‘Do you have any good website examples you can show me?’…

So what is the problem with following good website examples?

New customers often ask us to show them some good website examples. They explain they are visual people who draw inspiration from the creations of others.

While we get this impulse, we like to politely suggest they take a different approach.

One glaring issue is that every decent website has been fine-tuned to appeal to its target audience. Unless you happen to have the exact same audience as the business whose site you admire, you are going to be off the mark in your marketing. And by the way; if you are targeting an identical market to another business, you might want to explore the benefits of changing tack and looking for an untapped niche.

Rather than spending time looking at other people’s creations, you are much better off engaging in some in-depth audience research. Find out what the people who will be using your website demand. What content do they prefer to read or see? What functions will they be looking to carry out when they get to your home page?

We are very experienced at profiling audiences so rather than poring over our previous work (flattered though we may be), we would much rather you approached us for a conversation about your existing and potential customers.

Avoiding vanity projects

Focusing attention on the end user will also protect you from making a common mistake when overseeing a web design project: designing a site that appeals only to your personal aesthetic tastes.

To put it bluntly, your opinion on how your website looks is relatively unimportant. There are many sites out there where the owner or web designer has clearly lost sight of the ultimate goal of a website (usually to drive sales and profit) and become caught up in their own vision of beauty. Don’t be that person.

On the surface, sites like this may come across as good website examples but are they really? Smoke and mirrors can do a lot to mask a failing business.

Standing out from the crowd

Finally, you are unlikely to stand out in the crowded internet highway if you are spending all your time looking for websites to blend in with.

The best websites have earned their status through being unique. They often stand out as much because of how they perform and meet the customer’s need as they do for their look (think Amazon and Netflix).

Now this doesn’t mean you should never include good website examples as part of your initial design brief. You may have come across a site that showcases a ‘must have’ feature and it can be easier to show us what you mean rather than try to describe it in words.

However, the more you can resist the urge to look backwards and focus instead on the exciting creative process ahead, the more likely it will be that you end up with the perfect website for your target audience.

If you are ready to approach your web design project with a completely blank canvas, take a look at our suite of Web Design services and let’s arrange a friendly chat.