As with everything, web design requires balance. Overemphasizing aesthetics will give you a cool trendy site which does nothing while underemphasizing it will kill your credibility. For those of us who work with numbers and results, there are some common mistakes made when it comes to dealing with those artsy “Web Designers” down the hall.

1. Allow your research to influence your web design.

Part of the problem between analysts and designers is the lack of coordination. Once you have your marketing plan set up with your data and goals, look at how people are browsing your site. You’ll probably find that the majority of your users will not visit more than 3 or 4 pages of your site. Which means your conversion architecture has to capture prospects in 3 clicks or less.
This is where your designers excel and will make your job much easier. Let them know what your numbers are telling you and tell them where you want your viewers to go. If they are any good, they will know how to entice viewers to the specific pages that you want them to read. In web design, the “short cut” has to be the “scenic route.”

2. Use your own ads in your web design.

People often complain about ads on the Internet, yet they never go away. Why? Because they work! Notice, however, that no one complains about the ads in Vogue magazine (which make up at least half of each issue). It key is integration. The ads in Vogue are part of the culture of that magazine, they are like articles of their own, explaining visually what is going on in couture culture right now. Allow your designers to create ads like this, and then put them on your own site. Let ads be part of your company’s culture and let them drive traffic where you want it to go. A great ad will always preform better than a link in your navigation bar.

3. Design your site for content.

Web designers have a hard job when it comes to content. Often, they are required to present a design, without any clue about what the site needs to say. Beautiful designs are created and filled with iconic “Lorem Ipsum” paragraphs. But, when the content comes, the design looses much of it’s value, because it doesn’t fit the necessary information. Whenever possible, know what you want before you hand the project to your designer. I promise, your web designers will love you forever if you can just tell them the goal before they begin. When that is not possible, be ready for the site to evolve. It will take time to slowly make content and web design work harmoniously.

For more information about web design and analytics or would like to talk with an excellent team of web designers in Greenville, SC, contact WSI Webworks.