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As website designers who build for businesses, we at 360 PSG make it our goal to not only create good designs for our clients, but also make sure it works for all their potential customers.

On the whole, all popular web browsers read and interpret HTML the same way, matching W3C compliance standards. But every browser, whether it’s Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer have their own quirks - certain design elements “break” if you don’t account for the ways different web browsers or operating systems function.

When you, as a business owner, are looking for a web designer, make sure they target these W3C Compliance standards - a good business website should work on any computer your potential clients will use. It’s good to remember that not all your clients are running the latest software - you might have the latest high-powered PC running on Windows Vista and 4 gigs of RAM, but the person looking to use your services might be running a Pentium 3 with Windows 98 and less than a quarter of the memory your computer has. Flashy design tricks that look good on your machine might simply not run on potential customer’s computers, or worse, crash them out.

With open-source web browsers like Opera or Firefox, there are many options for testing your website to make sure it works. For Internet Explorer, until recently, you basically had to have multiple computers using different versions of Internet Explorer to make sure your website works. There have been workarounds, but they tended to leave your computer unstable or might not work entirely accurately. We’ve found a new tool that allows you to test web designs across multiple versions of Internet Explorer, all on one computer. It’s called IETester, and though it’s not perfect, it’s the best solution we’ve found so far.

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This design has been around for a while, but one of our favorite local news blogs Buffalo Pundit has a clean, functional design we here at 360 PSG love. It’s open without being unprofessional, professional without being inaccessible. It’s easy to read, works across many platforms, and simply looks sharp.

The neat thing about the design for Buffalo Pundit is that the design (and logo) doesn’t overshadow the content - the (admittedly great) content of the site stands on its own. That’s an idea that works well for news sites, but is an underrated design approach for business sites. Communicating information clearly is imperative to driving web business, and a clear design is at least one step to achieving that goal.

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As a small business owner, you have your hand in every detail of your business. You run payroll, you manage staff, keep track of inventory, in charge of ordering, chief of sales and direct your marketing. So it’s only natural that you want to be involved in every aspect of your company’s website.

As web designers, we want that - hands-on and involved clients are good website design clients. But sometimes a good client can make bad decisions.

Let’s say your web designer sent you the first mock-up of your website. It’s sharp, but not too flashy. It’s got a lot of information, but not cluttered. It’s color scheme even matches the precise hue of blue you use on the walls of your store.

But there are some things you need changed. You need another menu tab for a new product line you’ve just acquired. You’d like another picture of the inside of your store. And, by golly, you want your LOGO BIGGER. How are people going to remember your logo if it’s an inch-by-inch in the top left corner?

Hold up there, kimosabe. Take a breath, relax. It’s one thing to get more information on your site, to add functionality, but if you’re paying a professional web designer to build an effective website for your business, it’s worth it to heed some of their advice.

We can say with a fair degree of certainty that no web designer will say no to stuff like an extra menu item, additional pictures or more content pages. Information that is necessary to your business or functions you want from your site can always be worked in. What irks any web designer is when a client tries to overstep into design.

Now that doesn’t mean designers want unquestioning clients - matters of taste, such as color scheme, image choice or layout (to an extent) are perfectly legitimate critiques. Even a wholesale “I don’t like it at all - do something different” can be dealt with. Clients who ask questions are smart clients, ones that make it easier to deliver something both can be satisfied with.

But stuff like “Make a bigger logo” or “Make the text as big as possible” or “Can you add some flashing lights? Oh! How about a siren!” not only oversteps the boundary, it will hurt your website and web business too.

Professional web designers draw on both client needs and their own experience of what works in websites. They know (or should know) how people use websites. They know what works - that too much animation makes a site difficult to use, that a certain size of text is easier to read on the average computer screen, that if they make your logo bigger, it’ll blot out the sun.

Remember, your web designer wants your website to be successful too - it’s just as much a reflection on them as it is on you. Trust that they have your best interests in mind. It will make for a better website for the both of you.

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We’ve got some exciting times here at 360 PSG - namely the launch of a bunch of new websites for some of our clients. Here are some of the highlights:

Grow! Inc.

