Your website is the prime component of your online marketing. Therefore, the ultimate goal of web design is to attract new customers, keep their attention, and move them to act. This to true if you have a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) model or a Business-to-Business (B2B) model. How is your website performing?
There are many online articles discussing online marketing techniques and attracting prospects to your website. But what happens when your website visitors get there? Poor website design can diminish or negate all your hard work. If you have a high bounce rate, poor engagement, or a low conversion rate, consider these web design tips to attract new customers.
Pick a Consistent Color Scheme:
Your business communicates a lot at first glance, and it all hangs on the color scheme. Since colors evoke a message and emotion, it’s no surprise that banks typically favor blue (which emotes a feeling of security and trustworthiness), and companies that prioritize organic living and the environment opt for green logos (signifying growth, freshness, and health).
Specific statement colors not only speak to your business’ intended message, but also to the demographic you’re trying to attract. And when you’ve decided on a color scheme, make sure to use it consistently across all manner of branding, while scaling back on your general color palette.
Keep Upgrading Your Logo:
It has never been more important for your company to have a recognizable logo – after all, it’s not just an emblem on a card anymore. A logo appears on your website (both desktop and mobile), across your social media entities, as a favicon on a web browser, a mobile app tile on a smartphone, and more. When looking for a logo, try to make it as simple as possible and as unique as your brand.
Use Custom Photos And Visuals:
Innovative use of custom photos is the only way you can stand out in this competitive market. It is never a good idea to follow through with mediocrity, especially when it comes to aesthetic appeal, which decides the outset of your web page to your target audience
It may be easier to just skim through online stock photos and pick a relevant few to use for your website, but it will also make your site less innovative and less interesting. Creating your own concept of the kind of images you want and getting proper pictures taken for your site will make it more exclusive and make the idea you are trying to get across of your site more appealing and special.
Stay On Point:
The first thing a person visiting your site will notice is the top 1/3rd of your page, and hence that area must contain the most basic and essential information regarding your site. This includes what the site is about, how the customer can use the site to find or do what they came for. A smart layout will enable the users to find the options or information they are looking for more easily and will surely make the site more user-friendly. Avoid descriptions that are too long or convoluted. Everyone is looking for a fast and simple way of finding information, so unnecessarily long instructions or definitions will not be appreciated by anyone.
Designing That’s Responsive:
It is not wise to assume that your customers will only visit your site via a computer. With a single person surfing the internet through several devices, it is safe to assume your site may be visited by a phone or tablet. But for many websites, it is difficult to load the site when the user shifts to an Android/ iOS device, as the layout is solely made for entering the site through a computer browser. Making your site sensitive to changes in devices will ensure easier access for your customers, and so they will be less prone to not entering your site, even if they change devices.
Showcase indicators of Trust Prominently:
No company wants to give the impression that their services have never been used before, yet we’ve all seen websites that look hastily thrown together, untested, or sketchy. One way of strengthening your reputation is by showcasing appropriate accolades and other indicators of trust prominently on the homepage.
Has your startup been mentioned in the New York Times or reviewed on popular tech publications? Does your company have any well-known VC backers, or have they formed professional relationships with already established brands? This information, with appropriate links and graphics, should be incorporated.
Consider how Viewers read your Site:
Research from an eye-tracking study from the Nielsen Norman Group has shown that internet users are more likely to read content in an F pattern: first in a horizontal bar across the top of the page, and then horizontally again a little further down. Then they scan the document vertically from top to bottom. The implications are that visitors don’t necessarily read the whole document – they scan, and even then, mostly just the first two paragraphs on a page.
Applied to a business website, it may be more effective to communicate the most important information on the top third of a page, with generous use of keywords. Try to break up large chunks of text with appropriate graphics. I try to do the same thing in various columns I do here on Inc. Regardless of whether or not this model works for your company, it’s increasingly important to consider how viewers read your site.
Keep it Simple!
It’s easy to get carried away by all of the elements that everyone says you need. However, even with today’s surplus of SEO features and custom design elements, it’s never been more important to scale back, get rid of all non-essential details, and keep it simple.
On a practical level, people aren’t just finding your company on a computer anymore. Screens are getting smaller, which means all-important information needs to be featured more prominently. They also have shorter attention spans. People are scrolling faster, so if they don’t find what they need at first glance, they’ll look elsewhere. As we’ve learned from Apple, simple is beautiful. So if you’re building a new website, or simply updating an old one, just remember: keep it simple.
Conclusion:
These are a few simple tips you can cater to your use when designing a website. Of course, if you find implementing these tips a bit too intimidating to do it yourself, we are providing web design services. At the end of the day, all you will need is some creative thinking and a knack for perfection.
