Ecommerce Web Design Blog

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Have you ever seen a website where the product descriptions, introductory text and about us pages all have text in it that looks like this? If so, don't despair. Your web designer has not created your site in a foreign language. Lorem Ipsum is a defined standard of fake text that is used in websites, publishing, graphic designs and in the printing industry to fill up space and show customers what a page would look like once the customer has added their actual wording.

Because Lorem Ipsum text approximates the character distribution of letters in the English language it is a good way of filling a page up when real text is not available.  When we build a website at Osc Works, we put lorem text into the product descriptions, about us pages, shipping information pages, contact us pages and more. Our customers can then change it to suit their business.

Lorem Ipsum text originated from a Latin passage in a book called De finibus bonorum et malorum but the words and sentences are jumbled so do not have actual translations. It came about after a printer in the 1500s took some Latin text and scrambled it up to make a sample font book. Lorem Ipsum became popular in the 1960s and has been added to as the original Latin text did not have some of the letters of the alphabet that are now in use. 

When creating a web design for yourself or briefing your web design professional on the site you would like to have, it is very tempting to request to include swishy coloured boxes, an old logo that your brother designed in WordArt 3 years ago that you've used on all your promotional material since and your favourite pictures, colours and images. Unless you are an exact match for the types of customers you are targeting, you may need to think twice about this strategy. You may love it but your customers may not.

Creating an inviting web experience is absolutely critical in showcasing your business or selling online. An easy-to-use, secure and fully functional shopping cart will only get you part of the way. To get your customers over the line and buying from you, you also need to create the most professional and appealing buying environment you can. 

This means you need to put yourself in your customers shoes every time you create a design. It's very similar to designing a storefront that is inviting and makes your customers walk through the door. Always ask yourself:

• What do my customers expect to see?
• What would my customers consider inviting?
• Does my design look as professional as possible?
• Are my product and header images clear and crisp?
  
• Just like in interior design you need to think about the colours used. Ask does my colour palette work well together?
  
• Is my web design too cluttered?
  
• Is my web design too bland?
• Would your most fussy and frustrating customer find your site appealing and buy from you?
  

If you are unsure, let your web designers guide you. After all, it's their job to understand your customers and make your site look as appealing as possible. But they can only work with what you give them and within your instructions.