7 Secrets Graphic Designers Won’t Tell You about Effective Website Design

 

Secret 1: Pretty doesn’t count.

Yes, you want your site to look nice and create visual impact with visitors, but good looks don’t bring in sales.

A great tour guide does, though – and that’s your website’s job. It presents your business to visitors and welcomes them, showing them around and introducing them to points of interest they should definitely see before they leave. As tour guide, your website has the task of providing visitors with the right guidance to direct them to where they want to go – and to where you want them to go as well. Is it bad to be pretty?No, I wouldn’t go that far. If you can have both a beautiful design and get results, then go for it. If you find yourself having to choose between one or the other though, stick with getting results.



Secret 2: You don’t need a redesign.

Remember, your design is just one piece of a bigger picture. What if your message is wrong, and you need a copywriting overhaul? What if your brand image is pulling in the wrong target market? What if your marketing strategy has holes in it? What if there’s an issue with your product or service?You can’t afford to ask 12 specialists their opinion – you’ll end up overhauling every element of your business!

Ask a big-picture specialist for help – someone who can analyze several elements of your site and pinpoint the problem area. These experts know all the elements, understand how they work together and how much weight each carries in the conversion equation.



Secret Number 3: You don’t need to spend a fortune.

People say you get what you pay for, and sometimes, that’s true. But it’s not true that you need to spend your life savings on a good website.There are too many designers out there preying on your ignorance, charging exorbitant rates for their own profit. They blind you with techspeak and fancy coding terms.Don’t put up with it.Decide your budget and find graphic designers who can work within it. Look for designers that fit the style of site you’d like for your business. Visit other sites you like and see who designed them. Ask for quotes, take your time and shop around.It’ll save you thousands of dollars.



Secret 4: Maintaining a website isn’t expensive.

Maintenance? What maintenance? Oh, the upgrades that might come along every now and then? Well, opt for WordPress or another content management system that lets you do your own upgrades just by clicking a button. Changes to content? A content management system wins again. Login to your site, and in two or three clicks, you’re updating your prices, changing your copy or adding a new page all by yourself.



Secret 5: You don’t need to be totally unique.

 – and not in a good way. Your stunning site ends up being a confusing experience for visitors. Designers need to create sites that follow web conventions and usability rules, because these are the ultimate guides to navigating your site quickly and easily. If you break them, you’ll confuse your visitors.

It’s true that you need to stand out these days and look different from all the rest. The problem is that some designers take it a little too far, and they design you a site that’s so unique it breaks all the rules 

Secret 6: Branding is a special skill, and not all designers do it well.

Most designers aren’t skilled in developing brand identities. They’re good at developing graphic design that reflects your brand identity, but if you haven’t supplied them with that crucial information, they’re just assuming.It’s far better to work with a branding specialist to your developer your identity before you hire your designer, or work exclusively with graphic designers who understand branding and can develop a site that reflects your brand identity.



Secret 7: Design Isn’t Just about Photoshop. It’s about Psychology.

A graphic designer needs to know color psychology and the associations people make with specific shades and tones. He needs to know what imagery will appeal to people, the type of people it’ll appeal to, and why it appeals to them. He needs to know what’s going on in people’s minds when they land on sites and as they navigate through yours.