Grow! Inc. is a Virginia-based small business consulting firm that already had a website, but wanted something a bit more enticing to both clients and potential prospects. So we built a brand new website design for them, complete with the web content control of the Fission Content Management System. We also had our copy department build original web content for the site, including full search engine optimization. We’re pretty pleased with the design, and let us know how you think it worked.

KaLu Salon & Spa

KaLu Salon & Spa came to us needing a completely new website from the ground up. So we set them up with the content control of our Fission CMS and came up with a complete website design for them. One of the CMS features KaLu staff has used the most has been the graphical calendar feature of the website. With it they’re able to advertise their regular “special” nights, like teen parties and their Martini Nights. We’re proud of the look of the design, with the rich hues and calming design, exactly in line with the way a spa should look.

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Problem 3: Too much stuff, Part Two

One thing people often forget with their websites is that they have room to spread out. A website can theoretically have unlimited numbers of pages - in business that translates to a page for every product, service or idea a business might have. So with so much sprawl space, why do so many companies insist on cramming as much stuff as possible on one page?

Yes, studies show the average web user skims one to three pages of a website before they move on, meaning you’ve got to catch their attention quick. But filling a screen with scattershot information is just white noise - your reader doesn’t want to filter through that much information.

The best strategy is to prioritize your information. Highlight the most unique, most interesting or most useful ideas, features or products on a page, and through intuitive navigation, your users will follow up on them. If you have a catalog of hundreds of items, like Amazon, organize items by category, or include a search function on your site so users can find what they want easily.

An added benefit of targeting featured products or services - it allows you to show off your company’s best features, presenting your company in its best light.

Problem 4: The Professional Look

The early promise of web business was that anyone has the potential to make it big. It’s supposed to be the great equalizer - the guy in the basement on his Dell could build a company to rival Microsoft. Today there still is that potential, however it takes more than a basic knowledge of HTML to build an effective website.

A carryover idea from the early days of the Internet is that all a business needs to get online is a tech guy who knows how to code. For a time, it was possible to pull that off. But as websites and web business has become more complex, it takes more than a basic knowledge of HTML and Microsoft Frontpage to build an effective, dynamic business website.

Web business is no longer an emerging, risky industry. It’s an established medium to reach customers - one of, if not the most cost effective ways to market your business. A good website is an expectation customers have of a business - it is almost as important as your brick-and-mortar shop. People get a feel for what kind of business you are, what type of business owner you are by the look of your website. Don’t mess around with your image by cutting corners: get help. It’s worth every penny.

A clear, well-designed website projects a professional image. Huron Sprinklers is a well-established, professional sprinkler system installer. They have a good reputation and good local business. However their website used to look like this. It looks like an inexperienced designer put this together in their spare time…all five minutes of it. In fact, that’s not far off from what happened - their original site was designed by a neighbor kid, basically working from the book HTML for Dummies.

The right thing to do is get help - for a business website, it’s the right thing to invest in a web development partner. There are three good reasons for this:

1. Web developers know what works. Web business has evolved enough to know what tricks work for web pages, and what doesn’t. Working within the industry, they also analyze where web trends are heading. It’s true your web developers will never know your business as well as you, but they’ll know how to present and market it best on the web. 1a)Web developers know what works…for EVERYBODY. This is, seriously, one of the most overlooked problems with homebrew websites - W3C compliance. In a nutshell, that means your website looks the same for every visitor, regardless of whether they use a Mac, a PC, Windows, Internet Explorer, Firefox, whatever. Developers test designs for all these things, making sure your business reaches everyone.
2. Web developers save you money: If you don’t have the skills and tools immediately available to you, building your website takes time and money you don’t want to take away from your normal business. In fact, the time commitment might be why you might not have a website yet. Look for a web developer that can take the sting out of that investment - someone who makes it easy. Some one like (PLUG ALERT!) 360 PSG. Here’s why - companies like us handle EVERYTHING for the web - hosting, design, content, programming, e-commerce. We have it all in one place, working together. It’s solutions like ours that make the web that cost effective solution.

