If you own or manage a small to medium-sized business, you spend all day, every day, sitting inside it and looking outwards. It’s very easy for all the decisions you make regarding your website design, marketing, SEO activities and the like to be taken from this viewpoint.
As a graphic and website design and development company, we know how difficult a concept it can be to turn this idea on its head. This is one reason that employing ‘outside eyes’ is often of vital importance to any business.
When you look at your company, you do so with all the insider knowledge you have accumulated, both about the business itself and the products or services you supply. Now, imagine this wasn’t true, and you were about to encounter your business for the very first time. At the same time, let’s assume that you are not an expert in the areas you work in – a position many of your customers may also occupy.
When you now examine your web content, consider if there are any specialist terms there – ones that some of your potential customers simply might not understand. Assess whether any of the content is written with an assumption of knowledge or facts that an outsider may lack. Try to work out if any information is missing, simply because, as an insider, you know it and take this knowledge for granted.
Consider, also, how easily a visitor might find their way around your website. If you worked in a department store, and all the signage was suddenly removed, you’d still have no difficulty navigating your way round the building. A first-time visitor would probably leave with a confused look on their face! The same is true online.
There’s an old saying: “to walk in someone else’s shoes first take off your own”. This is difficult – to suddenly discard much of what you know and try to gain a completely different perspective. This is just one reason that many businesses use a web design company to deliver truly effective results.
If you feel this could help your business, please call us on 01423 900590 for a no-obligation conversation.
