POV: you’re a small business owner. Everyone on social media and the world wide web is talking about good website design, digital marketing strategy, conversion rates, SEO and a million other things you’ll need to wrap your head around eventually.

Before you start advertising, your first step should be to invest in a web design service and accompanying strategy, so that your audience has somewhere to go and knows the steps they need to take to work with you.

But where do you start? Without extensive knowledge of the web design and digital marketing industry, how do you know if you’re investing in the right web designer to support you? What should you be looking out for in a 'good’ website design service?

Let’s we’ll discuss the importance of web design strategy and compatibility when choosing the person who’ll deliver one of your most important digital marketing assets: your website. 

In every web design project, there’s at least one goal – whether it’s to sell your product or services, provide a foundation for SEO or marketing campaigns, or any combination of others.

In simple terms, web design strategy is the process undergone by your web designer to carefully plan all aspects of your website to achieve these goals. We consider the digital journey of your ideal clients, and build your website’s layout, visuals and calls-to-action to construct a trustworthy impression of your business and convert site visitors to clients.

When choosing a web designer for your project, be sure to understand what you’re getting with their web design service and that it’s suited to your requirements, and how they apply strategic web design principles to provide the best result.

I’ve listed some key sub-services of web design including user experience design, lead generation, on-page search engine optimisation (SEO) and more to help you understand what they are, and which might be best suited to you.

Ochre Design Studio combined a strategic web design and development service with ongoing and on-page search engine optimisation techniques to improve visibility for this Brisbane-based business.

User Experience design (UX design) is a web design strategy term that refers to the overall experience a visitor has with your website.

Is your site quick to load and respond? Do all buttons, galleries and other elements work the way they should? Is the site easy to navigate and the relevant information clear and quick to access?

Your website's digital journey is the journey undertaken by an online visitor through your website, specific to their needs at that time to prompt your desired action.

Depending on the scope of your web design strategy, project goals and the nature of your service, multiple digital journeys may be used for site visitors in various market stages – eg. the ‘buying now’ market vs ‘information gathering’ market.

Lead generation is the ability of your website to capture the contact information of site visitors in various market stages. According to the larger market formula, about 3% of people are ‘buying now’. 17% are ‘information gathering’, 20% are ‘problem aware’ and 60% are ‘not problem aware’.



It’s important to gather details from your ‘buying now’ prospects, but without an effective lead generation system for prospects in other stages, your web design strategy is missing out on 97% of the market.

On-page search engine optimisation (SEO) are best practices to implement throughout your web design strategy and website pages to ensure they are found and well-received by search engines like Google.

Websites with on-page SEO help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more organic (that means free!) traffic to your website.

Quality visuals consider the visual appeal of your site’s layout and appearance. Online visitors spend more time using and engaging with websites that are visually appealing compared with sites that can look ‘sketchy’.

Having a responsive web design means your website can be used seamlessly across any kind of device. In a world where at least half your online visitors will view your site on their smartphone, this is an absolute requirement – not just in web design strategy, but in any web design service.

When working together, these components of web design strategy within your website’s design will give you the best chance of achieving the project goals you set for your website.



If your web designer offers web design strategy as a service, keep an eye out for these terms in their offer guide. If they aren’t listed, be sure to clarify what’s included in your web design service so that you understand what you’re paying for.

There are a handful of other key elements to consider when searching for a good website design service. From professional web design services to web development (yes, they're different!) to digital marketing and search engine optimisation/SEO, a comprehensive approach by your provider is essential for delivering a high-quality service. Let's break these down.

A good website design service should offer professional web design and development tailored to your specific needs and unique digital marketing strategy. This includes creating visually appealing, user-friendly, and responsive web designs that work seamlessly across all devices. Your web design service should also be up-to-date with the latest design trends and technologies to deliver modern, functional websites.

Having a well-designed, functional website is essential for businesses seeking to establish and strengthen their online presence, in order to increase their authenticity and reputation among their audience. A good website design service understands this importance and strives to meet the technical and strategic needs of their clients website by providing a modern, optimised web design and development service. By focusing on your specific requirements and goals, the service ensures that the website reflects your brand's identity and effectively communicates its message to the target audience.

