Web Design Melbourne

Professional Web Design Melbourne

Given that we live in the internet age, a business’s website is often the first contact any potential customer or client has with it, and if that first impression they have is guided by a poorly designed website that loads slowly and is difficult to navigate, then the chances of that prospect ever becoming a paying customer are nil.

We must stress this point further as it backed up by research that indicates that our use of computers and handheld devices so dominates our lives today, that the way in which around 95% of people will have their first interaction with a company is by going online and visiting their website.

While Melbourne is a large city, it means if your business is based there you have a huge number of potential prospects. Can you really afford to have 95% of them lost to you due to your website not being designed properly or failing to provide those who visit it a satisfactory user experience?

What Professional Web Design Really Means

There is a misconception amongst some people that web design is something more akin to art, and that in order to design a website your skills need to be more artistic in nature than technical.

Whilst having the experience and sense to know what does and what does not constitute a good-looking website, web design should be seen as something that is closer to architecture than it is art. Designing a house obviously has many visual elements but a house that looks good but has a leaky roof, poor foundations, taps that don’t work, and doors that do not fit their frames is not a house anyone would want to live in.

This brings to why website design is more than just the colours, and the images on each page. Within a website there are many technical elements, that visitors to the website will not see, but they may well experience. These elements include, for example, how easy it is to navigate, how quickly each page loads, and the contact form submitting their details properly

Having the skills, tools, and experience to include these technical elements, plus the many others is what ensures that the website functions correctly every time and is ultimately what gives visitors to the website the best possible user experience. That is what professional web design creates, and that is what Slinky Web Design in Melbourne can do for your business.

Why ‘Cheap’ Usually Costs More

If you are a business owner who genuinely wants your business to succeed then you, as with every other good businessperson, including those here at Slinky Web Design, will always have an eye on the costs that your business incurs. Making sure that you get the best value for what you are spending makes perfect business sense, and any business owner who does not, most likely will not have a business for long.

However, there is a huge difference between getting the best deal or value for money and doing something ‘on the cheap’. We will be upfront and tell you that you could have a website built for you quickly and cheaply but must warn you that the longer-term consequences of that are likely to do more harm to your business, than if you simply leave your website as it is.

If you think about it, and as we mentioned above, visiting your website is the first time almost all of your prospects will have any contact with your business. Are you really going to have such an important element of your business done cheaply just to save a few dollars? Worse, not only will a cheap and poorly designed website prevent you from gaining new customers, but it could also cause the loss of existing ones.

These sub-standard websites are often designed and built by well-meaning amateurs who try their best, but they do not have the tools, skills, or experience to build websites for businesses that look great and function well. Worse than that there are what can best be described as scammers who will take your money and then totally fail to deliver anything.

That is not to say every poor web designer is a crook, but sadly the end result is still the same given that you will still not have a website that helps your business to expand and grow. Here are just some of the many downsides of not employing a professional web design agency to build your website.

Lack Of Communication
No Progress Updates
Deadlines Missed
Extra Costs Added
Website Is Not Completed
Malfunctioning Website
Design Is A Copy Or Template

Content Is Substandard
Copyrighted Content Is Used
Visitor Experience Is Poor
Damage To Your Branding
Google Ranking Suffers
Loss Of Existing Clients/Customers

That is a lot of negatives, but these are what can befall your business if you try to cut corners and leave the design of your business to someone who tells you they can build you a fully functioning website for a few hundred dollars. The old adage that you only get what you pay for is as applicable to website design as it is to anything else you might think of.

No business can expect to strive in those circumstances so the obvious question must be ‘How can this be rectified?’, and the simple answer is by having your website professionally designed by skilled experts who know exactly what it takes to build websites that can help businesses in Melbourne thrive online.

That is exactly what we at Slinky Web Design have been doing for Melbourne businesses, and our track record is one we are proud of. Obviously, you do not want to take just our word for it, and that is why we are doubly proud of the many positive reviews we have from our existing clients, and we invite you to read them.

