So you’ve got your website set up. Congrats! However, this is just the first step.
That’s because as a business owner, you’re up against 28 million other small businesses in the U.S. This means that it’s your job to do whatever you can to stand out from the crowd.
One of the best ways to make this happen is by having a super professional website. However, this can be easier said than done.
For that reason, we’ve put together this blog post with 7 tips on how to make a website look professional. Check them out below!
1. Keep Your Home Page Simple
The homepage is often the first page people see when they come to your website. Since it’s an introduction to your company, it’s easy to want to include tons of information.
But this is a mistake!
Instead, keep your homepage minimalistic. People scan home pages to find what they’re looking for. They don’t want to read large paragraphs of text.
It’s also a good idea to use images and icons to convey your messages. These often do a much a better job at portraying a feeling or emotion about your brand than text alone.
Of course, your website should also be functional by getting people to engage with other pages on your site. To do this, include call to action buttons with clear bits of text that entice people to visit your other pages.
2. Speed Things Up
Next, to make your site more professional, make sure it runs quickly. When a site is slow, it does two things to your visitors.
First, it annoys them. In today’s digital world, people are used to websites that load quickly.
Second, if it’s bad enough, it makes them want to leave. So the simple fact of your site running slowly can lose you traffic.
And when you lose traffic, you’re losing out on potential conversions and customers.
So to avoid this, speed things up! There are lots of companies who can help you with this. Click here to learn more about one of the best.
3. How to Make a Website Look Professional: Work on Your Fonts
It’s also important to think about your fonts. The fonts you choose form a big a part of your brand’s visual identity.
For example, using a super common font like Times New Roman says that your business is run of the mill and not unique. It can also portray that you don’t care enough about your website to pick a more unique font, which can tell people that you won’t take care of their needs either.
When choosing fonts, also make sure that they are readable. Using a cursive font that’s super beautiful can be appealing, but often these are tough to decipher.
Also don’t overdo it with too many fonts. You should only have two or three font families on your entire site.
4. Make It Easy to Navigate
When you buy a new electronic device, like a new computer or phone, these often come with a user’s manual. The point of this is to help you know how to use it and so you can find your way around the new device.
The same principle applies to your website’s navigation. You should make sure your site navigation is clear so that people can easily make their way around.
To do this, make sure your menu makes sense. And don’t make it too long. At most, it should have 8 or 10 different tabs.
If you have more pages than this, put them in drop-down menus that appear as you scroll to the different tabs.
That way, things are organized and easy to navigate. Also be sure to keep the menu the same on every page so that people don’t get lost.
Another good idea is to link your website logo in the top left-hand corner to your home page. This is standard throughout the internet and people are used to this functionality.
5. Responsiveness is a Must
It’s 2018 and more people surf the web on their phones than on desktop computers. This means that if your site performs poorly on phones and tablets, you are going to lose business. It’s that simple!
However, for many business owners, it’s out of the question to hardcode a different website for every screen size.
That’s where a responsive builder comes in handy. When you use a responsive builder, your site will automatically resize to fit every single screen size.
In other words, you only have to build one site and the rest is taken care of for you!
6. Avoid Generic Stock Photos
Most small businesses don’t have a professional photographer on staff. And many times, it’s not in the budget to hire one to take photos for your website.
However, one of biggest qualities of an unprofessional website is generic stock photography.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t use stock photography at all. This is a great option for many companies.
However, there are lots of stock photos that are simply bad. They’re cheesy, over-posed, or over-used.
The key here is to look for stock photos that don’t look like stock photos. This is your best chance for success when it comes to using stock photography. And it can be done if you’re patient and dedicated!
7. Feature Social Proof
Any company can talk about themselves all day long. But the most professional sites also include what other people say about them on their websites.
This is called social proof and it’s highly effective. This often comes in the form of reviews. Reach out to some of your most satisfied customers and ask them to write a short review about your business.
Including this information throughout your website will give your website a more professional touch.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it: 7 thoughts on how to make a website look professional. Pick the ones that will work best for your business and start using them today! In no time, you’ll start seeing results.
Have questions or want to learn more? Check out our other life hacks.