When you look at this fast moving global marketplace, I am always amazed at the copious amounts of Web Design Firms in existence! Now, I have certainly outsourced my own share of Web Design projects and I have personally experienced two types of designers: Conversion-Friendly and Conversion-Unfriendly Designers. Well what do I mean by that….

A Conversion friendly designer is one that is very in tune with the online sales/signup conversion process and understands those “unfriendly” design elements that would cause a user to exit your site in hurry, such as a confusing layout and color scheme, inproper use and placement of images, unreadable text, poor navigation,  etc…

There are many highly talented designers on the market today that  skillfully create visually appealing sites with the use of cool flash technology and dazzling graphics, but ultimately result in many users making a quick exit from these sites. These particular designers are creative, but not conversion-friendly. Studies have show that over 50% of new site users will bail in 0-8 seconds. So, it is essential you are incorporating the proper design elements that compel them to stay beyond that 8 second mark and towards the ultimate goal - a conversion!

So, in outsourcing your important website or landing page project, it is important to recruit designers who understand the online buying cycle and have a good handle on current Internet Marketing practices. Otherwise, you could end with a pretty site, but dismal results and high exit rates!

Now you might be saying to yourself….How do you screen for “conversion-friendly” designers? Good question…Well, as I have mentioned previously, “Knowledge is Power”. It is important that either yourself or someone in your marketing team has a decent understanding of Conversion design and the elements and process required to make a good converting website or landing page. This is a common mistake made by many… Choosing to outsource a project without having  a good working knowledge of the skills required for the project. 

Now, there are many great resources for better understanding the conversion design process, but one that I would highly recommend is Marketing Sherpa’s, “Landing Page Book Handbook: “How to Raise Conversions - Data and Design Guidelines”. This is very comprehensive resource that clearly outlines the proper design elements needed to create high converting websites and landing pages.

You might also have heard or read the book, Call to Action, which also provides some great design tips for a good sales page and website. 

Now, you may not have the time or resources to develop these pages inhouse, but by understanding the conversion design process yourself, this will certainly help you to outsource to the right website design professional or firm for your important projects. Also, by reading Marketing Sherpa’s ebook, Call to Action and other pertinent resources,  you will be able to provide good insight for the designer to maximize your website’s conversion potential!

Also, our new Outsourcing Marketplace will be a great avenue for recruiting “Pre-screened” Website Design Specialists who understand the online conversion process. It is very important to us that we recruit designers into our marketplace, who have a good handle on conversion design and current Internet Marketing practices. We know as well as anyone that smart web-design can certainly increase your revenues and profit potential!

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