In the digital age we live in, a well-designed website is an important component to the success of your business’s online presence.
But it can sometimes get confusing regarding which web design tactics will be the most effective when it comes to your company’s online success. Let’s take a moment to examine these concerns along with others commonly associated with web development.
Essentials of Effective Website Design and Development
Taking advantage of the many ways you can enhance your company’s website design can be very beneficial to the overall success of your business in terms of both profit and your public image.
And website development trends and tools evolve as quickly as the world of digital technology does itself, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the most recent methods of enhancing your web design.
Here are some ways that updating your website design can be beneficial to your business:
Designing for Conversion
One of the main goals of a worthwhile web design is to encourage a visitor to reach out to your business through various calls to action.
Whether it’s filling out a form, making a purchase, or signing up for the company e-newsletter, having your customers be able to perform your desired action easily is an important aspect of good website development.
These are some ways to find the sweet spot between optimizing for conversion while still integrating a beautiful design:
- Bring Attention to the Landing Page
Having colorful, interesting photos or graphics that represent your company is an easy way to grab your visitors’ attention and keep their interest on your site’s landing page.
- Use Directional Cues and Clues
There are many subtle and obvious ways to guide your visitors’ eyes to the things you want them to see or do, and this is a vital aspect of a good website layout.
- Be Above the Fold
Similar to a newspaper, it’s key to keep all the important parts of your site (navigation, search bar, contact forms, phone number, etc.) “above the fold” so to speak. Be sure vital information can be seen immediately before scrolling so visitors can find what they need quickly.
- Consider Your Brand Aesthetic
Overall, your website design can say a lot about your business just by looks alone. Having an aesthetic that represents your company’s overall feel and culture can help your conversion rate increase.
Designing for User-Friendliness
Similar to the basics of conversion design, one of the most important elements of a positive website design is being user-friendly. There are 4 key things to keep in mind regarding user experience design (also called UXD):
- Navigation– Is it easy to find key pages on the site? Is the navigation bar easily seen on all pages? Can they quickly find my location, hours, and contact information?
- Readability– Is the text large enough to read? Is there enough contrast between the background color and the text? Is the font easy to understand? (Tip: avoid obnoxious colors for text, and when in doubt, black is the best choice for users.)
- Load Time– Does your page load in less than 5 seconds? Does it take longer than 10 seconds for images to load on the page? (Statistics show that visitors are less likely to engage on a page if it doesn’t load quickly enough.)
- Clean and Simple Design– Are the pages uncluttered? Is it organized and consistent? Is there enough white space between paragraphs? Are there too many things going on at once? Are links and buttons spaced out well? Is the design aesthetically pleasing?
Designing for Responsiveness
From smartphones to tablets, mobile devices have taken over a large portion of the way we work and communicate. And responsive web design, or RWD, is a highly popular part of modern web development.
Having a responsive site is a key feature in the effective design of your company’s website. And it’s not only important to your customers, but to search engines as well, as it offers you the chance to outrank your competitors. But to clarify, having a site that is mobile-friendly and responsive is not exactly the same thing, though they are similar.
- A site that has a responsive design (changes its size/layout depending on the device) is mobile-friendly.
- But a site that is mobile-friendly (loads on mobile devices) isn’t necessarily responsive.
Therefore, being sure to incorporate both of these aspects into your web development is vital.
The Importance of Being Responsive
Now more than ever, for successful SEO website development, search engines will reward your company’s rankings if you incorporate a responsive design into your site’s code.
In 2014, for the first time ever in history, mobile exceeded PC usage when it came to accessing content and information, and your customers and potential customers are among these mobile users.
Being mobile responsive has become so important, that if it’s not a part of your site’s code, nearly 60% of internet users won’t even be able to find your site in a search. Unsure if your site is mobile-friendly? Don’t fret. Google released a tool to check and see if your site passes the test.
Remember, There Is Strength in Numbers
Still not sold on these changes? Here are some more statistics on web design and the importance of being user- and mobile-friendly that could change your mind:
- 77% of agencies believe that a poor website design is a weakness of their client (via Society of Digital Agencies)
- 48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business (via IronPaper)
- Once your pages load, users form an opinion about your site’s appearance within .05 seconds (via IronPaper)
- 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if they find the layout or content to be unattractive (viaAdobe)
- 13% of adults access the internet via mobile only, while 11% access the internet through desktop (via HubSpot)
Interested in Updating Your Business’s Web Development and Design?
All of these factors can end up making a big difference to your site’s visitors, and Sixth City Marketing is here to help!
Our team of skilled website developers is proficient in meeting our clients’ wants and needs. From customer engagement to boosting your brand, we can guide you through your website renovation process.
Visit our website design page to learn more about how we have helped our clients improve their online presence, or contact us if you have any other questions!
