There are a lot of bad ideas out there about how websites are designed (or re-designed) and the entirety of the web design process: the strategy, tools, cost, timeline, etc.
There are a lot of factors to blame here, like our ideas about the internet being “free,” along with DIY website tools trying to get user and media representations of people setting up websites in seconds. (Which just doesn't happen, sorry.)
Website design is infinitely more nuanced. If you’re considering a website re-design, we’re here to clear the confusion. Below are some common website design questions and misconceptions, plus the realities behind them.
You like podcasts? We've got you covered! Check out our podcast, Marketing in Minutes, below where we dive into the world of Website Design.
6 Common Website Design Misconceptions
At Evenbound, we like to say, “We know the way because we go the way.” We’ve migrated and redesigned our own website and taken what we’ve learned to drive great results for clients. In fact, you can read about it in our case study here.
So, speaking as experts in the ever-evolving digital marketing space and a team that’s experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly for ourselves, we’re here to bust some myths.
Here are six popular website design ideologies you should be a little skeptical of and why.
Misconception #1: You Need a New Website
Uhh...what?
This misconception is the biggest shock to our clients. They enter conversations with our sales team, saying they need a new website. However, after many of these conversations and diving deep into what their goals are, we’ve been able to uncover what they truly need: an enhanced customer experience.
Yes, your website is absolutely a main component of your customer experience, given the digitally focused world we live in. However, there’s more to it than that. The scope of what you need broadens when you think about the various other channels (sales, marketing, service, operations) you’re using to drive revenue and how those can be integrated and consolidated to drive efficiencies and growth.
This is what we call our WebOps strategy.
We don’t just build new websites and call our work done. We take all of our clients’ goals and find solutions for them — web-based and non-web-based — then integrate them into their main lead- and revenue-gen machine: their website. Then we continuously look at performance data, survey customers, and optimize the site for additional functionality to drive growth.
Misconception #2: A New Website Will Solve Your Sales & Marketing Problems
While we wish this was the case, it isn’t. Your website should be a tool that makes your marketing and sales teams’ jobs easier, but it can’t do everything. As website and marketing strategy builders, we’re not looking to take anyone’s job, nor should we.
While a high-performing website can pull in a large number of leads, and even convert a good percentage of them, you’ll still need to do the work in nurturing most of them and putting a human touch on their experience. There are plenty of automation tools that can make nurturing easy as well, but the human interaction that can drive it home for most prospects, especially in a B2B environment.
So, if there are issues within your marketing and sales teams — be it misalignment, lack of resources, lack of training, etc. — it’s still important to attend to them. You can only expect a website to do so much.
Misconception #3: Website Design Is All About Aesthetics
No. Just no.
While branding and visual design are large parts of the website build process, they’re just that; parts. There are many other components that go into creating a high-performance lead generation machine. Think compelling copywriting, UX strategy and customer journey mapping, advanced coding and programming, integrated CRMs and reporting tools, and more.
Taking all of that into consideration, it’s critical to understand that just because a website “looks pretty” doesn’t mean it’s a good one.
The goal is to have a resource that blends great branding and visual creativity with other functionalities and performance features.
Misconception #4: Web Design Shouldn't Cost So Much
With this logic, nothing should cost as much as it does, and gas should still be $0.36 per gallon like it was in 1970. Sounds nice, but it’s just not realistic!
Good web design isn’t cheap, but the price isn’t unfair. While you may be able to save some pennies, we’ll warn you that you’ll get what you pay for. Web design is a complex process that requires advanced knowledge of visual aesthetics, copywriting, programming languages, content management systems, and more. Any professional or team who has those chops is going to charge accordingly. Any professional or team who doesn’t have those chops will charge less and you’ll be unhappy with the results.
Bottom line? If you want a beautiful and functional design, you have to be willing to pay the going rate. If you skimp on your investment, you’re going to end up with a site that isn’t user-friendly, mobile-responsive, or attractive. Visitors won’t convert to leads on a poorly designed site, and what little money you put into the design won’t even be worth it.
A well-designed site, on the other hand, will delight visitors, provide them with a comfortable and seamless experience, and lead them to convert. Remember that your website isn’t just a billboard for your company; it’s part of your larger go-to-market strategy, and it needs to be doing more to drive sales. When you put money into a good design, you’ll see the ROI of your decision in website conversions.
So, How Much Does a Website Cost?
At Evenbound, we’re happy to provide upfront cost estimates for various services on our Pricing page. While the specifics of each account differ, these are our most accurate estimates for a full-service WebOps strategy and marketing plan.
Misconception #5: Designing a Website Shouldn't Take So Long
Another one of the most common website design misconceptions, this one goes hand-in-hand with “web design shouldn’t cost so much.” Your new website will act as a home base for your entire marketing strategy. It’s important to spend more time doing it right than less time doing it wrong.
There are some ways to streamline the process or at least get a high-performing launchpad website completed within a reasonable amount of time. Enter growth-driven design, where a website is launched in various phases; phase 1 being the minimum viable product (the most pertinent architecture and information your website needs to perform), phase 2 being secondary functionalities and pieces of content, phase 3 is further optimization, and so on.
The three key benefits of the growth-driven design approach are:
- You can launch in less time! Say 3-6 months instead of 12-18 months, depending on your project scope.
- It’s a data-driven process. Between each phase, data is analyzed to track progress toward growth goals and see what’s working and what’s not. If something isn’t working, you have space to brainstorm a solution to be implemented in the next phase.
- It positions your website as more than a set-it-and-forget-it project. As your business evolves, your website should too. If you want continuous growth, you can not treat this as a one-off task.
Misconception #6: Anyone Can Design a Website
We blame this one on the free-for-all days of the early internet and hosting platforms that promise they can help you build a professional-looking website yourself, with no expertise.
There are a million DIY website tools out there being used by all sorts of people for various reasons. And while, as someone who isn’t a web designer, you can probably make do with a free site on Wordpress.com or Wix for your personal blog, that just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Regardless of the size of your business, we’re well into the 21st century. Ragtag websites are now just eyesores with a lack of credibility.
Why do you need to hire a professional web design firm for your business site? First, the size and complexity of your site. A free website tool is great for a website with one or two pages, but your company’s site is going to have way more than that in complex hierarchies. You’re going to want a professional’s help to ensure that pages are organized correctly and are easily, intuitively found by website visitors.
Additionally, DIY website tools will lack the functionality you need for a professional site. Features like plugins for collecting email addresses or visitor retargeting, an e-commerce platform, landing pages, or a custom theme to fit your brand guidelines aren't available with a standard web design tool.
If you need anything more than standard blog posts or pages with text and images — which you undoubtedly will — you’re going to want a pro to build your site on a sophisticated CMS like HubSpot.
Let's Make Your Website Work Better for You
Whatever your growth goals are, we're here to help you meet them. Get in touch to learn more about our WebOps and Team-as-a-Service offerings and how they can support your revenue systems.
