How A Custom-Designed Website Instantly Rockets Your Company to The Top
When it comes to your brand, looks matter. Just like a well-groomed job candidate stands out from one who looks like they woke up 30 minutes before the interview, a great web design sets you apart from the competition — and can mean the difference between success and failure. Your site is your digital storefront, and it deserves as much care and attention as its physical counterpart.
In this post, we’ll dive into the importance of brilliant web design in propelling your business to victory, as well as debate the pros and cons of web templates and custom-designed websites.
Your Website Matters
A good custom-designed website helps you succeed. For businesses with a large digital presence, this might be common sense: your site is where you define your brand’s mission, display past work, and provide avenues for new business to contact you. But more importantly, the site serves as a reflection of you. Even if you operate from a physical storefront, customers will inevitably turn to the internet to learn about your brand and see what you have to offer. If your site looks clean and professional, chances are they’ll want to pay you an in-person visit too.
But if you’re still wondering whether creating a stand-out custom-designed website is worth the time and cost, here’s your nudge to get started:
Your site creates a lasting impression.
No matter where your products or services are located, today’s customers look to the internet before choosing to interact with brands. This means your website will be their first impression of your business, and they’ll assume you’ll treat their issues with the same amount of effort you put into your site. If your site is sleek, interesting, and easy to navigate, they’ll assume your brand operates in a similar manner. On the other hand, if your site is sloppy and outdated, your brand will seem lazy and careless. It doesn’t matter if this is actually the case: what your visitors see will stick with them. And, like our parents tell us, it’s hard to recover from a bad first impression.
It streamlines communication.
If your customers don’t know how to reach you, they’ll take their business elsewhere, plain and simple. In addition to making your company visible on the web, your custom-designed website is a way to make contact information easy to find. Here, you can clearly list company emails and phone numbers, or include an in-site inquiry form for potential clients to fill out. Not only does this streamline communication: it ensures you’ll never miss another easy opportunity.
It’s an extension of your brand.
Your site isn’t just another marketing channel: it’s an outgrowth of your brand, a digital storefront. Treat it as such. As we said above, visitors will assume the site is a reflection of the company, so all design elements, content, and layout should serve to reflect your brand’s identity. Your site can also function as your brand’s playground, giving you a platform to hone your voice and push your creative expression to new heights. In short, this is your chance to stand out.
Custom vs. Template
Now that you’re on board with creating a knock-out custom-designed website, it’s time to address an important question: should you go with a custom or template design? Before choosing, you should consider what you’re trying to achieve with your website, and weigh the pros and cons of custom vs. templated sites. Here’s what you need to know:
Templates are simple and quick.
We could laud the benefits of custom sites all day, but there’s no denying templates are cheaper, faster, and easier to use. Most web-hosting platforms come with an assortment of free website templates, and although these packages are rarely as original or artistic as custom designs, they certainly get the job done. This is especially important if you need to get your site off the ground in a matter of days, or if currently lack the budget necessary for a decent custom site. But, as is often the case, easy isn’t necessarily better.Custom designs express your brand identity.
While using a template can be a good starting point for your site, everyone who uses your web hosting platform has access to these packages. And, if a customer were to notice — heaven forbid – that your site looks suspiciously similar to another brand’s, they might assume your company lacks some key imagination. Or, at worst, the bland design might cause them to forget your site entirely. When your site is custom made, you can ensure the design is specifically tailored to your brand’s personality, creating a voice and look that’s immediately recognizable to clients.
Web design is a creative extension of your brand.
Your custom-designed website is your chance to show off your creative chops. It’s not enough to merely tell clients that you’re innovative— show them through your imaginative scroll animations, the layout of your portfolio, even background illustrations. With custom sites, the sky’s the limit with what you can make, so make sure it’s a space people will actually enjoy visiting.
Custom sites are adaptable.
When your site is custom made, it’s built from the ground up, making it easier for designers to create displays optimized for different devices. After all, this is the age of smartphones and tablets: potential clients could be viewing your business from anywhere, and it’s important that they’re getting the information they need in a visually appealing form. Often, standardized templates are made for desktop-view only, causing site content to become distorted or scrambled when displayed on other devices. You can avoid this issue by making mobile display a priority when building out your design from scratch.You get ongoing web support.
A nice bonus feature of a custom-designed website is having access to continued web support from your designers. Whether you need to add new content, update your display options, or fix a bug, your web team will be ready to swoop in and make the fix.
Blackhawk’s Web Design Services
Our design team will work with you to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional design for your website. From name, logo, corporate ID, packaging design and copy, we do it all. We utilize the latest technology to create inspiring and thoughtful designs for your brand over time. With all this in mind, contact Blackhawk and let’s make a site worth remembering!
