Speed, simplicity and fresh content are key to successful web design

When consumers find themselves in need of a product or service, the first place they often turn is the internet. Whether they ask their friends through social networks, look through email marketing communications or browse search engines, the fact remains that companies need to have a presence on the internet in today’s increasingly digital world.

For many small businesses, designing an ecommerce website can be a difficult task – it involves time and money, and if it isn’t done correctly, it won’t result in much of a return on investment. Conversely, a well designed website can put even the smallest business in direct competition with larger corporations and enable entrepreneurs to transform their organization from a startup to an established company.

The Guardian recently offered entrepreneurs some advice when it comes to designing an internet website. Business owners should focus on simplicity and freshness, which will result in longer visits and more traffic.

“Ask yourself why you go back to sites that you like,” Paula Wynne, online entrepreneur and author of Create a Successful Website, told the source. “It is usually because it solves a problem or fulfills a need, it entertains you or is offering the advice and support you need.”

The need for speed

Web users have short attention spans – if they don’t find what they’re looking for immediately, they are just as likely to click the back button on their web browser as they are to keep looking on a website. One of the quickest ways businesses can turn consumers away is by operating a slow-loading website.

The source suggests that every website should load within 8 seconds of users clicking on it – even on slower 56K modems. Obviously, the faster is better, so entrepreneurs need to balance both form and function as they create their websites.

Another area that businesses need to focus on is navigation. While loading is important, consumers also need to be able to get around websites quickly. Each page should contain links to relevant areas of the website, while customers should be able to get to any specific page within four clicks of the homepage.

Simplicity over complexity

Simplicity has two benefits. First, simple websites are likely to load quicker as they often involve less bandwidth-intensive graphics. Secondly, a simple design is more intuitive for users of all experience levels. Whereas a young consumer may know how to navigate through Flash menus, older shoppers may get hung up on navigating a website with these features – a major barrier to converting them into sales.

“The best-looking sites are often clean and simple with a light, airy feel and a spacious layout,” Wynne suggests. “Avoid dark designs and overuse of flashy objects which get on people’s nerves and take longer to load.”

Fresh is best

Search engines play a huge role in boosting traffic to businesses’ websites. Fortunately, there is a way to help boost a company’s rankings – fresh content. Some search engine optimization experts believe that Google considers as many 50 pages from a website when determining search rankings, so there is a clear benefit to updating content constantly and having a high volume of unique content.

“The way to engage visitors, and keep them, is to have constant updates, which can include blogs, articles, news, feeds, podcasts or any other content pages,” says Wynne. “Google loves this too and keeps coming back to the site and indexing the new pages, increasing traffic.”

According to comScore, more than 17 billion searches are conducted every month by American consumers, and fresh content can help entrepreneurs reach this massive audience.

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