When it comes to staffing website design, you have many options. Do you go with your 14-year-old nephew who will work for pennies on the dollar? Or do...
When it comes to staffing website design,
you have many options. Do you go with your 14-year-old nephew who will work for pennies on the dollar? Or do you choose a company that specializes in designing websites specifically for staffing companies?
The answer may seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many staffing company owners decide to cut corners in this area. Don't do it. The impact your website design has on your potential customers is huge. According to a Forbes Magazine poll, websites influence 97% of clients' purchasing decisions. NINETY SEVEN PERCENT!
Every staffing website design must have certain elements. What are five things every great staffing website must have?
COLORS THAT REFLECT THE PERSONALITY OF YOUR COMPANY
The color scheme the designer chooses is imperative. Certainly you have a logo with a certain color scheme already. Most often your primary company color will be the base color. But what about the other colors? Do you want to keep it simple and classy? If so, play around with grays and shadows to add depth. Do you want to be exciting and colorful? Be careful. Your designer better know the color wheel or your visitors will bounce faster than a hot check.
MOVEMENT
A static website is boring. A home page slideshow is a great way to keep the page alive while the reader browses for material. It also allows you to say more than one thing in the same amount of real estate. Make sure the images in your slideshow are high-resolution. Nothing's worse than a slideshow with blurry pics. Don't get too crazy with the movement though. You can easily distract and confuse your visitor with too much going on. Don't have more than two animated areas at one time.
ORIGINAL PHOTOS
You are in the people business. Literally. Make sure your website reflects this. Having pictures of people working is a great thing. If your website doesn't have any images of people on it, it will most likely invoke very little emotion from the visitor. However, don't fall victim to overused stock photography. When looking for images for your website, do some research and make sure you don't use an image that someone else already has. It's embarrassing. If you see that someone else has decided to use the same stock photo that you have on your website, REPLACE IT RIGHT AWAY!
A JOB BOARD
About 75-80% of the visitors to your staffing website will be people looking for work. Let's face it, you're in the business of getting people jobs and if they've made it to your website then you must have done something right up to this point. Don't disappoint them by not showing what jobs you have. If your staffing website doesn't have a job board, your visitors will go to one that does.
CUSTOMER/EMPLOYEE/APPLICANT PORTALS
This is where your staffing website really separates itself from the pack. Well-designed web portals built specifically for staffing companies will not only impress your customers and employees, but will help you increase sales, increase market share and better serve your clients.
With web portals, your website is no longer just an e-brochure, but a tool that your customers and employees use to communicate with you more effectively.
An applicant portal will allow web visitors to apply to your company from the convenience of their home. It can also be used in a kiosk setup. An employee portal will allow your current employees to do things like print past W-2s or enter timecards. A customer portal allows your customers to do things like view past invoices, place order, view reports and much more.
EXPECT THE BEST
There are many other important elements like ease of use and a prominent call-to-action, but the points above are a great place to start.
When choosing a staffing website design firm, make sure the company you are working with does all of these things and more. Ask tough questions! Expect more! This is your business and you should never settle for second best. Your website design is a direct reflection of you and how serious you are about your business!
