A user-friendly and effective website should appropriately represent the organization it is promoting and achieve four primary objectives. The best website designs educate and entertain visitors, save everyone time and optimize the user experience. Websites need to have a good mix of functionality and content while being aesthetically-appealing to look at.

 

Included below are the objectives MIBS targets when developing websites for its customers:

1. Educate Visitors

A great website is informative, providing visitors and potential customers with the information they are looking for quickly and concisely. The site should include an easy to use menu structure, search function, internal links and a site map. Having a frequently asked questions section can also be beneficial. Common information that should be included in almost every website includes:

  • Organization purpose (mission, products, services…)
  • Contact information (phone, email, address…)
  • Calls to action (what do you want the website visitor to do?)
    • Buy something
    • Make a donation
    • Call a number
    • Participate at an event
    • Share information
    • Volunteer

Educate Residents

engage-website-visitors

2. Engage Visitors

An optimized organization website provides an open channel of communication. Visitors want to know what is going on in the organization and do not want to have to visit multiple pages to receive the information they are looking for. Websites should maximize communication through the use of tools such as:

  • Calendar of events
  • Notification systems
  • Social media integration
  • Multimedia center
    • Photos
    • Videos

3. Save Everyone Time

An effective website saves time for both customers and your staff by reducing the amount of paper chasing and phone calls. The days of having to receive and send faxes, printing and mailing forms and taking information over the phone should be over. Websites should automate the transfer of information seamlessly. We accomplish this transfer of information by using the following:

  • Online custom forms
  • Online event and asset reservations
  • E-commerce solutions
  • Easy to find FAQ information

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Responsive Website Design

4. Optimize The User Experience

Your website should be easy to use, informative and serve as a positive reflection of your organization. The website should not be confusing, nor should it have hidden pages or broken links (i.e. dead ends). The site needs to deliver a consistent experience regardless of the device, screen size, screen resolution, operating system and browser the user is accessing the website with.

MIBS websites accomplish that through:

  • Tablet and mobile phone-friendly designs
  • Enhanced information flow
  • Common-sense menu structure with drop down and slide-out menu items
  • Interactive search functions
  • Scalable designs that grow with the organization

5. Easy Maintenance

Organizations need to be able to maintain and update their own websites internally. Being dependent on people outside of the organization adds time and money to the process. Plus, you should not have to have the programming knowledge of Bill Gates to make the changes. The best website designers design websites so that they can be easily updated and maintained by the customer’s staff. If an organization is investing money in a website, they should own the site. Not rent it from someone who holds them hostage and charges them to make changes.

Website Training

In conclusion, websites should be assets to organizations. They should effectively promote the organization and drive visitors to take actions. Effective website design involves creating user-friendly sites that can be easily maintained and managed by the organization’s staff once the site have been developed.