Web Design | Straight North

Choosing the Best E-Commerce Platform: A Comprehensive Breakdown

admin — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:58:36 +0000

Web Design Tips Tied To Brick-and-Mortar Stores

admin — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

People like to talk about the real world and the virtual world, but the fact is … it’s one world. If you think about your experiences in brick-and-mortar stores, you quickly realize why web design best practices are what they are. To illustrate:

Darkly lit stores make it hard to find what you need, and also create a rather creepy atmosphere. In the same way, poor contrast between text and background (especially light text on dark backgrounds) discourages website visitors.
Long checkout lines annoy customers, and the very sight of them may send foot traffic right out the door again. In the same way, lengthy inquiry forms, lengthy checkout processes and slow-loading web pages turn off visitors in a big way.
Don’t you love self-checkout stations? They help you avoid those long checkout lines. In the same way, one-click checkout, express checkout, one-click inquiry forms and other website processes designed for convenience reel in leads and online revenue.
What about store cashiers who are rude, inattentive and/or unknowledgeable? How does that make you feel about coming back for repeat purchases? In the same way, website content that is condescending, impersonal, vague and/or inaccurate destroys your credibility and makes indifferent or interested prospects downright hostile.
Whether or not you do it, you’ll notice brick-and-mortar stores are crawling with coupon clippers, app checkers and deal searchers of all kinds. In the same way, websites with relevant and enticing offers attract the attention of visitors who are eager to purchase and are just looking for an excuse.
If wandering around a 150,000-square-foot superstore trying to find a box of nails is like looking for a needle in a haystack, the next thing you’re sure to be looking for is another hardware store. In the same way, complex and confusing website navigation is the kiss of death for lead generation and e-commerce websites alike.
Wide aisles are the brick-and-mortar equivalent of white space on a web page. They make visitors comfortable and willing to linger, learn, shop, inquire and buy.

All of these comparisons revolve around one thing: maximizing the visitor’s experience.

People behave like people whether they’re in a store or online. They have the same reactions to the same stimuli. It’s dangerous to ignore this when designing a website, which companies do when they prioritize fancy design, budgeting or some other factor ahead of user experience. It’s our job as web design specialists to keep that from happening with our clients.

In Web Design, The Less You Say The More You Sell

admin — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest problems in website design is when a company tries to cram its whole story on every web page. The “information dump” approach confuses website visitors, and probably drives away more conversions than it attracts. Here’s how a company with nearly $80 billion in quarterly revenue and $27 billion in cash flow does it:

Sixteen words of copy. One simple image for each product. Two simple calls to action (repeated). Tons of white space. Apple has perfected simplicity in web design. How does your website stack up against this benchmark?

Why Saying Too Much Undercuts Lead Generation

You might be thinking that Apple can afford to be edgy in its web design — everybody knows the brand; everybody knows the products. Doesn’t matter! The principles Apple employs on this web page hold true for any business. Consider:

The more you say about your company, products and services, the more likely website visitors are to run across some statement that turns them off.

Too many calls to action create indecision. Learn why.

If calls to action are hard to find because the web page is cluttered, visitors will give up even when they are interested.

The purpose of a lead generation website is to capture conversions — phone inquiries and form conversions. The purpose is not to have the website do the entire sales job.

Cluttered web pages create a negative brand impression. Visitors get the impression your company is as disorganized as your web page.

For mobile users, all of the above problems are magnified a hundredfold. If a web page is cluttered in desktop view, it is going to be nearly incomprehensible on a mobile phone. Disaster! Mobile Internet usage exceeds desktop usage, and the gap is widening. Turning off mobile visitors is a risk no company can afford.

In many businesses, and to meet SEO requirements, detailed content may be necessary, and there are ways to add information to a website without cluttering the design. Technical content can be layered into the website on lower-hierarchy pages, or inserted in tabs or on pop-up screens, for instance. The key is to balance user needs with other business needs, and never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of the website is to generate leads.

Want to discuss your upcoming web design project? If you are looking for a website that does a spectacular job of generating leads, that's what we do!

What Aspect Of Your Website Is Most Important For Lead Generation?

admin — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

When you’re building a new company website, there are a lot of aspects to consider:

Content
Conversion Rate Optimization
Design
Development
Responsive Design (for mobile users)
SEO
User Experience (UX)

Which of these is most important? The correct answer is: All of them.

The key to a successful lead generation website is high-quality balance. Consider:

A website with amazing content and appalling design will not convert.
A website with amazing content, amazing design and appalling calls to action will not convert.
A website with amazing content, amazing design, amazing calls to action and appallingly slow page-loading speed will not convert.

