While the online revolution continues to bolster digital communication, web design and development is a critical factor in business strategies. With continuous technological innovation from tech giants such as Google and Facebook, a good website is not a luxury – it is a necessity.
The way people view web design strongly affects the meaning they take away from them. Good website design will support your online marketing strategy by aiding in your products’/services’ branding, business growth, sales and can lead to a higher conversion rate. Approaching your website with a multi-tier strategy can cement your digital footprint and here’s how;
Navigation and usability
Content is always king but while you invest in this content, knowing where to place it can help you answer your future clients’ questions before they ask them. The usability of your website is one of the most important reasons to commit to a high-quality site. In recent studies, researchers found that users judge websites within the first three seconds before they commit to perusing or pressing the back button. If a site appears to be chaotic, cluttered or confusing, your bounce rate will skyrocket causing your site to get lost in the millions online.
Our Trick: Intuition. Think of your website as a brick and mortar store. If you walk into a store where merchandise is scattered all over, and you’re expected to sift through it to find what you’re looking for, would you do it? Probably not. Apply this concept to your navigation and usability to make it simple for customers to find out what you’re about and how to contact you.
Customer service and trust
Envision your website to be your leading customer service representative. It is the digital face of your company, it makes an impression that can be your profit-decider. A poorly designed website is akin to a rude customer service agent. On the other hand, if customers enter a well-designed site, you’re introducing your target market to a friendly, polite sales rep that has gone out of their way to help them. Human beings are visual by nature, so make sure your website oozes trust.
Our Trick: Less is more. Trust in simplicity. Your design does not need to be boring, but if it is clever and unique, your customers will view you as a sophisticated, trusted brand they are happy to invest in.
Competition
It is no secret that most companies who look to grow their business and compete in the digital age, are already online. Chances are your competitors are investing in websites that push customers further down the sales funnel a strategy you should be rolling out. Think of it this way; your competitor has a site that is sophisticated, easy-to-understand and looks professional. Your website is cluttered, shoddy and looks unprofessional. Online users are probably going to use your competitors because it looks trustworthy.
Our Trick: Before spending fortunes on a marketing roll-out, allocate a percentage on of your budget on a website that will not only start your marketing strategy but reinforce it.
Content
Content is always king. Good copy can take you from an immediate sale to an audience doubting your ability to market. Content is the path that will lead customers along your brand’s journey. Excellent copy can influence an audience anywhere you want, to any page on your website. Choose copy that suits your brands’ image, philosophy, and ethos. With knowledge at our fingertips, it is essential that you continuously add value to your audience.
Our Trick: Ensure your marketing strategy focuses on copy that enables customers to filter down your sales funnel. Copywriters should work with your website designers to ensure your marketing strategy is always aligned.
Consistency and coherency
People like consistency, especially online. If your web pages look different, uses different fonts, and is laid out differently, many users will move on to the next option. Most successful websites have incorporated the same set of format, style, and typeface guidelines that serve as the backbone for all pages. Consistency is important for your users to effectively navigate through your website, making their entire experience more coherent and streamlined.
Our Trick: Use your brand theme in your content and design to ensure the right message is pushed through to your audience.
Most web design elements and practices can the reach of your published content. It affects how the search engine spiders crawl your website and if they are able to index it. If your on-page SEO fundamentals are not up to scratch, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle for visibility from the start. Aside from how content is published on your website, certain web design elements can directly affect SEO in and of themselves. Web design needs to incorporate SEO-friendly code.
Our Trick: The best way to ensure proper web design practices is to partner up with a company that not only understand these principles but also knows how to position your brand online.
How Investing in SEO means investing in you business.