Designing An Awesome Farm Website

Do you have a farm and need some help designing an awesome farm website? Then keep reading because I am going to give you a few pointers.

Do I need a farm website?

You may wonder if you even need a farm website, after all, you most likely have a farm Facebook page or Instagram account. It is rare for farmers to rely solely on personal relationships to sell their products. In today’s world almost all businesses need a digital presence beyond social media. Here are four reasons why you may need a farm website :

1. You sell products or services from your farm on a regular basis
2. You have a desire to run a profitable farm
3. You want to scale up your current customer base to increase profits
4. You want to position yourself among the competition as a reputable farm

If you you fall into any of the items in the above list, then YES you need a farm website.

Designing An Awesome Farm Website

Designing an awesome farm website does not have to be difficult. You simply need to consider a few basic guidelines. These simple guidelines will help you put a professional edge on your farm website. First, take some time to look at several farm websites. Soon you will start to tell which websites are well done and which ones are lacking. When I evaluate a website, there are a few different key areas that I look at.

• Vision and Mission
  In my opinion, this is one of the most important pieces to a farm website. Your customers want to know what you believe in and what is important to you as a farmer. I feel that THIS is what separates you from the mediocre websites. Here you share your vision and mission for your farm as well as your expertise. Your customers will walk away from your site knowing that you trustworthy, reputable, and serious about what you do.
• Story
  Your website is where you can share the story behind your farm! It is a place to convey your passions and what drives you to do what you do. This allows your customers to connect with you on a personal level.
  Does your website convey your story through photos and text?
• User Friendly
  How easy is it for a visitor to the website to navigate from page to page?
  Does the navigation bar have all the necessary links to help them find what they are looking for?
  Does the home page state what the farm offers without having to scroll down the page to read?
  Is there a nice balance of photos and words?
  Is there a way for the visitor to make a purchase or to contact you?
  Is the font style easy to read? Is the font size a comfortable size for the page?
  Pretend you are a customer coming to your web page, think about how your customer would interact with the page. Does it answer their questions?
• Photos
  Are photos a consistent size on each page and from page to page?
  Are the photos clear and sharp?
  Is there a balance between photos and text?
  Do the photos tell YOUR STORY?
  Do the photos convey your farm image accurately?
  Do the photos load quickly or are the file sizes so large that it takes awhile for them to load on the page?
• Informative
  Your website provides an opportunity to convey information to your customers about your farming practices, your products and livestock, and your expertise.
  Do you convey information that is of interest to your customers?
• Contact Information
  If your customers can not contact you, they can not purchase from you. This may seem like an easy one and you may be wondering who would forget to add contact information to a website. However, I have been on countless websites where I had trouble figuring out how to make a purchase or how to contact the farmer.
• Brand Image
  Your farm website is where you will convey your farm brand image. Your brand image conveys who you are and what you stand for and believe in. It is what helps customers connect with you.
  Is your branding consistent throughout your entire website?
  What will visitors to your site say about your farm after reading through your pages? What customers tell others about your farm is directly related to your brand image.
• Logo Design
  Your logo conveys your farm image at a glance.
  Is your logo design simple?
  Is it easy to read?
  Does it complement the colors and feel of your website?
  Does it accurately portray what you stand for?

Website Evaluation Made Easy

I have developed a website evaluation form that I use with my consulting clients to audit their farm websites. I would love to work with you on improving your website and furthering your customer reach!