You get the idea.

Today’s website visitors are sophisticated and experienced — and when they come to your website, they are looking for reasons to leave, to take you off their short list of potential suppliers.

Why is this the case? With the flood of information everyone is confronted with these days, online users need filters, and lots of them. It’s easier to find another company than wait for a page to load, read giant blocks of boring text, or scour a web page looking for a phone number.

Rightly or wrongly, people will judge your company, products and services based on your website’s quality. Executing two or three aspects of your website brilliantly is admirable, but not good enough! To capture the lion’s share of sales leads, your website needs to roar.

We can help! If you’d like to discuss your upcoming web design project, or get some feedback on the effectiveness of your existing website, please contact us now.

10 Little Things That Cause Big Problems For Website Users

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

If your company website is going to generate a good flow of sales leads, it has to deliver visitors a great user experience (UX). Visitors interested in your products/services are looking for something — they are liable to be impatient and frustrated if they’ve been searching online for a while, and easily pushed away by anything on your website that gets between them and the information they want.

While companies with lead generation websites generally do well with “big picture” UX issues such as typography, page templates and top-level navigation, it’s often the little things that trip them — and their visitors. Here are 10 “little” things that can become very big obstacles to lead generation:

Broken internal links.
External links that don’t open in a new browser window (it disorients the user).
Links that don’t change color after being clicked.
Hard-to-find phone number, or a number not clearly identified as the one for prospects to call.
No breadcrumbs or submenus for navigating deep into the website content hierarchy.
Contact form with several required fields.
Contact forms without a privacy statement.
Limited anchor text — mobile users in particular have a hard time clicking on links with only a word or two of anchor text.
No internal search function.
Slow page loading (also a major issue for SEO).

Not sure your website is delivering the best possible user experience? Get in touch, and we’ll be happy to give you some specific recommendations.

Custom vs. Stock Photography In Web Design

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Using custom photography in web design is time-consuming and expensive compared with using stock photography, so the question is: Is custom photography worth it? I think the answer is a definite yes, and here is why.

Take Your Site to the Next Level

Custom photography can turn a ho-hum site into one that rocks around the clock. (If lead generation is part of your strategy, then a handful of leads a year makes up the cost — and then some — of the custom photography.)
If budgeting is an issue, use custom photographs selectively, on pages that get the most views and have the most impact on conversions.
To further adjust for budget issues, consider high-end stock images that are more eye-catching than those stock photos you see every day.

Instant Credibility

Gain credibility with customers and prospects. When they see your actual staff and actual facilities, they’ll know you’re a real organization — and not one made out of smoke and mirrors.
Custom photography lets site visitors know you don’t cut corners, that you value them enough to make a good first impression. No company wants a reputation for being cheapskates.

Be Unique

Today’s site visitors spend a lot of time online, so they’ve seen those stock photo faces and offices again and again. Using them not only makes your site bland, it may lead visitors to conclude your company is not only unimaginative, but also unaware of how unimaginative it is!
This last point illustrates the real problem with stock photography. The few great images out there are overused to the max; to stand out with stock photos, you thus need to use ones that aren’t so great. There’s really no escape from this dilemma other than custom images.

Be Real

A serious weakness of stock photography is that the images look staged, not like real situations. C’mon, does anyone who works for you put on a cheesy smile and give a thumbs-up to the camera?

When you capture employees in their work environment, you make your company real, something to which visitors can relate. This makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to persuade people to believe you, trust you and do business with you.

The Fold Is Dead

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

“Above the fold” and “below the fold” are two design terms that have become increasingly irrelevant to web design.

The origins of “fold” come from print media, newspapers in particular. Headlines and leads “above the fold” were calculated to grab people’s attention and sell papers on the street or at newsstands.

In the early days of the Web, when screen sizes were more or less uniform, the concept of the fold carried over. Companies tried to jam as much alluring information and conversion elements as possible above the fold, based on the assumption users would not bother to scroll down to find the information. For many business websites, this assumption proved to be true; the development of website analytics confirmed user behavior patterns that conformed to the theory.

Today, however, everything has changed. Considering the wide range of desktop monitors and resolutions, along with the explosion in Internet use on smartphones and tablets, screen sizes are anything but uniform. One person’s above-the-fold view is another person’s whole page view!

To adapt to this wide range of screen sizes, web designers often use responsive design techniques, to create a page view on mobile devices that is substantially different in appearance from the desktop view. Responsive design facilitates scrolling on mobile phones, something users seem to actually prefer.

