We are having a brochure website built- what are some of the more important design elements that should be included?

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Introduction

You’ve decided that your website needs a mark-over, to look more modern, to reflect what your company here in Cardiff has expanded into.
And you know from running a business for quite a while, or looking to set-up a new company, that you do get what you pay for. Meaning, that often for a lot of businesses, the main way that they advertise the business is online, so their website is critical to the success in many ways to the business.

So, they don’t just want a cheap, bosh, its done type website, no quality is needed. When talking about quality, its important to remember this, when it comes to really good web design, there are so many factors to consider, its not just about what the main picture on the homepage looks like, every single detail needs to be considered, needs to be carefully thought out, that’s why we say whichever web design agency you hire, whether they are in Cardiff, or another city, just make sure you invest in quality, as your website is often one of your most important ways to market your business.

So, our best advice is this, only invest in quality, don’t pick an agency just because of some special offer, cheap deal or the fact they can put the site together in record time, instead invest in quality, a quality site, built by experienced web developers.

So, there are a million and one things to consider when getting a new website designed, but to provide some food for thought, we thought we would mention a few things that we think are important, but do remember there are many more to consider as well…

Fast

So, let’s say your into running, you love nothing more than finishing work, and going for a good jog, its just well, your current daps, well there looking a bit tired, so on the way home from work, your looking to get a pair of trainers, yet one website, well, its so bloated, its so over designed, that its slow, so what happens?

Well, you’re likely to leave for a company website that better designed, that’s fast, where the web designers have thought not just about a fancy design, but also making it fast, so that the customer finds it easier to purchase items, so the point we are trying to make is, whichever web developers you hire, don’t just go off the website looking good, is it fast? Is it easy to buy items? Is the mobile version of the site well-designed?

Are there are coding issues at all? Such as the PHP code working is such a way where the drop-down menu, doesn’t stay down? If so, this needs to be fixed.

Contact forms

Does the website have enough contact forms coded into the company’s website, so for example, let’s say you’re a lawyer, why have just one contact form on the “contact us” page, why not have say your WordPress website designers, to code a contact form on every single main service page, this is so, for example, let’s say you’re a property lawyer, when they click on the page to do with “property disputes” there’s a contact form, so when the customer writes a message, this is sent directly to the right lawyer? Instead of all the messages going through the same contact us page.

Easy to use

Is the company website easy to use? So, for example, lets say you sell coffee online, is it easy to change the order, remove items from the basket? Is it easy to pay? What’s the mobile version of the site like, is it easy to use?

Has your web design agency created brand guidelines?

Does your web developer, or your chosen web design agency, here in Wales, do they know which hex codes to use? Do they have a company logo to add to the site? Do they know which font to use? Sometimes “brand guidelines” need to be created, so that, the web designers know how to design the site, and so all of the businesses marketing is consistent, for example, the same logo and font is used on company letters, as it is the company’s website.

Mobile ready and a responsive design?

Will the website design be responsive? Will you have a mobile version of the site built?

A CMS that is easy to use, or that the web designers can offer training?

So let’s say that you run a business that sells wood-burning stoves, yet the stoves that you stock, those companies that make the stoves, they regularly have new products, so you want a CMS, that you can add blog posts too, so, what you have to ask is, is the CMS easy to use? Is it easy to add blog posts too?

Offers as much useful advice as possible

Is the website useful for your customers, or are left with unanswered questions, if your company website doesn’t answer frequently asked questions, then the bounce rate is likely to be high.

Easy to update?

Is the companies website easy to update?

Are the plugins easy to update?

Are the plugins easy to update?

Can you change the NAP information yourself?

Is it easy to change the NAP information, for example your companies phone number is the footer of the website, if your company phone number changes?