Not sure what accessibility changes will have the most benefit to your existing software? Are you in the build process and need to make sure accessibility has been appropriately considered? Use this checklist as a starting point.
If you own a business, you need a website – a great website.
Blunt? Yes. True? Yes. Great topic sentence? Maybe not.
But it is the truth. Sure, some businesses can survive without having a website. They’re out there. But if you’re a small business owner sans website, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. More and more people shop online every day; more and more people hop on Google to find a local business as opposed to the ol’ Yellow Pages. It’s how the up-and-coming generations operate, and it will only tilt more and more in that direction as time goes on.
Alright, so I’ve convinced you that a website is important (thanks to my majestic abilities as a wordsmith… no?). But here is where we enter the debate regarding “Any Old Website” vs. a “Quality Website”. Tough to define terms, but I’ll try my best.
Any old website is a website that does not reflect your business, your product, or your mission. Any old website is one that immediately screams unprofessional! the moment the viewers eyes land on the home page. Chaotic design; poor navigation and usability; design that looks like someone’s nephew got a hold of a WYSIWYG editor and the neon color palette. “Any Old Website” is not better than no website at all, in my opinion.
A “Quality Website” is a website that projects professionalism at first glance. When your potential clients land on your homepage, you want them to know that they’re in the right place and that your business is one they can trust. A “Quality Website” is modern and changes with the times, just like your business has to to stay on top. There are lots of little details that make a quality website, but those are a good start.
No matter what your industry, there are competitors out there, and they are easy to find. If your website doesn’t invite your potential clients in – if you don’t look professional – your potential clients will back away slowly from your HTML-trainwreck and run to your competitor (who has a well-designed, easily navigable website). I’ve seen it happen time and time again, and I can’t count how many times I’ve been searching online for a service provider of some sort, only to come to a poorly designed site. As a first impression, it’s a bad one – and I’ve left and continued my search. Who knows? Maybe that business does the best work in the city. But because their site projected an amateur image, I left in pursuit of someone who at least looks like they know what they’re doing at first glance.
So don’t just throw up any old website and expect the money to roll in. Do your research and find a designer whose style you like – a designer who listens to you and can translate your business’ services and values into a web presence. If you invest in a quality website, you have just opened up a huge avenue for potential customers – and you will make back that cost and then some.