We’ve all been there, you’re looking at your competitor and thinking – “why can’t my site look like that”. Here’s the good news – it can. It’s called reverse engineering, it’s perfectly normal. We get approached about it every day. But is that the right attitude to have? Why not be inspired by your competitors and create something even better. That’s what a good web developer should tell you – we certainly do.




Here’s a quick how to guide and what you should expect to pay:





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Design, Design, Design


You guessed it, It’s all about the Design. Your clients should see your site and immediately understand what you do, how you help, with a simple and straightforward way to achieve the goal you’re site is setting to achieve. Whether that’s instant connection to a sales person, data gathering, lead qualification – your design should scream what your brand is and how you can help. If you’re not doing that – start there.





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Don’t overpay


The average website build is circa £10,000. We’ve built sites from £1000 or £25,000. The price tag is not a guarantee of quality, let’s get this straight. Equally, don’t think you can get it done cheap by outsourcing. It might help in the short term, but if that person disappears, you’re stuffed. Like any project, you should look at what goal your site is achieving, whether it’s 10 pages of fantastic luxury brochures or funky animations telling you what you can borrow on the back of a helicopter emoji. Focus on what you want, then see if your budget will allow for it.





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Think bigger


Your website should funnel into your CRM. Fact. If it doesn’t, you need to change your website or CRM – maybe both. Everything should flow, like a stream to a river. Most CRM’s cater for this now, but if they don’t, you’re website is probably the least of your problems.





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Keep it simple.


Have a clear, call to action which tells the client exactly what they are about to achieve. One, huge, central button, mobile and desktop optimised, so it looks and plays the part.





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Be 24/7


Your site should operate 24/7 – by that I mean you should be able to deliver useful solutions to clients while still achieving your primary goal, whether that’s connecting more leads with your sales team or filtering through them, time is not a barrier. It’s always the end of the working day somewhere.





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Compare


Shop around, get quotes, ask for teaser designs. Your site is your brand and the likelihood is you won’t change it for 2-3 years. It’s like updating your phone, do your research before you commit.