Business Website Layouts; A Professional's Eye

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)
Let's be honest here.

The many Judgy McJudgersons of the world are going to judge your website the second they open it.

If they find it to be professional, compelling, and easy to work with, they will continue to use it, and maybe even buy something from you. If they deem it unprofessional, find themselves bored, or have trouble using it, they will move on.

How can you be sure to appease these fastidious web users? Having the right layout can be just the ticket.

Making Layout Work for You

The way your website is set up determines a lot about what your users will get out of it. Here are a couple things to watch out for when it comes to layout.

1. Calls to Action. First and foremost, you need calls to action, and they need to be in the right places. (If you're not sure, “calls to action” are words that encourage a visitor to do what you want them to do.) So where do these C to As belong on your page? One great solution is to put calls to action right next to pain statements – statements that point out to your visitors that they have needs that you can meet or problems that you can solve.
2. Clear Path to a Solution. If a web user has found your page, it's probably because he has a problem that he needs someone to solve. Therefore, your layout needs to emphasize copy that shows what problems your business does solve. People don't want to spend a lot of time determining if they are in the right place...so make sure they know they are by prominently displaying your list of services.
3. Professional Color Scheme. The way your site is laid out has to be aesthetically pleasing. Just as you'd want to wear matching clothes when you meet with a client, you want the elements of your website to look good together too. Make sure colors match and that you don't use too many.

 

Each individual website has different goals, so your web designer can tweak other elements of your layout to help you meet your clients' needs. But using layout to play up your calls to action and services and make your website easy on the eyes will give any business website an advantage – even with the McJudgersons out there.