NetChimp

Cheap Web Design, Search Engine Optimisation & Conversion Rate Optimisation

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Clients & results
  • Services
    • Website Reviews
    • Web Site Design
    • Website Conversion
    • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
    • Ways To Pay For Your Website
  • Portfolio
  • Articles
    • Useful Resources
    • Conversion Rate Optimistation (CRO)
    • IR35
    • Joomla!
    • Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimision (SEO)
    • Usability
    • Web Design
    • WordPress
  • Learning Zone
    • Free Report
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Usability / Prototype Your Web Design And You Will Save Money

Last Edited : June 2, 2016

Prototype Your Web Design And You Will Save Money

Want to know where you’re  wasting the most money, and, more importantly, what you can do about it?

No significant product, whether it’s a car, a perfume, or a child’s toy, makes it to market without first being prototyped and tested.

The reason we do this is to figure out whether something is going to work functionally and commercially before investing a lot of money finalising its development and launching it.

Yet most web sites are still launched without any form of prototype.

Most websites go live with a complete, polished design, based on a combination of the designer’s and the client’s personal taste – and their ‘best guess’ of what will work.

This is the way it’s always been done, and it’s extremely wasteful.

We need a new approach to web design, where we actually test whether a site or page will work before spending thousands on fancy design.

Here’s the general approach:

  • Guess what the market wants. This involves thinking about problems or opportunities your website can solve, and crafting appropriate propositions.
  • Create a ‘lo-fi’ website or landing pages. Invest in content, not design. Use a conventional design theme that follows standard practice.
  • Drive traffic to these prototype pages using AdWords.
  • Test the various appeals, from AdWords and Analytics data.
  • What appeals make more people click?
  • What pages do they stay to read?
  • What content persuades them to click through?
  • Keep going.
    Retire appeals that don’t work. Try to come up with better messages, and test using the lo-fi approach.
  • When you are confident you have a good appeal, start to refine your messaging and calls to action using split-testing.
  • Finally, apply graphic design in multiple rounds, but split-test each change to make sure your design actually improves conversion.

Using this approach, you’ll spend more time crafting content and less time crafting graphics, until you know your ‘prototype’ content works.

You’ll invest in buying traffic, which gives you vital market research intelligence based on the way people actually behave. This could be the best money you ever spend on your website.

Because you’re working with quick prototype pages, you can test different words and pictures easily, without having to spend time unpicking complex page designs.

You can be confident that if a page works with a rough design, it won’t perform any worse as you refine the design. You only need to keep design changes that work.

Did you find this post helpful?

If you found this post helpful please take a moment to tweet, like, or share this article by using the buttons at the top or bottom of this page. I’d really appreciate it. 🙂

Also, if you are feeling extra generous please leave some encouraging feedback in the comments section at the bottom of the page. I love getting feedback from visitors. It encourages me to continue writing useful articles for readers like you.

Thanks for taking the time to read my website! You can find other articles that you might find useful at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

Recommended Articles


You may also like

Recruitment Web Design
Google launches the 'most radical transformation ever' with new Google social search feature
Web Design For Virtual Assistants


You may also like

Is Your Website Underperforming?
Online Shop And Ecommerce Web Design
Google launches the 'most radical transformation ever' with new Google social search feature
Bespoke CMS Development
Multinational Web Development

Filed Under: Conversion Rate Optimistation (CRO), Marketing, Tips, Usability Tagged With: help, how to, Web Design, web design prototype

About Kevin Craighead

Hi! My name is Kevin Craighead and I am the guy behind NetChimp.

I have been working in the computer industry since 1988 although my love of electronics goes back even further to my first experience of Pong in the late 70's.

Comments

  1. Seymore BlueTea says

    January 30, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    The government should have read this article before making healthcare.gov

    Reply
  2. website says

    April 21, 2013 at 2:54 am

    In fact, what a good website and educational articles, I will add backlink – bookmark this site?
    The info has been so very much appreciated!

    Reply
    • Kevin Craighead says

      April 30, 2013 at 12:13 pm

      Glad you found it useful!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

kevin craighead netchimpHi! My name is Kevin Craighead and I am the guy behind NetChimp. I have been working in IT since 1988 but my love of gadgets goes back to my first experience of Pong in the late 70's.MORE →

Popular Stories & Tips

Contact Details

  • ADDRESS:
    Cirrus Building, 6 International Avenue, ABZ Business Park, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 0BH
  • PHONE:
    01904 230477
  • OFFICE HOURS:
    Mon - Fri 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Company Details

  • REGISTERED ADDRESS:
    Change Accountants, 2 Forest Farm Business Park, Fulford, York YO19 4RH
  • COMPANY NO:
    Registered in England and Wales: 7632651

Web Design Links

  • Web Design York
  • SEO York
  • Web Design Aberdeen
  • Web Design Hull
  • Web Design Sheffield
  • 50 Incredible Tips For A Successful Website

Contact Details

NetChimp, Cirrus Building, 6 International Avenue, ABZ Business Park, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 0BH

CALL:
01904 230 477

OFFICE HOURS:
Mon - Fri 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Recent Posts

  • How To Setup WordPress for AMP: Accelerated Mobile Pages
  • Is Your Website Underperforming?
  • How Much Should a Website Cost?
  • How to add Google AdSense Responsive Ads to WordPress
  • Consequences And Responsibilities Of IR35 Regulations

©2019 NetChimp Limited. All rights reserved | See us on Google Earth | Web Design York | Small Business Web Designer | Web Design in York

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.Accept
Cookie Policy
Necessary
Always Enabled