How To Use Design To Improve Your Online Presence During COVID-19

It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all. When society seemed to struggle, the digital world was thriving. Despite the challenges of coronavirus, good design has helped companies survive the pandemic. As companies began to shift their attention to their online presence, there was a high demand for website redesigns or an improved social media profile. This blog will highlight the importance of updating your company profile using design and hopefully will inspire you to improve your online presence.

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Using Website Design To Improve Your Online Presence

As face-to-face business communication dwindled, it’s imperative for companies to improve their online presence. Many websites needed to be updated with new coronavirus guidelines and over 85,000 businesses launched online during lockdown. With so many websites changing in such a small amount of time, web designers still had work to do.

Online shopping has never been so popular. Forced to shut their doors to the public, companies began to turn to eCommerce to shift their stock. Setting up an online shop can be an important long-term investment, but your website needs to be secure with a trust-worthy payment system.

Another way to improve your website is by implementing SEO (search engine optimisation). If you’ve found yourself with some spare time, it might be beneficial for you to work on those SEO improvements. Implementing SEO changes over multiple pages can be tedious, but it’s essential when customers are getting online more. To check your website to see how these changes have affected your online presence, make sure to use analytical tools such as Google Analytics or SE Ranking. There are plenty of website analytical tools on the market, so shop around to see which one suits you best.

One final change you can make to your website to improve your online presence is by using an uncluttered website design. Your website needs to be clear and concise with consistent typography and layout design. Website visitors do not want to hunt around for the information they need, so a clear design is essential. This will allow your customers to know exactly what you offer and what you can do.

These challenges are best tackled by experts. We’ve been working throughout the pandemic to help get businesses back on track. If you’re struggling to wrap your head around SEO or need a new brand identity and website, it may be worth turning to a web design expert for guidance.

We created a secure website for local cleaning company Daily Poppins.

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Using Accessibility Design

Coronavirus has played a huge part in improving accessibility. An increase in remote working has allowed many people with disabilities to work in a more comfortable environment. There have been numerous other benefits of using design to improve accessibility for the disabled community, however more can (and should) be done.

The Internet is an increasingly necessary resource; from communicating with your team via video chat, to attending school virtually. Accessible design can often be overlooked when creating a website but is vital to provide equal opportunities for all.

To make your website more accessible, there are a few easy changes that can be made. First, include alternative text on your images to ensure website visitors who are sight impaired can use screen readers to still enjoy your content. An added benefit is that including alt text can also improve your SEO rankings! Another option is to use closed captions (or subtitles) on your media. This allows for both hard of hearing users and people who are unable to play audio to continue to enjoy your content.

Have you considered using a chatbot on your website? Chatbots are virtual assistants that provide 24/7 customer service and can be used to instantly answer any visitor queries. Not all customers feel comfortable making phone calls, so by providing a chatbot you allow all customers to find out the information they need. This increase in customer engagement may lead to more sales!

If you feel inspired to make your website more accessible through design, we recommend reading this article by Medium. These small changes to your website can make the world of difference to those who need it.

A sight impaired man using a braille screen reader.

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Using Social Media

Finally, social media has been imperative to furthering communications during lockdown. Social media is one of the easiest ways to communicate with a large number of customers. Businesses are now more active on social media, announcing new products or services via a single social media post.

It’s important to keep your company’s social media up to date. Customers are starting to prefer contacting businesses via a tweet, rather calling and waiting for hours on hold. You don’t need to have an amazing social media profile with eye-catching imagery. Sometimes a simple text post is enough to effectively communicate your news.

Whilst your company may have closed its doors, being active on social media shows that you are still open for business.

A smartphone displaying social media applications.

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Despite the challenges of COVID-19, design has seen some necessary changes. If your business has struggled to keep up, hopefully this blog has given you inspiration to improve your online presence. Whilst it may seem overwhelming at first, make the improvements step by step, or hire an expert to help out. If you’re interested to work with us to improve your website, please do get in touch.

Further Reading:

• Creativity in the age of coronavirus
• Five ways graphic design is being utilised effectively during the current COVID-19 crisis
• How should service design react to COVID-19?
• Getting a Digital Marketing Internship During A Pandemic

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Article written by ClearBrand, September 2020. 
To get in contact about working with ClearBrand on a project,
please call +44 (0)118 959 9284 or email info@clearbrand.co.uk.