Nashville Web Design

Successful web design requires careful planning, so at Horton Group we collaborate closely with our clients throughout the web design process. We believe that websites should be designed for users, and that search engine optimization (SEO) should be part of any web design project.

Horton Group wants to push your business in front of the competition with great web design. Horton Group’s web design philosophy is based upon these development pillars:

• A strong content plan that targets users and search engines
• Commonsense Information Architecture, search engine friendly
• Consistent, best practice usability and accessibility
• Clean, modern design

The Best Web Design

Here are some web design strategies to create a welcoming experience for potential customers visiting your website ...

Beat the Competition: How to Design an Effective Business Website

As most business owners know, the manner in which you deliver information to potential customers is important when it comes to achieving success. In today’s society, the majority of information is delivered to consumers via the internet. It is important that your business has great web design, you new a well-designed website that can leave visitors with the most important information about your business, from sales and promotions to testimonials. Whether you are creating the simplest of brochure websites or an impressive Flash website, keep the following website design strategies in mind while doing it.

Don’t Be Intimidated by Larger Websites

It is common for business owners to be intimidated by all of the impressive web design on the internet, especially if the web design is on the website of a direct competitors. It doesn’t take a huge budget, to have Horton Group develop a website for your business that will be equally impressive. Horton Group's web designers will collaborate with you to create a great business website, with some extra character to help you stand out in a crowd.

First Impression is a Lasting Impression

One of the founders of SEOmoz, a website devoted to helping people build effective websites, said, "The quality of your website is often a measure of the quality of your business." The goal is to create a website that shows the credibility and industry expertise of your business. In other words, don’t create a modern themed web design if your business prides itself on its 100 year history. This type of business would call for a more traditional web design.

Use Your Web Design to Brand Your Business

Any marketing expert will say that the most important element of a business website is the “branding” of it. You want your logo to be “branded” into each visitor’s mind, making it the only thing that comes to mind in regard to the specific product or industry. Creating your website’s brand can be effectively done by using a logo and tag line, or slogan. This logo needs to be visible on each page at least one time.

There are a few rules when it comes to a business website’s logo:

1. Place it in the upper left region of the website
2. It should contain your business’s name
3. The business’s phone number should be close to the logo

Your web design should not only include your logo design, but should be built around it.

Show Off Your Finest Assets: Your People

A business is only as good as its founders, owners or employees. Be sure that your web design includes space to give appropriate credit to those who deserve it. You can dedicate a portion of a page to each person or a whole page. Be sure to discuss what each person contributes to the success and services of the business. Visitors see a website as more credible and trustworthy when they can put a face or faces with it.

Let Your Customers Do the Talking

Most businesses have experienced happy customers, or they would have gone out of business by now. Let those who love your services sing your praises for you. Testimonials are one of the most effective ways to convince potential customers to choose your product or service. Dedicate a section of your new web design to short testimonials provided by past or current customers. Include a picture or logo associated with each customer and a few details about them. The goal is to make the testimonial feel as real and sincere as possible.

Slow to Graphics

Some business owners hate to write and therefore choose to fill their website design with images and videos. While images and videos are nice additions to a web design, there is nothing more valuable than quality text content. Pictures are great for a page that shows examples of work or products, but be sure that they are not congesting the website. Websites with numerous images and videos also take a lot longer to load, which may cause your visitors to become impatient and leave. Slow loading websites are bad practice for search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Web Design for Usability

One of biggest nuances in regard to web design is the website with  poorly designed navigation system. Also be sure that the buttons and navigation menus within your website will direct visitors to the appropriate pages. Visitors will surely question your website’s credibility if your “About Us” button directs them first to the contact form. A confusing navigation system can easily be avoided through proper web design planning and by testing every button and link before the website is launched live.