First impressions mean everything when it comes to your company.
Your website is often the first encounter a prospective customer has with your brand. It takes less than a tenth of a second for a user to form an opinion of your website. The look and feel of your website is what will determine a first impression of your company.
Your viewers live on the internet, spending hours of their day on the web. They know what an updated versus outdated website looks like. You may be the most qualified, innovative company in your industry, but this won’t matter to a potential customer if they Google you and your website looks like it hasn’t been updated in the last few years.
It’s vital to your growth as a company that your online presence lives up to your real-world expertise in your industry.
Design Specific to Biotechnology Companies
Biotechnology is a rapidly growing industry. Facing competition with new start-up companies and biotech giants, it’s important to attract attention from customers, investors and media through your website.
The biotech industry tends to be extremely technical, sterile and rigid with compliance. The audience reading your biotech website is most-likely educated and familiar with medical terminology. The key in this industry is relaying complex concepts through web design and content that’s easy to read and comprehend.
Don’t feel as though the nature of your industry must limit the design and look of your website. Your ability to show your company’s distinction and personality is what will set your apart in your viewer’s mind.
Let’s look at 6 website design elements you should consider implementing in your website.
Vibrant Color Schemes
In the past, many web designers have played it safe by using muted and basic color schemes. But in 2018, many brands and companies are using brighter and more vibrant color schemes online.
While the industry your company operates in may be technical and complex, that doesn’t mean your website should be. Bright colors on your website show your creativity and are more visually appealing to your audience. You don’t want to blend in, so don’t shy away from making bold color decisions online.
Original Photography
Maybe it’s time to rethink the photography used on your site. Move beyond using stock photos and instead select images that show your company’s personality. Rather than using typical photos of people in white lab coats, consider using real photos of your employees.
At New North, we design websites with this in mind. Check out our client, Yakabod, and the use of bright colors and photography of their staff and office space. This is a great way to put a human face on your company and establish legitimacy in the mind of your audience.
Video Marketing
Video marketing continues to be a rising trend in marketing. Featuring a short, well-produced video on the homepage of your website is a great way to provide your audience with a captivating overview of your company.
As mentioned above, you have an extremely limited time to capture your audience’s attention and show them what you’re capable of delivering. Through video, you can convey expertise, sum up the most important information about your company and encourage visitors to learn more.
While videos can be a big investment, they can pay off as they can be used across all of your channels, including social media, email marketing and potentially ads. If you decide to feature videos on your site, make sure you use knowledgeable in-house staff or an experienced marketing company to produce your video. The quality of your video needs to be just as good as your website in order to make a good impression on visitors.
Simple and Clear Navigation
Whether companies are coming to your site for research information, products or investment info, make sure it’s easy for them to find the content they’re looking for on your website. Don’t risk frustrating a potential customer by hiding content on pages that takes many clicks for them to find.
Your website should have a simple navigation bar at the top of the page, as well as at the bottom of each page. The most common information viewers are looking to find are an overview of your company, information about products or services, company leadership, careers, and most importantly, how to contact you.
Incorporating Up-to-Date Content
One way to hinder your company’s credibility is to make your viewers feel like you’re outdated. Your company may be producing cutting edge biotechnology, but if your website doesn’t reflect this online, it may not make a difference to a potential client.
It’s essential to make sure the content on your website is up-to-date. You can do this by sharing your company’s latest developments, industry news, research advancements and by keeping an updated blog. Any kind of relevant, valuable content that has a recent date on it will show your audience that you’re active online.
Mobile Compatibility
In the past three years, mobile browsing has officially surpassed desktop browsing. This means it’s essential your website is completely mobile-friendly.
Since mobile browsing involves a much smaller screen, your mobile site will most likely be vertically aligned. This includes having a vertical navigation menu and organizing content to be stacked vertically to fit the narrow width of mobile devices. Get in the mindset that your mobile website and desktop website are not the same thing. They share many of the same features but need to be designed differently so your viewers have a good experience no matter what kind of device they’re browsing on.
Your Next Steps Towards Better Design
At New North, we’re passionate about creative and functional website design for biotechnology. We get biotechnology marketing. In fact, we’ve created hundreds of websites over the years and would be happy to talk with you about your site and if you are in need of a website redesign. Get in touch with us today so we can discuss where you’re at and how you can move forward with improving the design of your website.