CONTACT INFORMATION

Make sure to have your contact information in each page. You have a much higher probability to close a sale for your business if customers give you a call. It is a sign that the customer is taking the necessary steps to accomplishing a goal of theirs.

LACK OF GRAMMAR/SPELLING MISTAKES

Nothing drives down credibility of a website faster than grammar and spelling errors. Make sure to go through your website content and correct any errors.

TESTIMONIALS/EXPERIENCE

Be sure to include testimonials on your website! A website built for your customers will have past customers’ stories about how your company did a fantastic job. Also be sure to include what types of experience you have in your particular field. Many customers search for this type of information to see how credible you are for their project.

YOUR COMPANY LOGO

A company logo can be a vital part of a customer’s recognition of your company. A company logo also portrays the level of professionalism that your company has. Making sure that your logo is set prominently on your website can be an important factor in elevating your customers trust.

ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

Having an “About Us” page on your website is another great way to tell customers who you are and what you have done in the past. We have talked to many businesses that love the fact that we are a small family based business. It is little subtleties like this that can have an impact in whether you get the sale or not.

Keep these factors in mind when thinking about what to put into your website. Customers have many reasons why they choose a particular company. It is your job to capitalize on what sets you apart from your competitors and how you can get their job done above their expectations. Also keep in mind that the website is for your customers. Keeping that in mind will help you determine what you should be including on your website.

We are still surprised how many businesses do not have a website. Now, because we are a web design company, we may be a little biased : ). We have also seen the effects that a website can have on a business, especially certain types of businesses. Even the businesses that we do not conduct a full out search engine optimization campaign, still get business from the web. It is amazing how many people search the internet looking for solutions to all sorts of questions and problems.

Online Searches

New businesses can capitalize on the fact that people are searching for many different types of products and services on the internet. The other great part of this is that many of the searches done today are focused for a more geographic local search. This gives the business a great chance to be found on the top of the search engines, just by having a website online. This trend for a more local search can have a significant effect from sales generated from your website.

Decision Makers

We know many decision makers that attempt to look for a website on a given company before they call to do business with them. It is expected that businesses have a website that has the necessary information that is organized in a way users can easily find the information they are looking for. We have also talked with the decision makers about what they do if they find a business that does not have a website, or if the website is not easy to find, and they all say the same thing, “I don’t do business with them.”

This speaks volumes about how important it is to make it easy for your business to be found online. If your business does not have a website, decision makers knowingly overlook your company for a competitor that has invested in a website for themselves. This reason alone should tell you how critical it is to be easy to do business with online.

Conclusion

New business websites are a great place to start in the world of advertising, especially with how affordable internet advertising is compared to other forms of advertising. So if you have a new business and are looking for fast and affordable advertising, we would highly recommend looking into investing in a professionally designed website for your business.

When looking for a Minneapolis web design company, it is important to look at many factors so you can find a good fit for your company. Finding a web design company that is a good fit will benefit your company in the long run. Be sure to keep the following factors in mind:

1) How long has the web designer been in business?
You would be surprised how many “web design” shops have popped up and dropped off. Even in the Minneapolis area. Now, that is not very “Minnesota Nice”. We have seen and heard of companies looking to make a quick buck and then leave businesses high and dry when they cannot fulfill their empty promises. Do a little bit of research on how long the company has been around. You will thank yourself in the long run.

2) Give them a call.
Don’t just sign up because they have built up hype on their website. Give them a call and see how you get along with them on the phone. How do you feel after the initial conversation? Is this someone who you would like to work with? If you decide to go with this company, you will probably be with them for a while, so it would be in your best interest to see how they relate to you. Another factor to keep in mind is if they even pick up the phone. You may have experience with companies that give the complete “song and dance” and then when it comes time to get back in touch with them (after they have your money, of course) they are impossible to get a hold of.

3) Are they in the search engines?
Now, there are many reputable web design companies that do not rank highly in the search engines for the popular terms. After all, there are only around 10 spots, right? However the ones closer to the top probably have a little more experience/expertise in structuring a website so that it can be displayed higher in the search engines. They know a few processes that have proven themselves successful in getting a higher placement in the search engines. You should at least be able to search for their company name and their website should be listed. After all, wouldn’t you like to see your business higher in the search engines?

4) What is the budget range?
Most of us have a budget range we would like to stick within for anything we go out and buy. Want a car? Chevy Cobalt or Bentley? You get the idea. Most Minneapolis web design companies are the same way. We have heard some agencies charging $20,000 plus for a relatively simple website and we have also heard very low prices. Wow, that is quite a range. We would recommend finding a Minneapolis web design company that you feel comfortable with and can get what you want for a relatively good price. I don’t think any web design company would like to build a site that was way under priced for the work involved. As you are already aware, most of the time, you get what you pay for!