So, now that you have Slinky Web Design as the solution, we now need to explain how that solution moves from you reading this, to your business having a professionally designed website. It would also serve you for us to further explain the many benefits that such a website would have for your business. After all, the whole point of that website is to advance your business, so we will explore that in some detail.

However, there may be some you who accept that you need a new website but for whatever reason do not think you require the services of professional web designers or are convinced that there are cheaper ways of having a new website built for you. As is often the case this can be a false saving and may cost you more in the long run, for the reasons outlined below.

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Benefits To Your Business Of A Professional Designed Website

The primary reason that business owners in Melbourne want to have a new website for their business is the expectation that it will increase customer numbers and consequently their revenue. We are certainly not going to diminish that benefit, and as every business lives or dies based on how much profit they make, this is obviously why a great website is critical to that business’s success or otherwise.

However, the good news is that beyond that core reason, there are many other ways in which a professionally designed website can benefit a business. You have to bear in mind that whilst the bottom line in terms of profit is hugely important, a business functions on many other levels and if these are having a positive impact, then the revenue and profit that flows from them will add to the success of that business.

To ensure that everyone reading this is fully aware of ALL the benefits that a professionally designed website from Slinky Web Design can generate, here is a comprehensive explanation of them.

Website Functions As It Should

Obviously, you want any new website design to look great, but more important than how it looks is how it functions. Visitors to the website will put up with colours, graphics and images that might not all be to their taste, but when a website does not function for them properly, no matter how good the site looks, they will be gone.

The key point here is that how well a website functions plays a huge role in creating many of the other benefits that can accrue. Conversions, user satisfaction, Google rankings and even your reputation can all be impacted positively or negatively depending on how well your website functions.

For this reason, it is imperative that you use a professional web design agency such as Slinky Web Design to build your website, not only as they have the skilled professionals who can do so, but also because they will have the tools and software that will be able to test the operation of your website properly before it goes live.

These tests will measure many operational aspects of your website such as load times, and whilst these are technical tests, they are essential. Unless your website passes these tests it will not function properly and this can have a detrimental effect, especially with regards to the user experience of visitors to your website.

Enhanced Security

It is true that not everyone who operates online is honest. This means that every website is a potential target for scammers and hackers and unless your website has the appropriate security features built-in, then it is going to be vulnerable if an attack takes place.

This attack could range from spam comments being left on your blog posts, to the hacking of your database and the theft of private data, including the credit card details, of customers who may have bought something using your website. Whilst what a business owner might experience what can be described as an inconvenience at one end of the scale, it could also lead to them facing legal action at the other end.

You obviously do not want any of these to happen which is why the enhanced security that the bespoke websites that Slinky Web Design build will give you a lot more protection than one built by an amateur using a template.

Google Rankings Improvement

Within the world of online marketing, the holy grail is often considered by some to be Google rankings. This is the position at which a web page will appear whenever someone enters a search on Google. There are other search engines but often their rankings will be very similar to those on Google and given that Google accounts for over 70% of all searches online, you will understand why its rankings are given prominence.

So, what has all this got to do with website design you might be asking. Well, a whole lot is the answer, as good web design can play a huge role in improving Google rankings. It follows if the pages of your website appear higher in Google search results for a range of relevant search terms, you will have more traffic, and thus more prospects and customers, so we hope you see why this is something to focus on.

Google’s algorithm is kept secret, and although no one outside of Google knows the exact formula, enough research has taken place to ascertain how their ranking system works . Google also help by publishing many of the factors which they take into account although they do not always say which have more importance over others.

Several factors relate directly to how a website looks and functions, and two of the most applicable with respect to website design are ‘bounce rate’, and ‘dwell time’, so let us briefly look at each of these.

Bounce rate is the measure of how quickly a person clicking from Google to a website clicks away again. If they click away quickly it could be due to poor design, insufficient content, or the website is taking too long to load. All of these point to a poor user experience, and as such Google will lower the ranking of such a website.

Dwell time is how long a visitor remains on a website, and obviously, if a website is well designed, has lots of great content and is easy to navigate, for example, the chance of someone staying for longer is improved. Again, the ever-watching Google can measure this and will reward, with improved rankings, websites that have greater dwell times than others.

