The WOW factor. That seems to be what everyone is interested in when they talk about their new website. How can it be visually stunning, sleek, jaw-dropping-awesome. How can they captivate viewers, move them from page to page because of the graphic dynamics of their site.

When businesses come to us with that mindset, we allow them to get some of that excitement out of their system. We gently nudge them toward the principle of having a solid architecture and transparent flow on the site. Since we’ve designed quite a few sites, we can help coach them through the process of understanding how people will find their way around.

While visuals and site navigation are a key components of web design, perhaps the perspective that is most often overlooked is that of their site presents… the gifts they offer, what they provide for free that adds to value for the visitor. It might seem that the intent and focus of the site is to convert a prospect into a customer, but the first step is actually to build trust. And what better way to build trust than to provide free, valuable content that people can readily use and share.

Certainly there’s nothing wrong with providing a contact form, or including some call to action so you can begin to engage them. But if you demonstrate ongoing value creation, by posting relevant, useful information on a frequent basis, they are more likely to return, and more likely to recommend to their colleagues that they visit you as well.

We all like presents. Why not give them to those you care about the most: existing and potential friends…

 

Image Credit Flickr