7 steps to great website design

SECRETS OF GREAT WEBSITE DESIGN

By VIKTOR KIS

ACCOUNT MANAGER at SPARK MARKETING

CONTENTS1. The 7 phases of web design2. Strategize: Benchmark, Define, Set goals3. Plan: The single most important step4. Design + Build: Elements of a great website5. Optimize: SEO, meta, sitemaps and other oddities6. Analyze and improve

ABOUT SPARK MARKETING

Spark is an online marketing agency located in Toronto, Ontario and Austin, Texas.

We generate leads for small-medium businesses by leveraging Web Design, Social Media, Search Engine Optimization and Paid Advertising.

Strategize. Plan. Design. Build. Optimize. Launch. Analyze.

7 steps to a great website:

STRATEGIZE.“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax” - Abraham Lincoln

WHAT DOES A WEBSITE DO?1. Provides easily accessible information2. Addresses patient pain points3. Creates trust and captivates your audience4. Stimulates emotional connection with your brand5. Generates leads 6. Helps office workflow7. ...and much more


QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF1. What do I currently like and dislike about my website? 2. What is missing from the current website? 3. What's the first impression I want to give my target audience? 4. Where is my current website failing at fulfilling its’ purpose?5. Will this be a whole new website?6. Do I have a logo to use? Does it need an update?7. Will the domain name change at all?8. What platform do I want my new website to be on?9. What is a realistic timeline for this redesign?

10. What is our budget for this project?


BENCHMARK + DEFINE1. Website performance

Number of visits / month, top keywords, leads, sales generated etc.

2. Determine Your GoalsWhy are you doing the redesign? Mobile-friendly? New image? More leads?

3. Define Your BrandWhat is your USP? Is this changing or staying the same?

4. Define Your AudienceDo you currently have a clearly defined target audience? Branding, content aligns with this?

5. Analyze the CompetitionAre there competitor sites that you really like? If so, which ones?


Content is (almost) everything.


WHAT DOES CONTENT DO?It makes you look:

1. Knowledgeable2. Trustworthy3. Professional4. Interesting5. Easy to understand6. Creates emotional connection


WEBSITE ELEMENTS TO PLAN1. Copy2. Sitemap (include blog)3. Photography4. Videos5. Graphic elements (logos, illustrations, social media icons etc.)6. Testimonials7. Trust symbols8. Downloadables (whitepapers, patient forms, brochures etc.)9. E-mail newsletter

10. Links (social platforms, resources etc.)11. Additional features: Event Calendar, E-Commerce


GOOD WEBSITE COPY...1. Addresses specific pain points2. To-the-point, engaging, has personality3. Is scannable, easy to digest4. 800 words / page for important pages5. Contains your keywords6. Written for users not search engines


TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


SITEMAP1. Easy to navigate2. Logical3. Includes all important services4. Creates a sales funnel5. Matches the user’s mental model

and expectations


TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOS

One word: professional.

TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


http://www.marshalldentalclinic.com/

YOUR VIDEOS1. Should be between 30 seconds - 2 minutes2. Main introductory video about practice, doctor, USP etc.3. 4-5 short videos on most important services4. Include Dr. her/himself, staff members5. Make it personable6. Integrate it within copy7. To-the-point8. Not from 1993


GRAPHIC ELEMENTS


TESTIMONIALS1. Use names, photos2. Integrate them with all pages3. Encourage users to leave reviews4. Use a timestamp5. STAND OUT!6. Sites to focus on: Google Plus, RateMDs, Yelp, Facebook7. Testimonials management


TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


(bottom example: www.raventools.com)

INTEGRATE YOUR TESTIMONIALS


TRUST SYMBOLS


DOWNLOADABLES - GAIN MORE LEADS1. Boring Essentials: patient forms, brochures2. Exciting Additions: whitepapers, podcasts, videos3. Address patient questions!4. Think “longer blog post”5. Professionally designed


TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


hubspot.com

EMAIL NEWSLETTERS, EBLASTS1. Still very strong in generating leads2. Helps with longer sales funnels3. Great vehicle of promotional messaging4. Establishes credibility


TO BE IMPROVED GOOD


toronto.com

DESIGN + BUILD

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN● Responds to the size of the device● Able to resize and change accordingly● Difference between mobile site and responsive design

○ Responsive better for Search Engine Optimization○ Updates to a responsive site reflect on mobile as well○ New devices mean a challenge to mobile sites + apps

● Importance of easy navigation on mobile● How do I know if a site is responsive?


ELEMENTS OF A GREAT WEBSITE1. Header:

a. Clear navigationb. Contact Infoc. Social Icons

2. Hero area3. Call-To-Actions4. Simple forms - Home page, Sidebar, Contact page5. Testimonials6. Privacy: Privacy Policy, HTTPS - Secure connection7. Optimized landing pages


A few examples


OPTIMIZE

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

“The process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.”

Source: Google


SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION


WHAT DO I NEED TO OPTIMIZE?1. Sitemap2. Meta Titles3. Meta Descriptions4. Image Alt tags5. Rich snippets6. Schema markup7. Website speed8. Usability9. Google Authorship - not anymore


DON’T OVERDO SEO.

LAUNCH.

LAUNCH

BEFORE LAUNCH1. The website looks correct in all targeted Web browsers2. The design works seamlessly through desktop and mobile devices3. Contact and other forms work4. Internal and external links work5. Images are sized properly6. All placeholder content has been replaced by the final copy


ANALYZE

BAD NEWS!Web Design never stops.

IMPROVE WITH WEB ANALYTICS1. Where do visitors come from? (search engines, paid ads, social media etc.)2. Where do visitors live? 3. What pages are the most popular?4. Do they visit pages you want them to visit?5. Where do visitors exit the site?6. How much time do they spend on important pages?7. If they are coming from an advertising campaign, do they become leads? 8. What are the obstacles users experience on the site?


TEST, TEST, TEST1. What works best - promotions, price discounts, loyalty programs etc.2. Colors, sizes, headlines, slogans3. The list never ends!


WHAT CAN I DO TODAY TO MAKE MY WEBSITE BETTER?

5 THINGS YOU CAN GET STARTED TODAY1. Check if your website is mobile friendly2. See if you have Google Analytics installed and start using it3. Have a family member use your website and give feedback4. Update your website with the latest services and promotions5. Check if it is easy to contact you - phone, email, forms

If your Mom can use the site, everybody can.

THANK YOU!Hope that gave you some helpful insights.We are happy to answer any questions you may have about web design or any other details about online marketing.

Viktor [email protected]

416-849-8971

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

7 steps to great website design

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