Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 There are so many platforms out there that claim you can use them to build a high-quality website with no prior knowledge of how to do so. Sure, you can use Squarespace or GoDaddy to claim a small amount of space on the world wide web. But will you be able to convert leads through that website? Probably not. A professional web development team for SaaS providers is essential if you want a great website that can help you get results. If you’re just looking for a small website to put your name on the internet, then you can use a DIY solution. What’s the difference between professional web development for SaaS and the do-it-yourself method? If you don’t have these seven skills below, your website is guaranteed to be much lower quality than one that is professionally developed. Ability to Work In HTML and CSS How’s your coding skillset? Can you work comfortably in HTML and CSS or are you just learning? HTML is an important skill to learn as it’s used to create the documents and content on your website. It’s one of the more basic coding languages to learn and is crucial when writing headings and paragraphs or inserting links. In order to be truly optimized for search engine rankings, it’s a good idea to include a blog on your website. This allows you to continuously produce content and increase your SEO rankings on search engine result pages. But in order to have a blog on your site, you need to know HTML inside and out. CSS controls the layout, color, and fonts of your website. A truly professional web developer for SaaS will use well-coordinated colors and fonts with a layout that creates a great user experience. Unless you want to be stuck with the most basic of layouts and take your chances on the font, CSS is needed to help you create a well-designed website. Deep Understanding of Website Design Some people are inherently great at matching colors and fonts while others are a little less capable in this area. If you’re someone who has a natural talent for colors and fonts, congratulations. If you struggle with it a little more, join the club! Website design isn’t just picking out a great color scheme or the right set of fonts. It’s designing for a beautiful and easy-to-use user experience that makes your website a pleasant site to visit. If buttons are hard to see or the font is difficult to read, you’ll receive fewer leads from your website and visitors are less likely to stay on it for long. Professionals in the web development field for SaaS know exactly what fonts will create a great user experience while also matching your company’s culture, image, and reputation. Basic Graphic Design Capabilities Do you know how to use the Adobe Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign? Complex programs like these are essential to web development for SaaS providers. All of those beautiful icons that are the cherry on top of your website are typically designed by a graphic designer. Sure, you can download an icon or two from iStock, but custom-designed icons, logos, and buttons can truly represent your company and match the feel of your website exactly. Knowledge of Cybersecurity Defenses In today’s world, cyberattacks are commonplace. Every other day you hear about a new strain of malware or a company shut down by ransomware. Building a website is more like building a fortress than a house. Web developers for SaaS providers need to take special precautions to add in security defenses. Weak web development could leave your website and your business vulnerable to attack. If you’re dead set on building your own website, be sure you take precautions in the event of a cyberattack. SEO Optimization for Websites Which pages on your website are ranking for what keyword? Do you have a plan? Have you utilized tools like robots.txt and schema? When you’re developing a website for a SaaS provider, you need to build a high SEO ranking into the site’s code. This means taking advantage of tools like Google Search Console to ensure that your website ranks as high as possible. When developing a website, make sure you take advantage of every little piece of SEO knowledge that you have. After all, the higher up you rank on Google, the more business your company will receive. Turning a Website into a Lead Funnel When most people click through a website, they follow a certain pattern. Typically, they access the site through a blog, maybe read an eBook or whitepaper, and click through some service pages. Then, when they’ve researched your company, they might convert. Your blogs act as the awareness stage, your service pages as the interest stage, whitepapers and downloadable resources are the first step to converting, and then you can close the deal. Having a professional design your website also means accurately creating a sales funnel throughout the website itself. Web development for SaaS needs to be easy, intuitive, and eye-catching. Using your website as a sales funnel is one way to do that. Enough Time to Dedicate to the Details Great websites are not a one-click-and-done type of deal. They take hours and hours of work, most of it requiring deep concentration. Designing a great website is not going to be done quickly as a side job to your regular nine to five. If you only have a few hours to dedicate to it, you could be missing important details. A professional web developer for SaaS providers can dedicate their entire day to building your website, ironing out every detail, and working with you to ensure everything is perfect. Remember, your website is your online storefront. You want to ensure that it reflects well on your company and adds, not detracts, from your reputation. New North takes a systematic approach to continually change the website for greater conversion rates through call-to-actions, design, and user experience experiments to increase the number of visitors who convert. If you need help with web development for SaaS providers, you’ve come to the right place. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on New North and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Veronica Green-GottView full profile ›More by this author:What is a Drip Email?When Should Managed Service Providers Use Video Marketing?New MSP Lead Generation Trends for 2020