In the business world, appearances matter a lot. How a company’s website looks can have a big impact on the digital customer experience. If you’ve ever left a website because of a confusing layout, strange image choices, or even slow loading times, then you know just how important web design can be to converting leads and closing sales. However, managing a website design project from start to finish can be quite challenging for many business leaders –– particularly if they don’t have a ton of experience in this field. Thankfully, these four tips will help you effectively lead web development and web design professionals to ensure positive outcomes. Check them out here:

Choose the Right Platform

If you’re starting a website from scratch, then it’s important to select the right web-hosting provider for your business. Some platforms like WordPress and Hubspot allow users the ability to pay for tracking data and other features. Meanwhile, other providers like Squarespace are designed for simplicity and, as such, limit users in other ways. And some businesses may even decide to build their own website –– code and all. Note that however you choose to launch your website, your choice of method will have an impact on how the site looks and functions for years to come. So take this decision seriously.

Provide Clear Direction

No matter how talented your web design staff may be, they still need clear direction from their manager about the scope and depth of the project to produce quality work. As such, it’s crucial for business leaders to give their web dev team all of the resources they need –– including but not limited to:

– Relevant content.
– A wide range of images.
– Branded materials such as company logos.
– Notes on competitor websites.

The more you collaborate with your web development staff, the better the final results of the project will be.

Encourage Creativity

Whether your business is working to perfect the bunionectomy procedure or to provide business signs for companies in your area, a little creativity can go a long way toward improving your website design. While it can be tempting for business leaders to micromanage web designers and developers, it’s important to give them enough space to exercise their creativity. Remember, exciting and appealing websites stand out from the crowd. So don’t be afraid to encourage your staff to try new things.

Test Test Test

Last but certainly not least, businesses must test their website extensively before they release access to the public. Bugs, broken links, or improper layout can undermine otherwise excellent website design and frustrate consumers to no end. Never forget to test and perform maintenance on your site on a regular basis or you’ll have to deal with the fallout sooner than later.