Mobile Compatibility

With the huge growth in the use of mobile devices in recent years, the focus has moved towards ensuring that what can function online when viewed via a PC, can also be done on mobile devices. A prime example of this is making sure a website is compatible with mobile devices as well as PCs.

Every website which is designed professionally by Slinky Web Design is compatible with all mobile device types including mobile phones and tablets. With many people now using their mobile devices to go online to the exclusion of their PC, this ensures that you are not missing out on those potential customers.

Enhances Your Online Marketing

We trust that in addition to wanting your website to be the best that it can be, you are also using other elements of online marketing to boost your business. If not, and you would like some advice on how this can be done, then please get in touch with Slinky Web Design and we will be happy to help.

One of the main ones we would talk to you about is email marketing, and although it is one of the oldest forms of online marketing, and one which is often misused, it is also still one of the most effective marketing tools that any business could use. By integrating your email marketing with your website so that visitors have a reason to leave their email address, is just one way in your website can help your online marketing.

Social media is another hugely effective means of marketing online. Whether you use Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or any of the dozens of other popular social media platforms, your website will hamper those efforts if its design is poor. Imagine the difference between sending your followers from your social media pages to a website that looks, and functions well, compared with a website that does not.

Enhanced Trust

In the world of business, trust can most readily be considered akin to bankable currency, such is its importance to buying decisions. For yourself, whether you are purchasing something as an individual, or with your business owner’s hat on, you will almost certainly only do so with a business that you trust. That same principle applies to those considering buying a product or service from your business.

Consider which you would consider more trustworthy, a business with a well -designed website that is easy to navigate, has a detailed ‘About Us’ page and looks as though it has been created by professionals or a business whose website is nothing more than a template with a few bells and whistles which do nothing to tell anyone visiting it about the company.

Another way trust can be enhanced within the design of the website we build for you is with the strategic positioning of trust graphics and imagery. These can include photos of real clients and customers alongside their testimonials, it could be the seal of approval of a professional body, or a ‘Review’ badge from a consumer organisation such as Trustpilot.

Branding Is Improved

Different business types rely on branding in different ways, and there are even some where branding does not really play a big role at all. However, if yours is a business where branding is important then it is essential that your website has everything place to enhance and enforce your strong brand.

Branding is one of the key areas of discussion that Slinky Web Design will have with you when we are planning your website’s design. Whether this revolves around an eye-catching logo, specific colours, certain images, or a font which much your branding uses, then we will be happy to incorporate all of this when we design your website.

That being said, we will use your branding in a strategic manner within your website’s design so that it is clear, but not so overwhelming that it is seen as overkill or spammy by those who visit your website. The other aspect of any website design we produce is that throughout it there will be consistency so that regardless of which page a visitor is on, the branding will be visible.

Greater Local Recognition

Many businesses in Melbourne thrive upon the fact that they are based in the city and are therefore proud to be serving the local community. This could be across the whole city, or only within certain suburbs, but whichever it is, if your target audience is within Melbourne then it is key that you are recognised as being a local business.

Residents in Melbourne, just as those in Sydney, New York, Paris, or London, will, for the most part, prefer to deal with a local business, and indeed, there are many business sectors where a local business is the only option. Just some examples include gyms, beauty salons, car mechanics, dentists, and pet groomers, where the idea of travelling hundreds of miles to another city for any of these would seem ridiculous.

Add to that list hundreds of other businesses types in Melbourne where residents are looking for local companies. They will be searching for them and researching them online, and therefore if your website is designed to ensure that there can be no doubt you are a Melbourne-based company and one which is proud of its track record of providing great service to its local customers and clients, that can only be a positive.

There are many ways we can ensure that visitors to your website know you are a Melbourne company. For a start, some of the headline text on the home page can make that clear. Text on other pages can do so as well, with the content on your ‘About Us’ page making the inarguable point that you are a business proud to be based in Melbourne.

