Whatever the nature of your business, the success of your website depends upon its ability to communicate your message clearly and unambiguously to visitors. Here are the elements you need to be aware of to make sure this happens.

1. Stated purpose:

   New visitors should be able to quickly get an idea of a website’s purpose and its primary reason for existence. State it clearly on the Home Page. If your purpose involves having visitors take a certain action (such as buying a product, filling out an information request, signing up to a newsletter), they should understand exactly what it is that you want from them.

2. Absence of clutter:

   One of the reasons a minimal approach to design can be so effective is because it gives you more control over the message that visitors are sure to receive. With less going on, visitors will not be distracted by extra items and will see only the primary messages being presented to them.

3. Subtle visual impact:

   Although your colours scheme has to reflect your corporate colours, make sure that the excessive use of colour does not affect readability and detract from what you are trying to say. Similarly, typography can sometimes be a subtle detail in the design of a site, but it can also have a significant impact on communication. Don’t overdo the fancy fonts and italics!

4. Professional quality images:

   The images used in websites have a huge impact on communication, because they will typically be noticed by visitors before text will be read. Make sure they’re professional quality, and use them to complement your text and message.

5. Intuitive navigation:

   Every website will have some pages or sections of the site that are more significant than others. The navigation used on a page will communicate to visitors which pages are most important, or at least what’s relevant to the page that they’re currently reading. Make sure the visitor can easily navigate between key areas on your site without having to return to a landing page every time or retrace a complicated route. Icons are only of value if they are intuitive enough so that visitors know right away what they will do.

6. A clear eyepath:

   It’s a known fact that design decisions can impact how the visitors’ eyes will first explore the page, and the habits of our eyes can also impact what aspects of a page get the most attention, and what may be overlooked. What part of the design will catch visitors’ eyes first? Make sure you direct attention to the sections of the page that are most important.

7. The use of whitespace:

   The whitespace used around text and throughout the design will play a role in how easy or difficult it is for the reader to get the intended message. Earlier we looked at how minimal designs can promote clarity of message, and whitespace is often a big factor in this. Providing some whitespace around the important message will make it stand out more and will give it the appearance of importance.

8. Language as an important tool:

   The words you use will say a lot about the site and the company, good or bad. Professional websites should make every effort to portray professionalism with the language and the grammar being used.

9. Organization to increase accessibility:
   • Headers and sub-headers quickly give the visitor an idea of what content will follow and they break up the text to make it more readable. They are great for getting the attention of visitors and pulling them in to text that they might not read otherwise. Also, headers also have some value in SEO.
   • If used effectively, taglines can be a great communication and branding tool. The tagline gives you the opportunity to tell visitors how you want to be remembered and can help to distinguish your site.
   • Formatting is essential. The same content formatted in two different ways can produce drastic results. When dealing with content on the web, it’s essential to break it up so it can easily be read on-screen. This means using short paragraphs, headers and sub-headers, adequate spacing between lines and paragraphs, lists, etc.

A website is often the first contact someone will have with your company, and you have only seconds to tell them who you are and what you stand for. Make sure that the design of your site helps you in this crucial communication, instead of putting off a potential customer because you did not focus on crisp clean messages, communicated via good design.

www.shilpaarchitects.com

The Background:

Founded in 1979 by Sheila Sri Prakash, an award winning Architect and Designer, Shilpa Architects Planners Designers is today an international company based in Chennai, India. Although Shilpa and its subsidiaries have executed projects globally, the company is best known for its culturally-sensitive and sustainable Indo-centric designs, and has been responsible for several landmark projects on the Indian architectural scene. The firm’s award winning work can be seen in Belgium, Japan, USA, and China, and also across India at the Mahindra World City, Larsen & Toubro’s South City Integrate Township, IL&FS’ residential townships, Taj Hotels and Resorts in Pondicherry, and the Madras Art Museum, among others.

The Problem:

Shilpa’s old website had many limitations:

• It was out-of-date and cumbersome. New projects, awards, and media coverage were not featured. All the information on it was yesterday’s news.
• There was no information on the very things that set the firm apart -  its founder, design philosophy, and areas of specialization. A visitor was likely to leave without understanding the core values and special skills that made the company unique.
• It was not a content-management site. It required a Programmer to add inputs, which made maintenance tedious and expensive.
• It was not socially aware – there were no links to Social Media , and the company was conspicuous by its absence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
• It lacked a Search Box, so information had to be obtained by navigating through the whole site – a challenge given the number of projects in the portfolio..
• There was no Blog to allow the reporting of new developments as they occurred, or to allow the firm’s leaders to reach out with their thoughts and opinions.
• Finally, the site was SEO incompatible. It did not rank highly on major Search Engines, it lacked a Sitemap, and it was cumbersome to find unless you knew the exact URL, thus discouraging casual visitors.

What Shilpa Did About It:

Shilpa conducted a global search for the best company suited to develop their vision and chose Cepios Software Solutions, a local company offering complete web solutions, to revamp their website. Cepios specializes in delivering world-class websites, and offers a wide array of services from design to deployment under one roof. Cepios also undertakes the creation of a web strategy that drives business, increases ROI on marketing, and builds the brand. The brief was to improve Shilpa’s brand perception, raise awareness, and ultimately impact the business.

What Did Cepios Change?

Cepios carefully assessed the requirements of the company, took into account its brand image and strengths, and changed the website from the inside out.

1. Contemporary look and feel:
   Cepios designed a sleek, contemporary user interface that was complemented by dramatic visual appeal. It had a clean, uncluttered appearance, with all the information organized and easily accessible.
2. Brand Association:
   An architectural firm must have a website that has a strong visual impact, with images that are memorable and instantly identifiable. It was important to emphasize the design aspect of the projects executed – the challenge was to showcase Shilpa’s eye-catching designs on every page. By using images as backgrounds, the new website made sure that every distinctive image would be associated with the Shilpa brand.
3. Quantum of Information:
   It was important to have all the information about the company in one place. Therefore separate sections were created to highlight the profile of the Founder and the achievements and milestones of the company. This served to emphasize the breadth of experience, significant achievements and variety of skills and services on offer.
4. Interactive and responsive elements:
   With a Blog that is regularly updated, and links to the company’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, the new website allows for a more active user experience. It also enables the company to be more agile and responsive to visitors, making it more accessible and user-friendly.
5. Content management facility:
   The new website allows the client to easily add new content on every page. This keeps the site fresh and relevant, and attracts first-time visitors into coming back to check out new updates. It also accommodates the company’s growth plans, allowing the site to grow with the company.
6. Compatibility:
   The new website has cross-browser compatibility, as well as being iPad compatible. With the changing profile of web use today, this makes it accessible to a large number of visitors who would have navigated away without these features.

What Difference Did It Make?

Shilpa’s new website projects the image the company needed to convey. With a much higher quality and volume of information now available on the site, it is now apparent that it is a world-class international firm with strong roots in the Indian tradition.

Amrit Sahasranamam, CFO of Shilpa says  “The ultimate aim of building a new website was to drive traffic to the site – by making it socially active, utilizing different media within the site, and creating an active Blog, this aim is well on its way to being met.”

Was It Worth It?

Since every business is different and has different needs, custom-designed website makeovers help to fit your website into a larger marketing strategy in such a way that your website actually begins to work for you, and doesn’t simply serve as decoration. High Search Engine rankings lead to increased traffic, a surge in Brand Awareness, and ultimately more business.

Shilpa Architects thought it was worth it. You might too.