Graphic Design

Aside from the bare-bones basics of information to include on your website, you must include content in order to capture new customers.  Search engines such as Google and the human brain have something in common – they determine if your business is reliable worth looking into by words you provide them.  Understanding the intricacies of Google algorithms isn’t something I’d expect the average business owner to do, so as simply as I can put it, include two paragraphs of good content per page.

UX is a fairly new term.  It is a shortened term for User Experience, and is an important part of website design.  If your “Contact Us” button is in an unusual location, or if your website plays music very loudly upon arrival, or has several popups interrupting your guests, you may be providing a poor user experience.  It’s easy to track, however, by looking at a metric called bounce-rate, which is the percentage of website visitors who immediately leave your website without browsing.  Maybe your visitors are browsing your website and choosing to shop with you, but the link to “How to find us” is broken.  UX is important, and an outsider’s perspective on your website can help identify some of those issues.

Yes, and no.  There are many excellent opportunities for inexpensive website setup and maintenance. Unfortunately, some lack visual appeal, some lack functionality, and most designers or companies offering attractive websites with everything you need tend to charge exorbitantly expensive one-time rates, or high monthly fees.