How can I make my website look more professional?

Last updated 23.03.2020

Although you might think you have relatively good concentration, on the internet this is likely to be a lot shorter: the average attention span is around eight seconds. This means that you have a limited amount of time to make an impression on the site user: if your online business looks unprofessional and visually unaesthetic, then most people are likely to click off your website, without really looking at the content you offer.

A professional web design ensures that the traffic flow to your website will want to remain, exploring what else you have to offer. With a strong web design, it is easy to make your online business appear all the more professional.

Image is everything 

Having a visually appealing web design is paramount if you want to draw potential customers to your site. Although it is tempting to cram your website with anything that you feel would be of benefit to your users, in the website world, less is more. Google conducted a huge study, revealing that visitors are put off by visual complexity: by keeping your website design minimal, you can create a sleek, attractive appearance, which draws visitors to other parts of your website.

This also shows to visitors that your business is professional: you have taken the time to ensure your web design is of a high quality, which tells the visitor that you’re not an amateur, and that you can be trusted.

Using images is also a great way to add to your professional image. Uploading photos onto a photo gallery really helps people get a good idea as to what you can offer them – they should be well lit, and of high quality to maintain a standard of professionalism.

For example, if you’ve got a website for your restaurant then posting images of your food can really draw people in: by physically seeing the high-quality delights you offer, they are more likely to want to come and dine in your establishment. Or, if you’re a corporate business, posting images of your employees within your firm, or any events you’ve attended adds a personal touch to your online business.

Optimise your website for speed and compatibility

Having a site which is optimised for internet use is essential. Having a poorly optimised site can really put a visitor off your website, prompting them to click off almost immediately. According to Kissmetrics, 47% of customers expected a website to load within 2 seconds; most of us expect a fast website, and if we feel a website is too slow, this can prompt us to look elsewhere.

This also weighs heavily on your SEO – search engine optimisation – ranking. If Google sees that your website has a high bounce rate (in other words, it notices a lot of people clicking off your website quickly), then it is more likely to index you lower on its search engine results, meaning that your website has poor online visibility.

By optimising your website so that it loads quickly, people are more likely to stay on your site for longer, which tells Google that your website is a reliable website, and that it should be ranked higher on search engine results.

It’s also important that your site can be accessed both on computer and mobile devices. Considering that BrightEdge have reported that 57% of traffic is from smartphones and tablets, it is key that your website can be easily used, no matter how it is accessed.. Indeed, it would be damaging if over half of the potential visitors to your site couldn’t see what you have to offer because you haven’t optimised your site effectively.

Don’t overlook social media 

Social media is an invaluable source to use to add another edge of professionalism. By linking social media with your website, you can create a link between the two, enabling site users to follow your social media accounts, meaning that they stay updated over the latest news and offers that your business has to offer.

With social media you can also get creative: holding a live stream on Facebook or Instagram is a great way to generate interest around your business. Considering that Forbes have reported that people spend up to three times longer watching a video which is live, rather than pre-recorded, live streaming is a great way to market yourself. Whether you’re sharing your expertise on the latest bit of news, or demonstrating how to use a product that you sell, live streaming can add a unique, individual edge to your business.

Of course, Facebook or Twitter is also a great tool to use if you want to post quick updates on the go, or encourage people to ask you questions. The success of Old Spice after they started up a video response to questions is a sterling example of how social media can open up endless doors: within one week of the response campaign, the number of views on their Youtube channel went up to 40 million, and by the end of the year sales were up by 125%.

Whilst it might seem difficult to know where to start when building your site, KitStart is a great option for those who are daunted by the prospect. We offer ready to go professional web designs, which can be fully customised to your liking, and optimises your website so that it can be accessed on any device.

We use cookies to enable the best functioning and security of our websites, and help us offer you the best possible user experience. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of these cookies for advertising and analytics. You can change your cookie settings at any time. For more information, please read our privacy policy. View more
Cookies settings
Accept
Privacy & Cookie policy
Privacy & Cookies policy
Cookie name Active
Privacy Policy

  KitStart is a brand name owned by BaseKit Platform Ltd. This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect any information that you provide to BaseKit when you use the KitStart app or any other websites hosted by BaseKit. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Any personal information you provide when using our products or services will only be used in accordance with this policy. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. We will inform you of any changes made to this policy directly using the email address registered when you set up a KitStart account. You should check this page to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from January 2023. What information do we collect? As a minimum, we require the following information in order for you to register for a free two week trial account with KitStart:
  • Your first name and last name
  • Your email address
  • A password
Should you wish to upgrade your free two week trial account to a paid Start Simple or Start Premium account you will need to provide additional information, including:
  • Your full postal address including your postcode / zip code
  • Payment card details

We use third party providers for all card payments so we do not store your postal address or payment card details in our database at any time.

We’re not able to take responsibility for any information that you submit (for example via contact forms) via websites created and published by KitStart users.

How we use the information you provide

The information that we collect and store about you is primarily used to enable us to provide you with products and services related to KitStart. However, we may also use your information:

  1. To help us improve our products and services
  2. To send you email communications about special offers, news, hints and tips, product updates or other information which we think you may find helpful
  3. To contact you for product and market research purposes

Note that we will only use your information as described in points 2 and 3 above when you have explicitly opted in to receive such communications. You may opt out of these communications at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe link in any email or by sending a request to support@basekit.com.

Storing your personal data

We store the data we collect on secure servers in data centres located in Europe. Any data we store is only accessible directly by a small number of authorised staff.

We may use third party suppliers to provide services such as payment card processing. These parties may store your data in locations outside of the EEA. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy.

We use a customer management and billing system called Upmind. To discover more about Upmind, how and why they collect, store, use and share personal data, please view the Upmind Privacy Policy here. The privacy policy will also detail your rights in relation to your personal information, and how to contact Upmind and supervisory authorities in the event that you have a complaint.

We will store your data for as long as you have an active account, whether it is a free account or a paid account. For all dormant accounts, we keep data for up to 5 years after which it is securely deleted.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is completely secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic, and managerial processes to secure and safeguard the data we collect and store.

The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent to us electronically. The transmission of data is entirely at your own risk.

How we use cookies

A cookie is a small file which allows websites and apps to identify individual users and store information about each user’s preferences. A cookie does not give access to any more information than a user chooses to provide. We use cookies:

  • To identify users and provide personalised content and features
  • To identify the content and features that are being used by the user

The third party suppliers that we work with may also use cookies for similar purposes. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy.

You may choose to enable or disable cookies. Most web browsers automatically enable cookies, but you can usually modify a browser’s settings to disable cookies if you prefer. If you disable cookies you will not be able to use our apps and you may not be able to take full advantage of our websites.

Disclosing your information

We may disclose your information to third party suppliers that we work with to provide our products and services. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy.

We may also disclose your information where we are required to do so by law.

Controlling your personal information 

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  1. When registering your account with KitStart, you may opt in to receive promotional email communications.
  2. If you receive a promotional email, you may opt out by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.
  3. At any time you can opt out of promotional email communications by sending a request to support@basekit.com.
  4. If you would like us to delete all the information we have collected about you, send a request to support@basekit.com.
  5. If you would like to otherwise restrict the use of the information we have collected about you, send a request to support@basekit.com.

Should you wish to access the information we hold about you, please send a request to support@basekit.com.

Save settings
Cookies settings