Successfully developing and launching a brand requires understanding the essence of your product, what you stand for as a business, and what your target audience will best respond to. When your business solely exists online, your website becomes the only portal potential customers have to gain insight into your brand. This makes selecting the right website design a critically important aspect for any new or existing business.

As local website developers, our web design team at Local Fresh encounter too many small businesses that rushed the launch of their website without considering how the site would function as more than just a digital business card. Sure, your site might provide potential customers with an address, phone number, and list of available products, but how does it function on social media channels? Does the shopping cart feel intuitive and easy to use? Does the aesthetic of the site reflect your brand? Failing to answer these types of questions before launching a website undermines the value of your brand and sets your business at a considerable disadvantage to the competition.

Website Design with Your Brand in Mind

When Susan Flatau decided to launch her all-natural tattoo and skin care product line, Susie Q. Skin, she understood the need to create a website and e-commerce platform that could not only answer the needs of her new business and brand, but also offered the potential for future growth.

“I wanted to ensure that we had the best platform for social media and mobile purchasing. I know the speed at which today’s lifestyle goes, and it was important that it would be just as easy to purchase off Facebook as it is off a desktop site,” explains Susan.

From the outset, Susan wanted a website that could grow along with her business. As mobile purchases and social media promotion continue to account for a larger percentage of a business’ revenue, a website needs to have the infrastructure in place that maximizes its profit potential through these channels from the beginning.

Even if mobile and social media don’t currently contribute to a large percentage of your business, ignoring these design elements when creating your business’ website will only cost you more in resources (the money spent to eventually upgrade your website) and revenue (the sales lost by exploring these channels later than your competition) over the long-term.

Of course, having the infrastructure in place to maximizes sales across multiple channels doesn’t do much if your website confuses customers about your brand identity.

“I wanted the website to be clean, easy to navigate, and with all the necessary information. Skin care products require so much information, from how the products work to identifying each ingredient and why they are so important.  Incorporating that all into a site that was beautiful and clean, with high functioning mobile purchasing, was paramount,” says Susan.

“Susie Q is a product line that is designed to be clean, beautiful and beneficial.  The website is primed to be able to incorporate our new lines and additional products, all fitting in with our clean, beautiful and beneficial promise.”

Clean, eloquent, and essential. These elements not only describe Susan’s line of all-natural tattoo and skin care products, they are also perfectly captured by Susie Q. Skin’s website design. This aesthetic choice creates a sense of clarity to customers visiting Susieqskin.com about what they can expect from the products they purchase and what kind of brand Susie Q. strives to be.

Flash is too often confused for substance when it comes to web design. While a highly interactive website full of video tutorials, drop down menus, or animation may best serve some types of businesses and brands, it can also clash and cause confusion when this type of design runs counter to the type of brand identity a business like Susie Q. Skin strives to create.

A clean and eloquent website design does far more to reinforce Susie Q.’s brand by simply doing far less.

How Local Fresh Can Help

Our team of local website developers possess the experience, skill, and knowledge to help any small business develop and launch its brand online.

Local Fresh was able to help Susan refine her brand identity for Susie Q. Skin into the high-functioning website that perfectly captures what her line of tattoo and skin care products stand for.

“Local Fresh was great. I was attracted to their site in the beginning and how clean and easy it was to use.  Then once we started working with the team they were fast at answering questions, great at discussing my ideas, and efficient. I would strongly recommend Local Fresh for anyone looking to have a professional site built,” says Susan.

A functioning website isn’t something to just check off a list of what every business needs. Creating a compelling and successful brand requires a website that speaks to your target audience from the outset. Time, effort, and imagination are needed to create a brand. Doesn’t your website deserve the same attention?

Click here to find out how Local Fresh web design team can help.