Ensuring your tech website is top of the line
- Read time: 4 mins
- Tech level: low
- Key point: website design for technology sector requires components that differ from other industries
Understanding the essential elements for building a website for the technology sector can be daunting. We’ve put together a ‘how to’ guide to streamline the experience and make sure all key elements are included.
An effective website is the most valuable property on the planet
A website acts as your window to endless new business opportunities.
Organisations in the technology sector cannot afford to ignore the performance of their website if they want to remain competitive in a global market.
A website that powerfully communicates the benefits of its offering is one the easiest ways to position a technology business ahead of its competition.
Seamless site navigation keeps visitors engaged
Navigation for websites must be intuitive in order for them to be effective.
Technology sector websites will be especially assessed for their usability, and this will directly reflect on the quality of your offering.
After all, if you can’t get your website right, can you be trusted to provide world class technology products and services?
It is essential that the information architecture of your website is designed in a way that is logical, as this will allow website visitors to find what they are looking for quicker.
Communicate who you are and what you offer
It might sound obvious, but you would be surprised by how many websites in the technology sector fail to communicate their brand effectively.
A visitor to your website should know who your company is and what it is offering within seconds. The home page should clearly state the company name along with your products and services.
Make sure you do your research and include keywords in the description that your target audiences actually use.
Showcase company leaders to inspire brand value and trust
Providing details of company management is essential to inspire trust, reliability and value in your offering to potential new clients.
If your target audiences are going to buy your products and services, which are often costly and cut into budgets, they are going to want to know that the company is run by thought leaders in technology who demonstrate a solid track record of success.
Provide a biography which details the positions they have held, their credentials, accreditations, any boards they sit on, and anything else that reflects their experience and expertise.
Include a photo and case studies of how their leadership has made an impact in the technology sector.
Clear and concise content that speaks volumes of your brand
Web content is the foundation of building conversations between you and potential new clients.
The key for return traffic and great SEO lies in fresh content. Regular content updates will keep your audiences engaged and Google rankings on the rise.
Some important considerations include:
- make sure you do your research and include keywords that your users actually use
- always use an active voice for content
- use short sentences and paragraphs, with no more than 20 words per sentence. Keep paragraphs to a maximum of 5 sentences
- photos count as content. Images should powerfully communicate the benefits of your offering
- use short headlines and subheads to break up information and make it easier to comprehend
Mobile friendly
The growth in mobile users dictates that websites must be built in consideration of this market segment. There are several key elements that must be integrated for a mobile friendly website:
- responsive design: web developers can create a website that can be easily viewed on multiple devices. Responsive design allows websites to detect users’ screen size and adjust the layout for the appropriate orientation
- viewport meta tag: turns a regular web page into a responsive design page. It gives the browser instructions on how to view the page and how the content is scaled and sized. The viewpoint can be configured to suit multiple specifications
- high resolution photos: images on a responsive website need to be high res to ensure the user experience is of a high standard. High res photos help to minimise issues related to pixelation
- test the site at regular intervals: once a responsive design website has been built it will need to be tested on multiple devices to ensure usability.
Website testing, launch and ongoing maintenance
A successful technology sector web project not only involves building the site. Vital elements also include the content upload process, testing and launching the new site.
Before the website is launched to the public, it will need to be tested for quality assurance and brand alignment.
Key elements for quality assurance when launching a website for the tech sector involves:
- checking for content accuracy
- broken links
- spelling mistakes
- page load time
- accessibility checks
- server load testing
- a holistic security review
- creating redirects from old pages to new
- internal communications
Metadata is essential for technology sector websites
Metadata acts like a marker to your website. It allows search engines to understand who you are and what you are offering, making your site easier for users to find.
Most enterprise websites have an internal search feature, and good metadata will also assist with delivering relevant search results. For metadata to work it must be complete for each page and be meaningful. The three key elements of metadata include:
- title tag: The title tag should characterise what the page is about
- description tag: Compelling content will entice the reader to click through to read more. Ideally the description tag would end with a call to action
- keywords field: It’s important to populate the keywords field with relevant keywords. Review your web analytics regularly to see what terms people are typing into your internal search field
Outline a call to action, including a free trial offer and clear contact information
Websites for the technology sector need to include an online call to action.
If you want prospective clients to buy your products and services, or contact you for more information, then you need to direct them to take these actions.
For a call to action to be effective you must use clear and concise language that provokes an immediate response. The use of a verb is essential, as is telling your customers what benefits they will experience by taking these actions.
Remember that providing a free trial offer is a great way to showcase your offering.
Include clear contact information, including phone numbers, any store locations if relevant, and opening or contact hours.
Enterprise CMS website helps ensure website uptime and security
An Enterprise CMS is usually more secure than other systems such as WordPress, which happens to be the most hacked system on the planet.
Another important consideration is uptime of the website. If potential new clients can’t access your website, then they might take their business elsewhere.
Using an enterprise class CMS means that plans and processes can be set in place that wrap around website uptime, keeping you online and available to new clients.
Experts in building websites for the technology sector
Contact Polished Pixels for assistance if you are planning a web project and want help.
We are a leading Sydney based website agency providing expert website design.
All of our team members have previously worked in large organisations, including the technology sector.
We can help with all aspects of website design for the technology sector. We have worked with several leaders in tech.
Services include enterprise class CMS implementation, web design, website content strategy, usability and customer centric design.
The result is a strong and secure web presence that powerfully communicates the benefits of your brand to your target audiences.