Problem 5: Can your host handle the party?

Let’s say your website is up, looks good, is very usable and is getting noticed on search engines. In fact, business is booming - you’re getting hundreds and now thousands of visitors a day. But one day, everything goes dark. What happened?Probably one of two things:

1. Your site got more traffic than your web host’s server could handle.
2. Your web server got hacked.

Not all web hosts are created equal - going for the cheapest option may constrict your business. A cheap host might not have the bandwidth for your growing web business, or charges a steep premium after that cheap hook. Or that web host might not be as secure as you need - particularly if you handle online payment transactions through your site.

Look for a web host that can grow with your business, and also one that has security options in place to protect your data. For example 360 PSG has its servers in a secure, Level 3 datacenter nearby our offices, with a powerful generator backup, climate controlled facility and a redundant lock system. And that’s just the physical protection - firewalls and other web security measures make our servers secure enough for almost any business. And because it’s located nearby our headquarters, 360 PSG staff can respond quickly to any issue that may arise.

It’s that kind of protection you want for your business data, and one that will not only protect your data, but give your customers the confidence to trust you with theirs.

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So your business has finally made the jump to the web. You’ve got a website that has a high-tech look (or not), a web address with your name in it (www.yourname.com….or something close to it), and even pictures of your business, your products and maybe even yourself.So why isn’t your website increasing your sales?

Just having a website does not mean your business will benefit from a web presence. Whether you are selling products, services or simply trying to drive potential customers to contact your brick-and-mortar business, a good business website needs to direct people closer to a sale.

The list below addresses some of the most common mistakes small business owners make when they’re making their first foray into web business, and offers some tips to fix them. If you have other tips, leave them in the comments below.

1) Problem 1: I can’t find anything!

Easy navigation is one of the most important aspects of your site, if not the most important. How will a visitor buy your product if they can’t even find what they’re looking for? Make your web visitors’ lives easier by simplifying your websites navigation and flow.

Many small business owners get caught up in flashy design or become obsessed with branding (we in the biz like to call it logo creep). Sure, eye-catching animation and artful design look cool, but it’s possible to go overboard. This bookshop is case in point. Click on the splash page, then click on the book, then click on the logo, then click on the dot (and pray your browser doesn’t crash). With that obtrusive animation, label-less menus and hard-to-read text, would you have any idea that this place sells books?

Good web navigation easy to use and consistent. Simplify your menus and navigation in the most intuitive way you can. Menu items should follow natural priority - what is your site trying to accomplish? Is it selling a product? Then that specific product should be featured high on the menu. Are you an online store with many products? Categorize and alphabetize your catalog. If you’re publicizing your business, organize company information by what is most pertinent to your customers.

An easy-to-use website naturally removes barriers to a sale. The easier it is for a customer to find a product or information they are looking for, the more likely they are to follow through on a sale.

2) Problem 2: Too much Flash

This sort of lends itself to the first problem, but in a slightly different way. Flash or video elements have almost become de rigueur for a dynamic website, and with good reason. It’s an eye-catching device and can illustrate information in unique ways, whether it’s through movie-style presentations, slide shows, images or diagrams.

Because it’s so powerful and has the potential to be visually interesting, it’s tempting to use Flash all over your site. Don’t. A little restraint goes a long way.

There are instances where loads of Flash makes sense. Nightclubs, production studios or design showcases all can benefit from complex Flash use - it highlights their best features or conveys emotion that helps sell their non-traditional services.

The average business, however, should stick to a simple rule: one Flash element, max, per page.

There are several reasons for this:

1) Not all computers, Internet connections and thus customers can use animation. Flash and videos are larger than the average image file, and older computers often don’t have the latest version of the software that plays that file, meaning it might appear clunky to that user.

2) Too much action on a screen means the things you want to highlight on the screen get lost in a sea of motion. Choose the most important idea you want to express, sticking to simple images and text for less important items.

3) Because you want to be found. Flash-based text is terrible for search engine optimization - search engines can’t read text that appears in those animations, so it’s a good idea to have normal text on your page, containing key words and phrases for that site.

