When you have lined up a development company to design your business website, it is tempting to look at your competitor’s site and tell your people to duplicate it. Although you may feel your competitor’s site is the best thing since sliced bread, the reality is that it could have flaws that you are unaware of. With this in mind, this post tries to pinpoint the right questions to ask when you evaluate the competition.
Do you know the site is working well for your competitor?
Unless you have solid insider knowledge about your competitor, you may not know how well the site is performing for the business. Although it looks pretty and you may admire the design it is possible that it is failing to attract clients and customers to the business. Good web designs encourage conversions, and goes beyond aesthetic beauty. Your competitor’s site could easily look the business, but breaks the rules of conversion and as such fails to do the business.
Is there anything you dislike about your competitor’s design?
This is a good question as it forces you to look objectively. It will also make you look at your competitor’s site with a customer/client eye, rather than as a business owner. If you see something that should be improved, make a note of it and give it to your designer. Explain why you don’t like it and why it isn’t suitable for your business.
Improving a Good Design
If you feel your competitor has a good website in place, try and see areas where it can be improved. This should be done with a customer/client eye. This will give you good insights into the site. It might be an idea to bring in people that have no connection with the business to evaluate it for you. Once you have seen areas that you want to improve, talk to your designer about it and explain why.
Is your Competitor’s Website good for your Customers and Clients?
It is essential and vital that your site is designed with your potential customer or client in mind. This will make or break your site and dictate how well your business expands. Try and be objective as possible and approach analysing it from the perspective of your customers and clients. Is the site
- Easy to navigate
- Easy to find important information and products
- Easy to follow instructions
- Easy to checkout (if applicable)
- Displaying information clearly
- Usable on your mobile
- Conveying feelings of trust and professionalism
The answer to these questions will help guide your own design. Always think about what your future customers want to see on the website, and not how you, as a business owners like things to be done. At the end of the day, your customers are the ones that need to be attracted to your website, and not yourself. It’s not that easy to think so objectively, so in some cases, if you have a group of trusted customers
Trust in your Designer and Instinct
The best websites are a fusion of designer know-how and ability and a business owner’s knowledge and insight about their business. It is not uncommon for a business owner to be unsure about design elements a designer puts forward, only for them to be surprised when customers and clients start complementing the business owners for their great website.
If you want to improve or have a new business in mind and need a website, talk to us and we can help you establish an online presence for your business. Click here today and start competing with the competition.