Why does the design of your website matter?
It’s hard to find an operating business that doesn’t have a website. Unfortunately, many of these websites are badly designed or built without any thought. This is no way to make your business stand out from the crowd. Good website design matters, and it could make the difference between you and your competitors.
In today’s visually orientated culture, good website design is essential. It only takes a user a second or two to decide if they want to engage with your website or do business with you. That first impression can convert a visitor into a customer, or drive them away.
Related post: Why Does My Website Look Bad On Mobile?
First Impressions Count
The design and implementation of your website may take months, but its effectiveness will be decided immediately. The first impression your website gives to a visitor will often decide how they proceed to engage with your brand. An attractive appearance will result in a better first impression and be more likely to keep a potential customer’s interest.
You may wish to use attention-grabbing visuals or prominent images and illustrations on your website. Using strong contrast and unusual or unique pictorial content can send a strong message to your user. Make sure that the text is simple to understand and laid out in an attractive font.
Eye tracking studies are a useful pool of information that can help you to decide where to place elements of your website in the layout.
Contact us now if you need help redesigning, optimizing, marketing or updating your website.
Here are the things people tend to notice first:
- Branding/logo
- Main image or picture, especially if it is large
- Any large lettered text
- Navigation to help visitors quickly find information about your business.
- The header, footer and contact information
By making a good first impression, you will be well on your way to attracting customers. It is one of the cornerstones of a good website.
Design matters. So remember that your images represent your business.
Focus on Image
You are inseparable from the visual information you use on your site. Powerful visuals and a clear layout make your website look legitimate. It is very important that your website has authenticity, especially if you plan to sell any goods or services. Your website is a virtual representation of you as a person or business, and any qualities your website has will be directly associated with you. For example, if you have images that look dull and lifeless, your potential customer may see your brand as dull and lifeless.
If your layout and design is messy and disorganized, a user might imagine you are disinterested or lack faith in your business. And so on.
How your website looks will paint a vivid picture of what kind of business you are to potential customers. You want to be certain that you are giving the right message about the kind of company you have.
If you don’t know how you should go about designing a website, then your best bet is to keep to some basic ground rules. You may want to hire a web design professional who understands your customers’ needs.
Establish what is Important
Your users may only have a small amount of time to engage with your site. By understanding what they are searching for, you will be able to alert them to what they want to do quickly and easily.
Good website design matters in delivering what your clients are seeking.
Especially on your homepage, you may want to concentrate on the most important message you want your website to communicate. A unique, powerful image accompanied by some call to action can make this element the center of your user’s attention
What supporting information should accompany your main message? A complementary element that is less attention-grabbing can support the main message. This may be a second body of text or a link to more information. These work best when they support rather than compete with your main message.
Make sure that your website has an obvious user goal. If the goal is to call your office, make sure that the opportunity to do so jumps out of the page.
Branding
Your website is the digital representation of your brand. Users worldwide can access your site with a simple mouse click to find out more about your company. As your brand’s digital face, ensure your website communicates the right message to your visitors.
Well-designed websites communicate this message simply. Take advantage of the opportunity to let users know your brand’s history. The images and text you use must mirror the kind of company you are.
If you are building a law firm website that deals with businesses, you most likely want a serious look. Similarly, a “fun” looking site would be inappropriate if your website sells mortuary services. Whatever questions the user may have regarding your business or brand will be answered by the design they are faced with when interacting with your site.
Mobile or Apps
Mobile and tablet devices are driving an increasing amount of web traffic and are projected to keep growing steadily.
Make sure that your website incorporates responsive design features. You may find creating a specific app too expensive, so a responsive website will be your best bet. This also eliminates the problem of having desktop and mobile websites, which are both managed separately.
A modern website must feature a responsive design.
Design
You want to create a website that is going to make visitors want to return. To do this requires a combination of good design fundamentals and modern technology to create a user-friendly and functional site.
Here are some key factors to think about:
- Simple text content that is easy to read
- Branding/logo
- Consistent use of colors
- Intuitive design
- Logical navigation that prevents users from feeling lost
- Powerful images that create the right image for your brand
- Catchy and thought-out copy
- Obvious calls to action
- A good brand story that engages customers
Conclusion
They say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and different people will have different ideas about what makes a great website design. However, through using good design fundamentals, always keeping your goals and targets in mind and focusing on functionality, you can build a site that is attractive and user-friendly.