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Designing a website is unlike anything else you’ll ever do for your business. It involves the right mix of creativity and strategy, and it may take a few tries to get it just right.

Whether you’ve done this before or this is your first time, make sure you follow these key guidelines when designing a website that informs, entertains and (ultimately) sells to your ideal customers.

Fine-Tune Your Brand

Branding is about more than just your logo. From the fonts and colors you use, to the style and tone of your content, every aspect of how you communicate with your customers and define “who” your company all adds to the foundation of your core brand messaging.

But why is branding important before designing your website? The short answer: to convert your visitors into buyers. These days, shoppers of all kinds (for any service or product) want to purchase from and work with companies who align with their core values and/or lifestyle.

By fine-tuning your brand before designing your website, you’ll have better odds of reaching your target audience, engaging with them on a higher level, and turning them into loyal customers who will tell others they know about your company.

Know the Industry Standards

Have you taken a look at what other companies in your industry or niche are doing with their website and online presence? Although you should never make an exact copy of another website’s content or design, “borrowing” ideas and website structure can be really helpful.

For example, if all other companies in your field have an FAQ page that answers important questions consumers need help with, maybe it might be a good idea to have one of your own (with your own questions and answers, of course).

Or if there is a certain way of organizing content in the menu that seems popular, you may want to imitate that same site map so that users who are shopping around will have an easy time finding the same type of information on your own website.

Find Web Design Inspirations

Next, you’ll want to have an idea of what you like — and not only what you like about websites in your own industry. Start looking around at other website designs to see what appeals to you. Then apply what you’ve compiled about your brand and your field to design elements you want to use.

Write (and Proofread!) Your Web Content

Marketers don’t say “content is king” for no reason. Whether you write the website content yourself, or you hire a stellar web copywriter to help you, on-page text will allow visitors to learn about you, understand your services or products, and have a better sense of whether or not they’d like to purchase from you.

Content is also one of the first steps in getting you to rank highly on search engines. Make sure you have enough content on each page (at least a few paragraphs is a good start!) and that you proofread and edit as necessary before publishing.

Ask for Feedback and Suggestions

When you have a first completed draft of your website, ask your friends, colleagues, other entrepreneurs, etc. for advice and input. See what questions they have or where they may have trouble navigating for more information. You might be surprised to get some constructive criticism, but even if you don’t take all pieces of advice, be open to new ideas so that the website is the best it can be before you launch it across all of your marketing efforts!

Start Designing Your Website Today!

liveBooks offers mobile-responsive, customizable website templates for creative professionals and businesses worldwide.

The best part? Our website designs are ready for search engines and look great on any mobile device!

We’ve also got a top-notch support team who’s here to help you every step of the way. Start for free here.