Website Branding 101: 9 Tips to Improve Your Branding with Web Design

Many online entrepreneurs are willing to spend $10,000 and more to develop a custom website from the ground up. That does not include the cost of hosting, maintenance, and other supporting services. Having spent such a considerable sum on online presence, you expect the website to be a useful marketing tool.  

Businesses primarily use websites as part of their marketing plan – to promote their brand and engage with customers. Website branding is a crucial part of any online marketing strategy. Your website should convey your brand’s mission and message.

Branding tells the audience who you are and what you do. A website needs to communicate these messages at a glance because most visitors don’t have time to scroll through pages or read long writeups.  

Here are nine tips to help you get started on your website branding.

1. Use Strong Visuals to Communicate Your Brand Message

The first place to start is with graphic design. Use active visual elements to represent your brand. Themes, color schemes, logos, and textual components are powerful visual branding elements.

Match the choice of color and theme to your brand’s outward appeal and voice. This way, visitors will identify your website and associate it with your brand.

Include your already existing logos on every page on the website. If you have a slogan, include it as well, along with the logo. The textual characteristic and other media should also match your brand voice.

Make sure your presence is felt on every page by using creative designs. Another important thing is to keep the graphical layout consistent on every page.  

2. Install Customer Service Plug-Ins

Simple user aids such as virtual assistants go a long way in cementing your relationship with the online audience. We live in an age of automation, and some of these features barely cost a thing.

Install a chatbot to answer customers’ queries. However, don’t forget to have a human assistant standing by to intervene for technical questions. If you feel some functions of the site are too complicated, have a virtual assistant help the users navigate and get results.  

3. Take Visitors Through Your Brand’s Journey

Tell your brand’s story as briefly as possible on the ‘About Us’ page. Humanize your brand by including photos of your team members and allow them to share their personalities and backgrounds. Tell the story of how you started and what you hope to achieve.

Storytelling helps customers relate with your brand in a more intimate level.

4. Display Contact Information on Every Page

Don’t frustrate your customers by having them search for your contact information or click multiple levels to get it. Include your contact links in strategic sections on every page.

You may never know which page your visitors land on first. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that they can reach you with just one click, no matter where they are.

Most websites conveniently include their contacts on the top or bottom margins that don’t refresh with new pages.

5. Use Interactive Media to Explain Your Services

The attention span of most online browsers is very limited. You only have a few seconds to tell a new visitor what your site is about and who you are. If at first glance your website is not convincing, you’ll have high bounce rates.

Replace the scrolling images on the homepage with interactive content like short information-packed videos. Use detailed images that encapsulate your business and attracts attention.

6. Display Social Media Links

If you have a social media presence, let your website visitors know about it. Include links to your social media profiles and encourage engagements. You could even install advanced social media widgets that display recent activities such as posts and chats.

Many customers find it easy to engage with businesses on social media.  

7. Create a Compelling Call to Action

Encourage your visitors to take action by creating a compelling ‘Call to Action’ statement.

Don’t brag about your brand’s reputation, products, or services; focus on how you look to solve your customer’s problems. Use intriguing words and media to provoke a reaction.

Trigger the buying action in a way that seems like their own decision. Remember, if you sell too much, you may come out as desperate.

8. Keep Everything Up to Date

Always update your web content to keep up with changing times and trends.

If you have a blog, it’s optimal to regularly publish fresh content that highlights popular trends in your industry. Update your website’s features as they are released to include new functionality and services. Also, keep refreshing the site’s image by switching up the media elements so that users don’t always see the same thing at every visit.

This tells your customers that your brand is up to grips with current events and concerns.  

9. Keep It Simple

Keep everything organized and neat. Every button and every feature should be right where it’s expected to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with the design or layout –  just make sure to keep the user’s experience a high priority when you’re configuring the site’s navigation.

Ensure the pages are not cluttered; this is a major turnoff for many users. Use a minimalistic design that narrows the user’s attention to the critical features.  

Keep testing your site to make sure that everything works as expected, and the navigation path is well defined. Visitors will associate their experience on your website with the brand. This is a good place to build credibility and show competence.     

Assess Your Website Branding Techniques

Your hard work and huge investment on a commercial website could all go to waste if your website branding is off.

The best way to improve a website’s branding is to put yourself in the shoes of the customer. View the site from their perspective. What would you like to see, what are you ignoring, what information is missing, and what action are you compelled to take?

Website branding is a powerful tool to grow conversions and create lasting relationships with customers. Are you having trouble with business branding? Talk to our creative team of branding and marketing experts to get professional assistance. We are a brand-building agency helping businesses achieve their marketing goals through effective branding strategies.