Finally, a professional web design and development service goes beyond just creating visually appealing websites. It also takes into consideration the experience of your users, ensuring your website is easy to navigate and provides a seamless browsing experience. This involves optimising the website's layout, incorporating intuitive navigation menus and implementing responsive web design techniques to ensure the website appears and functions flawlessly on various devices, including desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile.

Another element of a good website design service to look out for is the integration of digital marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) throughout. This involves creating websites with SEO best practices in mind to ensure high visibility on search engines. The service should have a deep understanding of SEO techniques and algorithms, allowing them to optimise the website's content, meta tags, and URLs to improve search engine rankings.



In addition to SEO, good website design incorporates digital marketing strategies to effectively promote and funnel traffic to your website. This included creating compelling website content, implementing social media marketing campaigns and utilising other online marketing channels to drive relevant traffic to the website. By combining web design expertise with these digital marketing strategies, the service can help you maximise your online reach and attract more potential customers.

Finally, good website design should prioritise a client focused approach, understanding your business goals, target audience, and brand identity. By incorporating these elements into the web design and development process, the service can deliver customised solutions that resonate with the client's vision and objectives.

Keep an eye out for services that conduct market research and analysis to gain insights into your industry, competitors, and target audience. This will make for a website that looks visually appealing and on-brand, while also aligning with your business goals and effectively communicating your own unique value.

They will also keep in regular communication with you and ensure your feedback and suggestions are carefully considered throughout the design and development process, resulting in a final product that exceeds your expectations.

Remember, a good website design service encompasses professional web design and development, applies integrated digital marketing and SEO strategies, and takes a client focused approach to deliver impactful web design and successful online marketing solutions.



By considering these qualities, you'll easily be able to identify a service provider who can help you establish a strong online presence and achieve your digital marketing goals.

In addition to a web design strategy offering, it’s essential to learn about the person (or people) who will work with you to produce your finished web design. Take care when choosing your web designer – websites are a significant investment, and the entire design process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

You and your web designer should be a good fit for each other. This is the best way to make sure they understand you and what you’re trying to represent, and that they can work closely with you to translate your values and goals into a beautiful visual language.

Meet Emily, full service digital marketing provider and founder of Ochre Design Studio. She provides high-quality web design and development services to new and existing clients all over Australia.

Main points to consider when shopping for your web designer:

1.      Professionalism – don’t settle for less than an expert. Look at their own web design, portfolio and other websites they may have built. Do their web design services have crystal-clear offering? Do they provide free, helpful material for your interest via a blog or other resource? Do they have testimonials do back up their work? Answering yes to these questions will help you identify an expert in the field.

2.      Process – seek a web designer with a streamlined process that will support & guide you through your web design project from start to finish. When investing in a significant asset like web design, being involved in the content creation, visual direction and decision-making process of your web design service will ensure you get your dream result at the end. Look for a process that is clear, provides resources to help you achieve the best possible result, and is organised so you can understand everything going on at any given time.

3.      Product – seek a web designer whose work you resonate with! It doesn’t matter if they’re an agency or solo creative, if you love their design style and feel confident their offerings are a good match for your needs, they’ll most likely be a good fit. If you’re not sure what you need, a good web designer will offer a free consultation call with you to outline their web design services and answer any questions you may have. From the start, their proposal will be clear and not vague, leaving no room for surprise additions or costs.

As small biz owner myself, I understand the importance of finding your ‘squad’ – the people you’ll have an ongoing relationship with throughout the life of your business, who become genuinely invested in you and what you have to offer.

I hope I’ve helped clarify what good website design should include (more than just looking pretty), and how to identify a web designer that will be a great fit for you and your business.

I offer a variety of custom web design services suited to all kinds of budgets, so if you’re keen to start transforming your online presence and writing your digital success story, I’d love to have a chat – it’d be great to meet you!

- Emily