5) View their website portfolio.
Do you like some of the work they have completed? I know many Minneapolis web design companies that have killer portfolios. Do you really need a complete knock out website? Or do you need more results from your website? Either way, view their portfolios and see what they are capable of and see if it fits in your budget range.

6) Look for testimonials.
Past clients and their experience is a great way to see how others have been treated in the past. You can learn much from a few testimonials listed on a Minneapolis web design company’s website. We know it works! Come to think of it, I look at testimonials on every website I plan on buying from. Look for the testimonials!

So, before you jump right in and get that website built by the first company that crosses your screen, follow these tips and see if you can hone in on a Minneapolis web designer. You will thank yourself in the long run. You will end up saving money and build a better relationship with a company that you will do business with for a long time.

Keeping your target audience in mind when you are planning a website redesign is a critical component of whether or not that website is going to be effective and viewed as a trust worthy source of information in your industry. It is important to review past analytic data from your website to see the different screen resolutions that are used as well as traffic patterns to different topics and the most popular content. It is also a good idea to ask users who fit into your target audience what they like to see in a website and maybe some examples of the way content is presented to them. Keeping your target audience in mind can have a huge effect on whether visitors find your website easy to maneuver through or move on to another website.

Analyze past website visitor data and behavior

Analyzing past data and seeing patterns in user behavior is a great way to dive into how visitors to your website think and act. No matter the website, there are different patterns on how visitors click through the website and different areas they spend more time at. Using this data and analyzing patters can show you how to cater that specific audience for more relevant information. If you see that there is a high rate of traffic that goes to view your contact page and your contact information is solely there, it may be a good idea to place that contact information on every page, so it is directly in front of customers at all times. Another example is if you see patters of users moving from article to article. This can be a sign that you may want to place links to related articles maybe on the side of your website or at the bottom of the article so they can move on to the next article without backing out to an articles page.

Screen resolutions

Another very interesting piece of information you can get from analytics data is the screen resolution that visitors are using to view your website. This can come in handy when redesigning your website so you can keep it in a particular screen resolution. This helps with the amount the user has to horizontally scroll to see all of the content on your website. You may decide that the screen resolution may be large or small and you would like to have a more “fluid” design that stretches to fit the screen of your visitor no matter the screen resolution. Either way, being able to analyze data and see what your visitor is using for hardware can help them have a great user experience on your website.

Ask people in your target audience what they like

What better way to gather information about your new website design than to ask people who are in your target audience? I am always surprised how much detailed information people will give you about what they like about a website and what they find easy and difficult. All of it is good information to gather and sift through for your new website. When we asked people for their input, they are usually very likely to help you out and they like to see some of their ideas incorporated into a design. I have heard different target audiences that like larger text, larger pictures, YouTube videos, blogs, articles, forms, wider designs, contact information are just a few of the features that we have heard people say they like to see on a website. Another great way to have users find your site more useful is to have programs that help them out. For example, if you have a mortgage website, maybe you should place some calculators on your website and some instructions on what they are calculating and how it can affect their mortgage payments. These little programs are a great way for people to bookmark your website and see you as an authority in your field.

Make it easy for your target audience

It is always a pleasure to go though a website that has exactly what you want, relevant information everywhere and fits within your viewing screen. These are the types of websites that we will often bookmark. We have also seen when a website has the features that the target audience is looking for, those website almost always have higher sales because of it. Make it easy for your visitors and hopefully they will make it easier for you to keep your business making money.

1. Get in touch with us via phone or email

   The first step of the process is to get in touch with us when you have some time.

2. Set up an appointment

   We will set up an appointment with you to discuss your goals for your website in more detail.

3. Goals for the website
   Our staff will go over goals that are important for you and your website and discuss many options available including:
   • Budget constraints
   • A professional, custom, look and feel for your website
   • Custom website programming
   • Domain name registration
   • Hosting
   • Navigation on the website
   • Website structure
   • Email setup
   • Search engine optimization
4. Decide to move forward
   When all the necessary topics are covered, if it makes sense, both parties move forward and your professional website design will start to be built.
5. Start the project

   Midwest Web Design Inc will talk with you to figure out the look and feel of your professional web design and give you some samples of what your website
   will look like.

6. Get information from client
   After the look and feel is complete, the client will give us the necessary information (text, pictures, etc) for the website to be completed.
7. Wrap up the website project

   After all the pages are built and loose ends tied up, the project will be complete. It’s that simple.

There are many factors that you should think about when preparing to make your website design affordable. Making affordable website designs is something that every website designer strives toward if they wish to keep their clients happy. In this article we are going to discuss how both you as a customer and your website designer can work together to make your affordable website design.

