FAQs

When deciding to build a new website, or to revitalize an existing one, many questions about the process and final outcome arise. At Parallax Design Group, we have over 15 years experience in web design. We can answer your questions and concerns honestly. We believe in creating a strategy that makes the most of your investment.

Here are just a few of our most frequently asked questions.

Why is design important to my business?

We greatly value good design. And we believe that good design is clean and clear and uncluttered. Good design communicates in a simple and straightforward way. The design of a company’s website speaks volumes about the values and quality of that company. When people visit a website, they get an instant impression. Is the website messy and out of date? Maybe the company’s work is messy and out of date, too. Is the website carefully crafted, easy to navigate and clear as a bell? Then working with that company may be easy and clear, too.

When a company's website is not well designed, potential clients get a bad impression. Potential customers may not even feel comfortable giving out credit card information on a website that looks like it might not be here to stay. Many people may decide to go elsewhere. Such a website may in fact belong to a wonderful business with the finest quality products and services. But the owners have underestimated the importance of good design.

Simply put, first impressions are important! Imagine walking down a street and seeing two similar businesses located next to one another: one is beautiful and well kept, and the other is dilapidated and poorly kept—which one are you more likely to do business with?

How can I get noticed on the web?
There are many ways that you can get noticed on the web. First and foremost, Parallax can create striking and attention-getting design. In addition, we can design your site to be search engine friendly. Our hosting packages include online stats available at all times to view and analyze your traffic. We offer a wide variety of options to get you noticed on the web. We have specialist in Search Engine Marketing, with the latest info on how to optimize your website. Google is now basing their rankings in part on a web site's quality of design and structure. They are penalizing website that are not mobile-friendly, putting them at the bottom of the search results. These are just more examples of why design is important to your web site.
What kind of businesses need web sites?
Every kind! The Internet has become a modern day yellow pages for businesses around the world. Many people will look up a business on the web to find out more before they visit the business physically or even pick up the phone to call them. Whether you are a merchant who wishes to sell products online, or a small company wanting a simple web presence to make you more identifiable to the public, Parallax has a full line of services that can be packaged and tailored specifically to your needs.
Common web design mistakes
One of the most common mistakes in web design is to alienate your visitors by having a "changing" or "disappearing" navigation system. If a web site has buttons that change order, placement, or simply disappear when visitors are navigating through the site, visitors will find this confusing and frustrating. Another common mistake in web design is to building is to have a wonderful content-rich site but without careful consideration for design. It's important to realize that if your site design says "mediocre," visitors may assume your content is also "mediocre." Visitors may not bother to look more closely at your site, even if it has excellently prepared content. In marketing, first impressions are very important, and this applies to the web as it does to any other medium.

Finally, one of the worst mistakes that business owners commonly make is to literally send visitors away from the site before they have had a chance to explore. If your web site has links that are not set to open in a new window, but rather to replace your own site in the browser window, you are getting rid of your website visitor. Once the visitor has left your site, they may very well never return. This means that you have lost your hard-won traffic and are just serving as a gateway to another site. This is one of the many things that Parallax is careful about when developing your website.

The importance of site structure

Good navigation allows a visitor to intuitively know where to find things on your site. Clearly visible and well labeled buttons will help a visitor to know just where to find all the valuable information that you are presenting. Many people don't consider the learning curve of a website: when a visitor first comes to your web site, they don't know how it works. They don't know where any of the content that they're looking for may lie. There is a learning curve for each visitor until they are fluent in working your website. This is where professional understanding of usability and long experience with navigation techniques come into play. Users can easily get lost in a poorly designed site and can miss valuable information or just leave out of frustration. A good rule of thumb is that your user should be able to navigate FROM anywhere in the site TO anywhere in the site with as few clicks as possible. They should never have to use the "back" button. Through elegant, simple, and intuitive design and site structure, Parallax can help you to make your visitor's experience as simple and straightforward as possible, ensuring that your content will be seen.