Another option for consideration could be images of Melbourne landmarks, especially if you have a product that can be photographed in the foreground. Your address and a local map displayed on the home page can also work, and one of the best is for us to include testimonials from clients and customers who live locally in Melbourne.

Visitor Experience Is Enhanced

One of the most important goals of any website design is that it provides a great user experience for any visitors who land on it. They may have arrived by clicking the link on another website, seen your website’s URL on social media, or best of all, clicked through from Google as your website was one that was at the top of the search results when they typed in a search term.

All of the above and any other way in which you have generated traffic, or visitors, to your website will have been the result of your marketing efforts, and they are to be applauded, but the tragedy is for many business owners, is they do all the hard work getting visitors to their website, but what those visitors find there is underwhelming, and worse, disappoints them enough that they click away immediately.

Whilst this can have a detrimental impact upon your ranking on Google, worse than that is that the opportunity is lost to convert that visitor to a prospect, or best of all, a paying customer. You only get one chance to generate a good first impression, and if it is a poor one, that visitor is likely to be lost forever.

What can cause people to click away might not just be a poor first impression, but as they remain on the website their experience is a poor one. The ways in which this can happen are numerous, but here are some of the most common culprits.

Slow Loading Pages
Images Taking Too Long To Load
Video/Audio Files Not Playing Properly
No Menu To Assist Navigating The Website
Overuse Of Pop-Ups
Video/Audio Playing Automatically At Very High Volumes

Broken Internal Links
‘No Page Found’ Error Messages
No Means To Return To The Home Page
Contact Form Submission Errors
Website Crashing/Not Responding

We are sure you will agree if any of these occurred when you were visiting a website you would soon leave, and that is exactly the risk you take if your own business is using a website that has been poorly designed. It should be noted that before Slinky Web Design sings off on website to any client for it to go live, it will have been comprehensively tested to make sure it works as it should.

When you do have a website that works properly it means visitors will remain on it for longer, be more inclined to look at multiple products, services and offers, are more likely to decide to make a purchase, and when they do discuss their time on your website with others, it will be a positive story, not a negative one.

Greater Conversion Levels

We make the not-so-bold assumption that when a visitor lands on your website you want them to do more than just think to themselves, ‘Nice site’. Whatever action or actions you want them to take, unless your website has been designed and created in the correct way, converting visitors to action-takers is going to be difficult.

One point here is that conversions do not necessarily mean a sale, but they should at least mean that the person taking the action has moved at least one step closer to making the decision to buy. Depending on the type of business the website has been designed for, the action, or conversion, can take many forms as outlined below.

Completing A ‘Contact Us’ Form
Requesting A Quotation
Requesting A Free Sample
Entering A Date/Time For An Appointment
Entering Their Name And Email In An Opt-In Form
Calling Your Telephone Number

Watching Videos
Listening To Audios
Reading Specified Content
Downloading Files Such As Pdfs
Completing A Survey
Buying Something!!!

Ok, the last one might not always be possible with your type of business, but we are sure you will agree that many of those actions that came before ‘Buying Something’ will ultimately help lead prospects to that point.

Revenue And Profits Are Increased

We come now to what we are sure is one of the most coveted benefits that a professionally designed website can offer a business and that is an increase in revenue, and we assume that would also means increased profits for your business too. Any business which is increasing its profits is one that is surely going to grow and accelerate its success.

With many of the other benefits that a great website design can achieve, the increase in revenue will often simply be a result of more visitors to a website being made aware of the products or services your business offers. In other words, it is the number of sales that is increasing, but that is not the only way a website can help revenue grow.

As well as more new customers, an excellently designed website, in conjunction with effective remarketing to those who have already purchased, can bring repeat sales from those existing clients and customers. Not only that, as your website helps to enhance the trust factor for your business, they will likely stay loyal to you as well.

A well-designed website can also help those businesses which offer a range of products and services to convert buyers from, what they might consider your ‘Standard’ offering to your ‘Gold’, Premium’ or ‘Deluxe ‘ offerings, depending on how you promote them. This means that those customers who opt for an upgrade, in whatever form that takes, are spending more with each purchase.

