Web Design Misconceptions

While a company may know they need a website and a team of web design professionals to create that website, the experiences they’ve had may lead them to believe these common misconceptions about web designers/developers and the website creation process. Beyond Custom Websites can debunk these “myths” and show you why they aren’t true of our custom website design team and our process.

Some think that because they know someone who can use Photoshop and has heard of HTML but is not a professional web developer that web developers are “a dime a dozen”. Learning how to create professional web designs takes time, education, and experience and is not something that happens overnight. Professionals know why certain color schemes won’t work, what websites need to be search engine optimized, and how to create organized and simple navigation.

Another common misunderstanding is that web designers make very pretty designs, but they are not functional. Successful websites need to be both and professional web developers incorporate an attractive layout with site usability. They plan ahead and test features as they create a website and find out what awesome visual effects will work and what needs to be simplified in favor of functionality. There are people who tend to think web designers are not “progressive”, meaning they stick to one set of web development methods and do not change. Great web developers need to adapt and try new things often because the industry is constantly evolving and most can do so without hesitation.

Web designers often create a sample mock-up to show the client to give them an idea about the direction the layout is going so they can decide if they like it. They include written content and images in this sample to complete the look and sometimes people believe this content is final. In reality, text and images can be changed and edited at any time and the first set is only samples. Nothing is set in stone in the beginning stages. Finally, some people are under the impression that a mobile application and a mobile website are the same thing. Mobile apps are platform specific, usually have one specific function, and take up space on your device. Mobile websites are websites formatted for any mobile device so that customers can find businesses on the mobile web. Mobile websites are a crucial part of any online marketing package.

Beyond Custom Websites proves that all of these misconceptions are false. Our professional web design team is educated and experienced and will create a custom website that is sure to be successful. The designs we create are attractive and attention-getting, but also highly functional. Beyond Custom Websites keeps up with industry trends and new technology. We offer free updates and changes and only finalize our websites upon the client’s approval.  We understand the importance of a mobile website and offer it to every customer as part of their online marketing package. Contact us to find out more about how we can create a custom website that exceeds your expectations.

Goals Small Businesses Have for Their Website

When a small business decides to purchase a new website, they do so for several reasons: they need to update an existing site, they need to build their presence on the web, they want to modernize their business, etc. They also with their web developer come up with goals for their website—what benefits they hope to get for their company by building a custom website. What do most people expect or want to see from their website?

The two main goals for most business websites are to generate leads and make sales. This is true for product and service based companies. As for non-profits, they are still interested in generating leads because it is important for building relationships in the community and beyond. To reach these goals, a small business custom website needs the components that lead up to lead generation and increased sales.

The first thing a custom website should do is get the viewer or potential customer’s attention. Search engine optimization, strong content, and social media integration are great ways to do this. It doesn’t hurt to have a smooth, colorful logo and a slideshow of images that represent your business, either. Small businesses can monitor the success of these features through analytics and determine what is working well for the company.

Once your website has the viewer’s attention, you want to build their trust. Having easy-to-use navigation and an organized layout is an important first step. Then you want them to email you—after they contact you initially, they will be in your database for you to reach out to them in the future. Video demonstrations and testimonials from existing employees and customers will assure them that your business is the real deal. After trust is built, then a small business wants to get conversions. Landing pages on their custom website can do this and it’s best for each one to focus on one offer. Call to actions will direct people to you and that’s when you can ask for the sale.

Beyond Custom Websites knows what small businesses need from their website---it wouldn’t be a worthwhile investment for us or the client if we didn’t meet their needs. Through a team of experts in web development, graphic design, content writing, SEO, and entrepreneurial business expertise, we make sure your website generates more leads for your business and increases your bottom line sales. Beyond Custom Websites interacts with the customer in real time to get their feedback and approval at each step in the website creation process. Then we maintain an ongoing relationship with you so you can update and change your website at anytime for free! We are accountable to you and don’t nickel and dime our customers—instead, we offer a one-of-a-kind website for a clear-cut, reasonable cost that is sure to add to the success of your company’s marketing. Contact us today and find out how we can offer you a website that works.

FAQs: Why BCW’s Answers Will Be Sweet for the Client

When Beyond Custom Websites gains a new client, they are always excited about working with us to design their custom website. But as with anything else, there are usually questions they have about the process: the time frame, the cost, the input they will have, etc. Our customers don’t have to worry, however, because not only do we offer straightforward, knowledgeable answers; we like to think our answers to frequently asked questions are more of what they want to hear than other website design options.

Customers often ask how long it will take to design their website. The exact time frame varies depending on how soon they get back to us, how much content they can provide for us, and how many pages and features their site will have. The average time is four weeks. One thing is for sure: they won’t be waiting and waiting to hear back from us or wondering where we’re at with their site. We answer our phone and keep clients updated on how things are going, getting the client’s approval for each phase of creation.

Another common question: After my website is finished, what type of things do you continue to do? Beyond Custom Websites offers free updates, changes, and upgrades. If you need your menu or coupons updated, social media icons added, or your logo updated for example, we offer these changes for free. We offer technical support for any issue and entrepreneurial expertise. The relationship we have with our clients is ongoing because we want you to have a successful website for years to come.

How can a customer be sure that our web design techniques will get their website found in search engines? All of our sites are wired correctly (meaning our code is recognizable by Google, Bing, and other search engines) and come with professional search engine optimization. We include keywords that are relevant to your business, images that illustrate what your business does, and our quality control ensures you won’t get pushed down in search engine rankings because of broken links.

Clients sometimes wonder who has ownership of their website and how much input they will have on the design and content. Beyond Custom Websites’ small business customers own their domain name and can even make their own edits to their site with our self editing tool. We gain as much information as we can directly from the customer to put on the site and fill in the blanks as necessary. Nothing is final until the customer approves it. We make sure the customer owns and controls their presence on the web.

Beyond Custom Websites is unique because we can give the customer expert web developers, graphic designers, and content writers as well as search engine optimization and business development expertise for one cost, saving the business owner time and money. We are perfectionists at what we do and your site is not complete until it is exactly what you want. Contact us today and we can answer any other questions for you and get started on building a website that gets results.