It is so wildly important to regularly update your website in order to attract and retain customers in 2023. When was your last refresh? When was the last time you checked with your designer for improvements? Getting complacent can be a costly mistake. In fact, a study cited by BluErth found that a staggering 75% of people cited web design as the reason they mistrusted or rejected a product or service. This can be especially true for service-based businesses who have no tangible product to help sell themselves–in that same study cited by BluErth it mentions that “A user forms their first impression of your company within 1/20th of a second after viewing your website.” Our instant-gratification saturated world requires businesses to grab the attention of their clients really quickly, you only get a split-second chance. Without a visually appealing and user-friendly website, potential clients may opt for a competing brand or substitute product–even if they would have actually been more satisfied with your product or service due to that missed chance.
Updating your website isn’t just about aesthetics. Functionality is just as important for your client experience. One of the most popular features we’re seeing in new website design is the use of interactive elements, such as image sliders, carousels, and hover effects. These elements allow users to interact with the website in a more engaging way, and can be used to showcase products, highlight important information, or simply add visual interest to the page. Another popular feature is the use of animation and transitions. By using animation, websites can create a more dynamic and engaging user experience, and can help to guide the user through the website by highlighting important information or directing the user’s attention to specific areas of the page. This is a great way to “sell” your product or service through the direction of your prospective client’s attention, all without you having to be present; check out pienso.com to see this done really well. One new feature that has become increasingly popular is the use of video backgrounds, but use these with caution. By using video backgrounds, websites can create a more immersive and engaging experience for the user, and can be used to showcase products or services in a dynamic and visually appealing way. See Gazelle No. 1’s website for a well-executed example. Video backgrounds can also be a great way to make your website look low-quality if done poorly. Ever seen a website with a SUPER grainy video that just struggles to play in the background while you get ever-more frustrated with how slow the page is loading? Yeah, let’s not be that website in 2023.
Define the Scope: Are we creating a website from scratch, or refreshing a single page? Will content be provided by your team, or written by TwentyThree.Five?
Define the Goals: What would you like to accomplish with this project? Not every website is built for the same purpose. Are you looking to sell something, provide information, or something else? Will any of these goals change in the future?
Define the Audience: Who is this website for? Will customers be shopping for products on your website? Will employees be accessing important information?
Define the Style: What mood would you like the website to make your clients feel? What inspiration have you drawn from other websites? What are your brand guidelines?
Project Proposal: Our team at TwentyThree.Five will use what we have learned from our discovery meetings to build a detailed proposal outlining the web design project. This proposal will be a deck of slides that includes a detailed breakdown of your investment, the timeline, the how this project works towards future projects, and much more.
Pricing: Custom web design is a labor intensive and time consuming process that varies greatly from project to project. Simple landing-page style websites where creative assets and content are ready to go can be built for a few thousand dollars, while larger and more complex websites like those linked in this blog run $50k-$400k or more.
Project Delivery: Our team will create the new website separately so your current website is unaffected by the update process. Assets will be available to you online after project completion as part of the ongoing support you have access to through our team.
You can expect more detailed information during the discovery phase of your project with us.
Sometimes in marketing “success” is elusive. You have everything you’re supposed to, but it isn’t getting you the results you were hoping for. Websites are a sneaky perpetrator of this challenging balance. Sometimes important pieces can be missed when family or a friend took charge of your last web redesign at-home. A common example is something simple like responsive design, responsive design allows the website to automatically adjust its layout and design to fit the size and resolution of your users devices. At TwentyThree.Five we ensure those behind-the-scenes features and settings that your cousin missed are taken care of. This is important because it ensures that the website is accessible and easy to use on a wide range of devices, including smartphones and tablets.
These after-thoughts are also crucial for the success of your digital marketing funnel as a whole. Partner with an agency to make sure your website and other creative assets aren’t missing the features your clients are looking for in 2023.
What I hope you’ve heard from this blog is that regularly updating your website is essential for the success of your business in 2023. From improving your design and client experience to enhancing the experience of your employees, a well-maintained website is crucial. By working with a trusted digital marketing services or creative agency, you can ensure that your website is effectively representing your business and attracting new customers.
Your business is worth the attention, especially in the new year. Partner with an agency like TwentyThree.Five to get the services your marketing plan needs. If you’re a business in the Salt Lake City area you know how saturated it feels, if you’re a business in Los Angeles you REALLY know how saturated it feels. Shine through with services from brand development to website design and development, a creative marketing agency can provide the skills and resources to help your business thrive in the digital age. Schedule a call with our team today to get your mission launched!