Desktop users, we should remember, also figure to be mobile users. As such, they are accustomed to scrolling. Even in desktop view, the idea of scrolling for more information has taken root; jamming every bit of essential information above the fold, even for desktop viewing, no longer seems relevant.

Implications of the Dead Fold

Content rules all: The key is to produce smart, digestible content that gives users a reason to want to see more.

Along these lines, a storytelling approach works very well, since a storyline gives content a vertical, hierarchical structure that lends itself perfectly to a scrolling mentality. Not only does storytelling fit modern technology, it brings back an ancient form of expression that worked well for centuries before TV and “interruption advertising” temporarily derailed it.

Bottom line: Give users a reason to want to see more rather than forcing all the information on them at once. This approach to web design will produce conversions and sales leads, whereas the old above-the-fold method will produce only confusion and lost opportunities.

Web Design Tips For Fixed Navigation And Calls To Action

admin — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The main thing to keep in mind for fixed navigation and calls to action: less is more. Too much clutter and too many options confuse website visitors and actually accomplish the opposite of what is intended — instead of attracting leads, overdesign drives them away. Here are a few important things I always keep in mind on a Web design project.

Fixed Calls to Action

Use only the most important calls to action, such as Sign Up, Contact and Schedule.

Create a fixed call to action only when necessary, rather than dilute the message by having it appear on every site page. For example, do not have an aggressive “order now” CTA on a detailed information page. Give users time to research before bombarding them with suggestions on what to do next.

Fixed Navigation

Keep main navigation to a minimum. Keep in mind that as a window starts to shrink from a desktop view, at some point that navigation has to go to a secondary option. The more pages you have in the main navigation, the quicker the display shifts to a hamburger navigation icon or mobile menu.

Avoid Clutter

Keep it simple: one message at a time. Giving users three options to choose from only decreases the chances of them clicking on the one you really want them to.
Do not use a fixed header and footer at the same time. Not only can one distract from the other, the combination will eat too much screen space for mobile users. A good solution is to add your main CTA button to your main navigation. This gives you the best of both worlds, although doesn’t leave much space for messaging. That problem, however, can be a blessing in disguise — too much messaging often creates clutter and deters conversions.

The Importance Of White Space In Web Design

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

White space is a design feature that we need to emphasize with clients all the time. It is extremely important to the user experience and lead/revenue generation, and without it a great deal of the client’s investment in a new website will be lost.

1. What Is White Space?

Areas in a design layout that contain nothing (or an empty space) are considered white space.

Too little white space and the layout will feel crowded, forced and even a little desperate. Picture any older website that has the fold as the main driver of the layout. This will have you clicking the back button within seconds without even realizing why.

2. Why It’s Needed

When properly used, white space creates more interest in other areas. If there isn’t enough white space, it can become overwhelming to the user to know what to focus on. There is usually a main goal/call to action for every page. If the page is too busy, the user will get distracted — and will be less likely to click on the action button.

When there is empty space to the left and right of an object, the user is forced to focus on the middle. It follows in the footsteps of the saying: “Keep it simple, stupid.” So if there are promos or other information to the left and right of a section, your chances of converting them on that middle section dramatically decreases.

White space can create balance as well. To achieve this, alternate where the white space lives as you scroll down the page; it will seem lopsided if all the open space is to one side or the other.

3. People Love It … Until It Is Applied to Their Website

If I had to choose one website as a great example of what a client likes, it would be Apple’s website. The problem is, most of these clients don’t know why they like it.

Apple uses large, beautiful images, minimal text and … lots and lots of white space! Even after a client says Apple’s is the type of site it likes, it usually balks when seeing its own content incorporate Apple’s key design element — white space.

There seems to be an animal instinct to fill that space! The job of the designer is to educate and convince the client why that empty space is needed.

Mobile Considerations

For responsive websites, ample white space is a must. If there is a section that takes up the entire screen on your mobile phone, common sense says it will have a lot more room within that section when you view the site on a desktop version. However, if the desktop section is filled with stuff, how will you get all that information into the same section on a mobile phone view? The answer is, you can’t and won’t. Responsive layouts need room to breathe in their desktop format, so as to be condensed for easy mobile viewing. Without white space, the value of a responsive website is drastically reduced.

5 Quick Design Tips For Conversion Elements And Forms

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One thing a lead generation website should do is convert! Here are five design ideas that work for us.

1. Use a fixed header or footer with main call to action.

Can have it slide in and out to catch the user’s eye.

Remains in the user’s view at all times, in case he/she is ready to reach out.