1. Let your website designer know what your specified budget is.

   This is rule number 1 for a reason! Affordability is different for each business. For example, I was talking to one of my acquaintances about boats while we were going for a boat ride on his new yacht. He said that the boat was “affordable” so he bought it and he loves it. Another acquaintance told me he was looking for a boat. “Affordable” to him was a price around $1200. Affordability is the amount of a resource (money, time, etc) to spend on something and it is not the same for any two people. It is important to let your web designer know what “affordability” means to you as a customer.

2. Know what you can live without!
   “For example, I was talking to one of my acquaintances about boats while we were going for a boat ride on his new yacht. He said that the boat was “affordable” so he bought it and he loves it. Another acquaintance told me he was looking for a boat. “Affordable” to him was a price around $1200.”

   Let’s face it, everyone wants their website to have ecommerce, interactive features, rank high in the search engines, get unlimited updates and make them financially independent. I’ll let you in on a little secret.you won’t get any of those with a $10/month website. Having a website that does all of those things is possible. They have been done before, but affordability was never mentioned while they were working on the project. So maybe having a presence online where your customers can reach you via email and find out more about your company and your store hours is what you really need. More likely than not, your website designer can do all of the things mentioned above, but you can help make your affordable web design easier on yourself, your wallet and your designer.

3. Have all materials ready for your website designer.

   This help is extremely appreciated by all web designers that are on a project budget. A list of some of the things that you can have ready is as follows:

   • Text for the web pages that you would like
   • The pictures/images you would like on each page
   • The location of the pictures/images (either on the web, on your computer or in your house)
   • A company brochure
   • A thought about what you would like the design of your website to look like
   • Links to other websites you would like to have on your website

   This can be a tremendous help for making affordable website design. All of these items mentioned save your website designer time and makes things more efficient. Do them and it will lower the cost of your business website design project.

4. If you think of any changes you’d like or features you’d like to add, bring them up and talk to your designer about them.

   They might have an effect on the affordability or have some other extra steps that you don’t see that would need to be set up in order to have the new feature. Keep the lines of communication open! Having an affordable website design takes effort from both parties.

In conclusion, making an affordable website design is realistic and can be done. Having an affordable website design is done all the time, but it needs help from both the client and the website designer to make sure it is done properly. Help the web designer by gathering around items that are needed in the project. Also, it’s always a good idea to keep the lines of communication open, and affordable web design is no exception. Keep these ideas in mind when you are involved in a website project and you will have no problem keeping your goal of having an affordable website design.

By now you should have heard that your business should be online. The internet has proven to be a vital part of many marketing campaigns. The internet allows businesses to capture information about customers that traditional marketing could never do. As with any introduction, it is best to show up looking good and being friendly (to the search engines).

The internet has seen dramatic growth in the past decade. More and more people are spending cash to see if they can use the internet to their advantage for their business. A recent statistic states that the number of people online in the US is close to 235 million, according to Internet World Stats, that’s over 70% of the population. Not a bad place to introduce your business to the world.

The information that can be gathered about your customers is another way that you can make yourself useful to them. When a user contacts you from the website via email, you are able to gather names, addresses and information that is relevant to the customer, such as a question about a product or service you offer. Then you can tailor your sales pitch according to their needs and give them what they are looking for.

Lastly, making your website search engine friendly and easy to navigate is a good practice. Being easy to work with is essential to growing your business. When you introduce yourself to new people, you try to look your best. A professional web design speaks volumes about how you value your company image.

When you decide to get your business online or redesign what you have, think about the people to whom you will be introducing your business. It’s always best to show up with a professional image.

1. Get in touch with us via phone or email

   The first step of the process is to get in touch with us when you have some time.

2. Set up an appointment

   We will set up an appointment with you to discuss your goals for your website in more detail.

3. Goals for the website

   Our staff will go over goals that are important for you and your website and discuss many options available including:

   • Budget constraints
   • A professional, custom, look and feel for your website
   • Custom website programming
   • Domain name registration
   • Hosting
   • Navigation on the website
   • Website structure
   • Email setup
   • Search engine optimization
4. Decide to move forward

   When all the necessary topics are covered, if it makes sense, both parties move forward and your professional website design will start to be built.

5. Start the project

   Midwest Web Design Inc will talk with you to figure out the look and feel of your professional web design and give you some samples of what your website
   will look like.

6. Get information from client

   After the look and feel is complete, the client will give us the necessary information (text, pictures, etc) for the website to be completed.

7. Wrap up the website project

   After all the pages are built and loose ends tied up, the project will be complete. It’s that simple.