s preferences.

Another thing you need to do is make your website responsive. A responsive website makes it easy for your customer to read and navigate your website no matter the size of their screen. It would not matter if the customer was reading your website from a laptop, an iPad or a mobile phone, they still get a good experience. A responsive website is better than creating two different websites for PC and mobile because it keeps your website the same.

 

  1. Validation and Customer Reviews.

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to promote a business. Unfortunately, the mouth cannot be yours. The customer expects you to say your business is the best in the world so they will take any such statements with a pinch of salt. Unless you provide proof from a third party, they will most likely not believe what you’re saying.

This proof can come in different forms. If you earn a certificate relevant to the business you run, display it on your website. If you win an award or get recognized by a reputable organization, let your customers know. If you get reviewed by industry experts, add the link to your website. A valuable addition to any web design is an area for customer reviews and feedback.

You should also allow a customer who has used your product and services speak about their experiences. Posting customer testimonials and recommendation will influence other customers to purchase from you more than your own recommendation will. Set up a process to allow your customers to leave their reviews of your services. Some websites even dedicate a whole page to customer stories about how their products or services have bettered their lives. You could consider this too.

 

  1. Accessible Call to Action.

A call-to-action is a very important element of web design. The whole point of your website is to convert prospects to customers and you cannot do this without certain call-to-actions. Your call-to-action does not even have to be to make a sale alone. It could ask them to subscribe to your newsletter or find out more about an upcoming product.

The call-to-action is important because it gives the customer something to do after reading through a post. Everything they have been reading leads up to this. It is an important way to engage your readers.

Don’t litter your web design with them but place them in strategic and open places where it will be easy to see. If, for example, you write a post about a new product, don’t make the customer look around before seeing an option to ‘buy now’. Call attention to what you want your customer to do.

Other things the customers may want to see are;

–    An informative ‘about’ page. This page should be able to tell your customers everything about you.

–    Your social media pages. This helps you to share more with them on a personal level.

–    Pricing. Customers want to know, without stress, what your products and services cost. They don’t want to spend time on a website only to find they can’t afford any of your products.

 

Can we help you update your website? http://arcreactions.com/services/web-design/