Exercising restraint in your website design is one of the most important design decisions you can make for your business website. It simplifies your company image, makes it easier for visitors to use and ultimately drives a sale.

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As a small business owner, you’re proud of your logo. It’s sleek, it’s vibrant, and it captures your company’s image in a great visual metaphor. It cost a hell of a lot of money, so you’re damn well going to get your money’s worth.

You highlight your logo everywhere - in your signage, your brochures, and your billboards - and it is effective. People remember that logo and it’s becoming an icon, similar to Apple Computer’s Apple or the FedEx hidden arrow logo, which are synonymous with their brands.

So why does your web designer insist on shrinking your logo to a small space in the upper left corner of your website? Doesn’t he or she realize how important that logo is to your website? Doesn’t he know how expensive it was?!

Hold your horses, boss. You might have a great logo, but your web designer is looking out for your best interests. It probably is a waste of both a good logo and a good website to make your logo so big on your homepage. When visitors hit your homepage, the brand recognition battle is already won. The customers are through the door, and now your website design has to drive them to buy. Broadcasting your logo only wastes space and valuable selling time.

There are occasions where a big logo on a website makes sense. Usually it’s on a splash page or on an entertainment site, where the visual impact is the point of the site, or at least complements the content and function of the site. On a business website, however, a big logo often affects the usability of the site.

Take Pepsi, for example. The ostensible purpose of the website is to market Pepsi products, not sell them. But this current website is a perfect example of too much taken too far. To start, you have a giant, animated Pepsi can which transforms into a hodgepodge of logo themed art. Even after that all settles down, you’re still inundated with Pepsi logos on a Flash menu, a cluttered layout that can make it difficult to navigate. Sure, you’re going to remember the logo, but good luck accomplishing any actual business on a site like that. Your visitors would struggle to find what you’re selling, let alone how to order it.

A good business website should have clear design and function. Remember, when visitors come to your site, they’ve already discovered your brand. That first job of catching their eye is already done - the next step, and the purpose of your website, is to further your sale. Your website should clearly attract and direct visitors to the functionality of your website: product or service information, contact information, and ultimately sales.

Take, for example, bank websites like HSBC or Bank of America. They’re sites are function driven. A small logo identifies the site, but almost all the other iconography and text is driven to the sale - advertising loans and checking accounts, driving customers to register for more information or online banking.

Sites that aren’t so reliant upon web functionality also benefit from function-based design. The Left Brain is a 360 PSG-designed site for a Buffalo-based bookkeeping firm. Its site is pretty basic - a homepage, pages that describe services, then a contact page. They also have a very unique, visually effective logo. However, on a site used exclusively for directing visitors to place a phone call, it does not resort to logo-overload.

The Left Brain site is built to inform - it has clean design and respects that visitors who come to the site already have brand recognition for the company. With a clean menu design and functional information, the site drives business by providing basic research and incentive to contact Left Brain offices.

So when you are deciding how to handle the logo issue, think about what your website is trying to accomplish. Is it selling a product or a service? Is it driving visitors to make a “real life” connection through e-mail, phone or in person? Is it driving people to use a service? In terms of your logo, however, the specific function doesn’t matter, only that you allow your website to showcase your company, not just your logo.

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In the 360 PSG offices, Ben Shepard, Director of Design, and Eryn Yates, Assistant Director of Design, and I (Evan Pierce, Director of Content Services) often scour the web for design and content ideas. Every once and a while we find a design we absolutely fall in love with, and one of our favorite magazines, Good Magazine, happens to fall in that category.

What do we like about it? Its clean simplicity. Articles are clearly highlighted, the top feature-call-out uses clean, natural multimedia, and the font…oh man we love the use of fonts on this page. It’s a mix of approachable accessibility with authoritative professionalism, perfect for that type of publication.

These ideas - clean, beautiful design with intuitive functionality - are the types of designs we at 360 PSG strive for, and we’re continually evaluating other sites to gain ideas to incorporate in our own designs. Let us know some of your favorites below.

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