8 TIPS FOR BUILDING YOUR BRAND THROUGH WEB DESIGn
If you are looking to build your brand through a new or redesigned website, there are a few basic rules in which we live by to create the best possible website for any brand building exercise. You brand image directly influences your consumers, as well as how and when they buy from you, so it needs to be above the game. Your brand image should contain consistent imagery, consistent copy, consistent layout options, and your brand at the forefront of their line of vision.
Branding is complex, there is no doubt about it. Across all types of media, you must have consistency, so your brand integrity grows. Strong brand integrity means strong brand equity, which brings strong sales figures. Branding especially applies to your website, as this is the point of contact most people will have with your brand to begin a relationship.
Whether you are building a large global eCommerce site or a small business website dedicated to your local area, it must contain the below consistencies to be successful.
Consistency
When building a website, you want to create something that people will remember. The best way to make people remember anything is by repeating it, and that’s where consistency comes into it for your website. Consistency when building a website helps to make people remember your brand image. Repeating your themes, your brand colours, fonts, and every other aspect of your brand will create a uniform image of your brand that people will remember.
Size And Position Of The Logo
Generally, your logo will appear top left or top centre on every page of your website. Keeping this simple will ensure people remember who you are , and what site they are on. Size is important as well, and it must be appropriately sized to suit both desktop and mobile applications.
Colours
Using a great choice of colours for your website is as important as creating your logo and brand image to begin with. Stick to a basic colour palette that reflects your brand.
Character
Infusing your brand with a bit of character never hurts. Look at twitter – their brand character is a bird. Simple, yet very effective uses of character throughout your website will make people remember. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need a mascot, character can be a simple swish, like Nike, or a series of shapes that are part of your brand logo.
Emotion
Emotion is an important element of a website. If you are going for a rustic homemade product range website style, your site will look very different than if you were a fast food restaurant. You need to attract the right attention by drawing on emotions of your target market. Using images and colour palettes that reflect that is another factor to consider when building your brand. What feelings and emotions do you want people to experience when they visit your site? What sort of things do you want them to associate with your brand?
Reusing Code And Visuals
Consistent layouts and images throughout your website is vital for a few reasons. Not only does it look aesthetically pleasing, but it actually makes your site run faster. Using the same content sections allows your site to load faster as it doesn’t need to constantly download new information. It also comes back to the consistency element that makes people remember.
Easy Navigation
When someone arrives at your site, they need to easily be able to navigate to find what they are looking for. Make your headers easy to use, include drop down options and let them know on the top of each page what is on each page.
Tone Of Voice
The language, or website copy on your site needs to represent your brand image and personality. If your business is targeted at youth or tech savvy people, the language you use should portray the image you want to push for your brand. Depending on the type of business you are, your language will differ from casual to formal. It’s not what you say, but how it is said.
A website is one of the best ways you can build your brand online. You can sell products on your website, you can sign people up for your services and you will gain business if it is done right. If you need any assistance with web design on a budget, contact us today.