2. Don’t overwhelm the user with too many options.

The “keep it simple, stupid” phrase is something I try to remind myself regularly while laying out a design.

White space plays a large role in this. Jamming different things for the user to do into one space will only cause confusion and anxiety. Give the user one or two conversion options, at most.

3. CTA button colors matter.

Don’t change the main call to action (CTA) button color throughout the site.

CTA buttons should be a color that stands out from the rest of the colors on your site, but still must maintain the branding and color scheme.

4. Tell users what you want them to do.

Don’t make it a mystery where you want them to go and what you want them to see.

Figure out your most important call to action and how to get them there the easiest way possible.

5. Keep your form fields to a minimum.

Sure, it would benefit your sales process to get as much info as possible on a potential customer. But if you got no information, is that better? Usually, just getting the customer to raise his/her hand is enough.

A “quick form” attached above the footer — or throughout the site — can be a great way to get someone to sign up for a newsletter without asking for too much info.

If you provide users with something that benefits them, or increases their knowledge of a subject, it will give them incentive to submit the form — a free PDF download works terrifically.

How Responsive Websites Generate More Leads

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

For lead generation, responsive websites are almost always necessary. Here is a quick rundown of why we feel very strongly about responsive websites.

Positive First Experience

If someone accesses your website on a mobile device and has a poor experience, he/she is not likely to return. In business scenarios, a lot of people may do initial vetting on a mobile device, and then dig deeper on a desktop. If you don’t make a good first impression, game over.

In some cases, a person will struggle with a non-responsive website because he/she has little or no choice. A well-optimized responsive website better respects your mobile visitor’s time. Better to get an enthusiastic lead than a grudging lead.

Visibility

A significant number of online users are not using a desktop. Without a responsive website, you are essentially losing what could be half or more of your prospects. What business is so profitable that it can afford to ignore such a vast opportunity?

Search engines prioritize responsive websites over non-responsive ones, especially (but not exclusively) for mobile searches. Companies investing in SEO dampen the lead generation results of their campaigns when they go to battle with a non-responsive website.

Usability

Browsing a non-responsive website on a mobile device is clumsy. Even if a visitor is a prospect, he/she may not be able to figure out how to make contact. People are notoriously impatient online.

Responsive websites have multiple optimizations to make the mobile experience easier, such as larger buttons and a website that fits the screen of the device being used. These design features are rarely a disadvantage in desktop viewing, and are often an enhancement.

Unlike a separate mobile website, a responsive website is easier to maintain, and simpler for customers and prospects to understand. Having multiple websites may confuse people about which website to use. Confusion equals missed lead opportunities.

The Importance Of Good Copy In Lead Generation Design

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

It’s a Marriage

You can’t get to the result of an excellent website without the combination of good copy and design. You can look at them like a marriage — they have to work together to be successful.

SEO is extremely important in lead generation. Keeping a strong relationship between copywriter and designer is a must. Sometimes, there is more information than space, and tabs are a good solution to keep all of the content confined in one place. Without strong communication, there will be hiccups.

Designing with Dummy Text Will Cause Problems

Good design first needs good content. Content that comes after the design rarely fits into place. You will end up re-designing the layout to make it fit, so it just makes sense to avoid designing twice. That doesn’t mean that you can’t collaborate with the copywriter if you know you only have a certain amount of space to work with.

Playing off the content can greatly improve the experience, whether it’s a pun or literal. Snappy phrasing can be used to divide the story into sections that leads the user down the page to help him quickly understand who you are and what you do. Working with puns can create some interesting sections and visuals! If you don’t have the right copy, you will never have the opportunity to achieve that next level.

Our Earthwise Environmental home page design made use of puns:

Responsive Design – Content Issues

Content for websites need to be written with a responsive platform in mind. Headlines and body sections will grow in size when using smaller devices. Having headlines or call to actions that are too long will create problems on smaller devices.

Short and sweet! Users don’t have time to read every paragraph on your site. Get them to the right place without forcing them to read too much.

Design, copywriting and copyediting must work in real time when headline and body-content length are issues; since it is easier to blend design and word counts properly now, rather than having round after round of revisions.

The most important objective in lead generation is to get that user to reach out. If you don’t have conveniently placed calls to action or promos, it will be difficult to convert those people.

Creating more white space on desktop versions will help with spacing and placement on smaller screens as well, helping users focus on important messages and calls to action. The Pierre’s Ice Cream Company home page makes great use of white space:

If designers and copywriters are flexible and collaborate at the early stages of design, the product always turns out better — resulting in, among other things, many more leads!