This is achieved by the website first of all functioning well, but more specifically it being able to illustrate and explain your enhanced offerings in a way that truly promotes them. This can mean the use of audio, video, images, and written content which can only serve that purpose if the website they appear on has been professionally designed.

Have The Edge Over Your Competitors

Regardless of what business sector or niche you are in, you will almost certainly have local competition. Assuming you are not a dog groomer who can only groom black poodles called Oscar, there is bound to be another company in Melbourne that competes with you for customers and clients.

Anything which can give you a competitive edge over those other businesses has to be utilised, and the greater the edge it can give you, the better. This is where a professionally designed website from Slinky Web Design has allowed so many of our clients to take a huge stride ahead of many of their competitors, who are then playing catch up.

Just consider all the many benefits that having a website designed and built by a web design agency such as Slinky Web Design can bestow upon your business that we have already outlined. Here is a quick reminder…

Website Functions As It Should
Enhanced Security
Google Rankings Improvement
Mobile Compatibility
Enhances Your Online Marketing
Enhanced Trust

Branding Is Improved
Greater Local Recognition
Visitor Experience Is Enhanced
Greater Conversion Levels
Revenue And Profits Are Increased

As well some practical elements, such as greater security and the fact that the website will function properly, look at all the ways you can take a lead on your competitors. Better user experience, greater trust, a much closer affinity to your local area, increased conversions and revenues can all take your business to the next level, and leave your competitors trailing in your wake.

What Slinky Web Design Can Mean To You As A Business Owner

So far we have looked at many ways having a fantastic website can benefit a business, but here at Slinky Web Design we never lose sight of the fact that every business has an owner or a CEO upon whose shoulders the responsibility for the success of that business ultimately rests.

We know from experience that can be a burden that brings a high degree of pressure and stress, and as the adage goes, if running a business was so easy, everyone would be doing it. Of course, owning or running a successful business can bring rewards, and we are not just talking about the financial ones, so where does Slinky Web Design designing your website fit into this and your responsibilities for the success of your business?

Your Needs Are Paramount to Us

The first point we would make is that we appreciate that you may already have ideas that you would like to see within your website, and there may also be specific elements that you would like us to include within the design of your website. Wherever these can be incorporated we will do our utmost to accommodate your wishes.

Ultimately we want your new website to be a collaboration between Slinky Web Design and yourself, so that when the website is complete and goes live, you feel you have as much to be proud of, as we will certainly have, and indeed have with every website we create.

Providing The Best Experience For Every Client

Having given you so much detail about how much a well-designed website can benefit your business it stands to reason that the only people who we will have working on your website are skilled and experienced website designers, who are dedicated to making every website they build the very best it can be.

If you were ever in any doubt about the quality of the websites we build for our clients then we invite you to read some of the testimonials on our website from past clients, and indeed many of those clients still employ us for the other services that we can provide you such as:

Website Hosting
SEO
Website Management

Website Maintenance
Online Advertising
Logo Design

Whether you employ us for only website design, or you ultimately become a client for any of our other services, our passion for wanting everything we do to be the best experience for all our clients will be evident from the first contact you make with us.

Easy Communication And Updates

One of the biggest bugbears of any person who buys a service that takes time to complete is a lack of progress reports from the company charged with the work. That is not something you will ever experience with Slinky Web Design. We are only ever a telephone call away if you wish an update, or you have something you would like to discuss.

We Are Waiting To Serve You and Your Business

So, if you are a business owner, a CEO, or are the person within your company who is responsible for online activities, and you want your business to have the best possible website built by professionals, then it is time to get in touch with us.

It would be our privilege to help you achieve the goals and dreams you have for your business with the help of the website we build for you, and as such we are ready to listen to your requirements.

The easiest way for us both to get started on that journey is for you to complete the form on our ‘How Can We Help You?’ page.

When completing the form, please try to provide us with as much information and detail as you can. This will enable one of our dedicated website designers to have a better understanding of your needs are, so that when they call you, they can give you the best advice possible and help you to take the next step towards your business having the website it truly deserves.