7 Common Website Design Questions with IMPACT's Vice President

It's not every day here at IMPACT that one of our C-Level executives shares the secrets of their craft.

Which is why we're excited to bring you this exclusive sit down with IMPACT's Vice President and Co-Owner Tom DiScipio (@TomDiscipio), who shared the most common website design questions, and more importantly, the elusive answers that many business owners often need several phone calls to learn.

Tom heads IMPACT's design team, and having worked through countless website projects throughout his career, has a unique sense for what it takes to create a powerful web presence, and as a result, a more profitable one.

We sat down with Tom and discussed the 7 most common website design questions often heard from prospective clients. Enjoy!

If you're interested in learning more about turning these tips into actual results, be sure to check out IMPACT's free ebook, "Website Redesign 101."

The 7 Most Common Website Design Questions

Question 1:  What makes a lead generation homepage?

Tom: Basically, it provides action for the user.  An example on what not to do, a non-lead generating page will mainly be informative and they lack CTA (calls-to-action), no clear message, and there isn't a way for consumer to contact you.  So, it's important to concisely construct a homepage that possess all these things; calls-to-action, contact info, blogs, and slide shows that provides what the company does.

What to keep in mind: You need to ask yourself the question, does the homepage keep the user on the page? As much emphasis is focused on design and the SEO of getting found, it's just as important to engage the user to navigate throughout the website, keep them interested, and successfully drive them to the conversion stage.  I really don't know how else to explain this, but first impressions are key. If you don't have them, you might never get them back.

Question 2:  What is this whole CTA thing about why are they important on my site?

Tom: Well a CTA, is a call-to-action. Its imperative, because utilizing these avenues prompts your visitor to view, click and then ultimately engage them to continue down your sales funnel.  So basically, it could be described as a block of text with a button underneath, a giant button that says DOWNLOAD NOW or GET YOUR FREE EBOOK, as long as it entices the user to move forward, you've succeeded.  In short, it's an object that directs them to a landing page, where the user can download an offer or connect with you in exchange for their valuable contact information.

What to keep in mind: You want the user to click through, right?  Well, creating that compelling CTA is crucial. So it's important to avoid too much clutter or that overwhelming tsunami of information in website design, to ensure a symbiotic flow, and further entice the audience to become engaged.

Question 3:  Is google analytics the best and only way to monitor my web stats?

Tom:  It's a great way to monitor your web stats, but it's not the only tool out there.  Google Analytics will give you insight page visits, bounce rate, how many people are coming to your site via mobile, a lot of the intrinsic and natural things you would want to know about your site.  However, when it comes to marketing, it's important to use other analytical tools, such as HubSpot's analytics.  This software allows you to review how advantageous certain keywords are in your marketing strategy, how effective your blog articles are, how far your social media is reaching, and other facets that are related towards the marketing aspect of analytics.

What to keep in mind: It's self-explanatory!! Your website is up and running, now don't you want to know how well you are doing? Of course you do.  Actionable insights are the means to understanding who, what and how your visitors use the website.  That is, if they are entering the site, do they leave right away or do they navigate around a bit? Do they get to a certain page and exit, or do they stay on that page, and click, click, click?  Whatever the case, it's important to utilize this software to learn what's working or not, and by doing so decrease the bounce rate, that  ultimately keeps them coming back for more.

Question 4:  What happens to all the old pages and links from my old website?

Tom: So when a new site it being built, it doesn't mean your old site magically goes away.  There is still SEO value that has been built up on that site, and you have to be able to transfer it to your new site.  So for example, if you do have an old site, oldsite.com/about-mycompany123, and your new site has a similar URL, "newsite.com/about", you want to be able to redirect the old page to the new page, using a 301 redirect.  Basically meaning, if a user clicks on the old website link, it won't go to a 404 landing page, or get lost in the abyss.  Importantly enough, its crucial to use these 301 redirects to make sure that everyone who finds your old webpage in Google is still reaching your new site.

What to keep in mind:  Although, sometimes overlooked, 301 redirects are just as important, when considering the traffic that comes into your site.  Think about it, what happens if a consumer is not aware to changes that were made to your old site or links, and gets an impression that you went out of business, no longer exist or even worse they go to a 404 landing page.  Yikes!!! Make sure your visitors are not lost in translation, and are redirected to your new site.  Keep the SEO juices flowing.

Question 5:  How do I capture the information from visitors to my site?

Tom: Very simple in itself, all you have to do is to create a form, and there are a vast amount of tools out there to accomplish this.  But again, going back to HubSpot, you can easily create forms and also utilize that information to create contacts to market to the target audience. A form can range from a few questions-to drops downs-anything the will gather the information you need to market to that person effectively.

What to keep in mind: As do most, forms create an intuitive source that allows you to generate information, and without it, you hinder the chance to capture those leads.  So get on it and be creative, and focus on those elements that will entice the visitor to fill it out.

Question 6:  I want more control over my site. How can I make sure I can make updates and changes quickly?

Tom: A CMS – or a content management system – are the way for you to have complete control over your site.  It allows you to make simple updates, image changes and content changes. Like WordPress and HubSpot, CMS's allow you to create new pages, develop new content and manage one of the greatest traffic drivers to your site, yes you guessed, the infamous blog, which is built in.  HubSpot takes it further, and allows you to even manage your email contact system, lead database and keyword grader.  CMS' like HubSpot or WordPress is software that's built into the website, and allows the user to make those changes more efficiently.

What to keep in mind:  Also known as content management system, CMS' are considered a fortifying road for developing, managing and creating new content to draw the consumer closer to you.  The greatest influencer is the blog! Using content to generate search traffic will help users find points of interest on your site, and that's pure awesomeness.

Question 7:  I know mobile responsiveness is important, how do I go about optimizing my website for mobile?

Tom: It is important to reach out to a marketing agency (that's us!) with a firm understanding of website design and how to translate the excellent desktop experience of your website to a mobile device. We work within the code to make sure that the website is optimized for viewing not only on desktop and smart phone applications, but also resolutions in between that include most tablets.

What to keep in mind: The capabilities of mobile marketing go far beyond your traditional avenues.  The power to connect with your audience on any medium has become essential and critical to success. Utilizing the mobile mantra, any company that does not make these changes, may suffer the consequences and experience a failure to reach its target audience.