From my startup experience building a student freelancing platform, web design certainly took a backseat. The platform itself was the star of the show, connecting college students with local businesses. In our initial pilot, we connected students from The Ohio State University with local businesses throughout Columbus and Ohio. This localized approach was replicated in other cities and states throughout the Midwest.
As a growing and nimble startup, we soon realized we had to dress the part. A professional business should look polished, and if we engage with investors, our website is the first place they’ll check. As such, we needed to satisfy the basics for our potential customers and investors. I’ve translated my startup learnings below to explain why startups must prioritize their web design to improve their chances of success.
A Great and Lasting Impression from Good Web Design Results in Better Conversion
Every person who interacts with your brand will explore your website. You only have one shot with them, so don’t waste it, and always lead with your best foot. Wow them in every way possible, from design and content to layout:
- Design – strive for uniqueness and stay true to your brand. Remember, branding isn’t a short race but rather a journey. Big-name brands like Nike took decades to build up their brand, so be patient and persistent. In addition, there’s a reason why McDonald’s chose red and yellow to invoke appetite as well as instill excitement around their brand. Trust me, McDonald’s triggers this in our kids every time we drive past one. Therefore, your logo, color palettes, and typography should be thoughtfully chosen and consistently used across all media. As an added bonus, avoid using branded footers from content management systems like GoDaddy or Wix. The last thing you should portray is that your startup is a pet project hosted on one of these services!
- Content – having a unique web design is good, but great content is better for a startup. SEO is essential to what you’re doing and will be doing for the long haul of your business. You’ve got several stakeholders to consider, so ensure that you have enough content on your site to satisfy their needs: investors look for a solid product-market model fit, while customers look for how you’ll solve their pain points. Additionally, there’s always an urge to design something eye-popping, but that usually leaves your company lacking in helpful content for your customers. Ultimately, given the option to invest more in avant-garde web designs or content, pick content.
- Layout – how you display your website content makes a difference in how people engage with it. As English speakers, we read in an F-pattern, so prioritizing the most critical content from the top left to the right and then from the top to the bottom is key. In doing so, you’ll feed your customers and stakeholders the core content they seek in a limited amount of time. Think about it, why would you bury the most important content at the bottom of the page? We’re oversimplifying the layout, but this is one of many design elements that must be considered when showcasing your startup.
An excellent first impression will greatly improve your chances of those early conversions and sales with customers. As a result, you gain the momentum needed to ignite those initial conversations with investors. Investors who find you will be more inclined to engage with a more polished business site than your next competitor. Work with an expert web design team, like Uplancer, to take your startup website to the next level.
Keep Your Visitors Engaged and Avoid Stale Web Design
The purpose of your website has to have a commercial purpose as well as an informational purpose. Commercially, you want to sell your product or service by leading with it first. Communicate your customers’ pain points and why your solution is their only solution. This is the hook to engage your customers. You must get this right to have a chance at succeeding as a startup.
From an informational perspective, you’ll have two user types: customers and investors. Customers want to understand more about you and your brand. They want to confirm that you’re an active company in your industry. Information can be shared through testimonials, case studies, blogs, news and events, and information about your team and company.
On the other hand, investors want to know two things: 1) You’re progressing with your startup, and 2) you’re going above and beyond your competition. As such, they’ll benchmark and monitor your progress through events, partnerships, and other newsworthy activities you share publicly. Keep investors interested in your startup by sharing your progress.
For customers and investors, a stale website (one that hasn’t changed in months or years) equates to a stale business. If you’re not making updates, you’ll start giving customers away to competitors. Maintaining an active commercial and informational presence has a side effect: improved SEO! Your site will climb the ranks and get noticed sooner, increasing your monthly website traffic.
A Startup Must Provide Convenient Mediums for Communication
It’s a strange experience landing on a startup website to see only an email as the contact method. Implement contact forms, social media channels, email, phone, and any method to make it easier for your customers and investors to contact and hear from you. A diverse communication channel will invite conversations that may not have existed through phone or email only. The other thing you want to think about is that you want your digital marketing efforts to go the distance. You’ll have the opportunity to have multiple touchpoints to increase the likelihood of a sale. Setting these communication channels up is crucial and can be done by a dedicated web design team, like Uplancer.
The Bottom Line / TLDR
Building a startup website isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about making a lasting impression, sharing your story, and driving engagement. Prioritize unique, consistent designs, compelling content, and an intuitive layout to captivate both customers and investors. Keep your site active with fresh updates, testimonials, and news to showcase growth and credibility. Finally, offer diverse communication channels to connect easily with your audience and enhance your marketing efforts. A polished, strategic website can be the key to your startup’s early success and long-term growth.
Connect with Uplancer today for a free consultation on building or enhancing your startup website.
