Your website can be seen as a showcase for your business. We've all walked past a shop that looks inviting with a clear range of products and where the merchandise is neatly displayed. However, we've probably all walked past a shop window where you can barely see into the store or where the merchandise is all over the place.
Which shop will attract you the most?Probably the one that is nicely styled and decorated. That's how your website works too. If you have an old, cluttered or strange design, you risk visitors leaving as quickly as they clicked in. The problem is that "ugly" websites don't build trust or arouse curiosity. Two things that are incredibly important to building a relationship with your audience and converting them into leads.
In simple terms, we can say that good design leads to increased sales.
What exactly is good design?
In a survey conducted by Adobe, 68% said that a consistently good design is important for them to stay on the site. Responsiveness was also a key factor, with 73% saying that content needed to look good on the specific device being used. A full 38% leave the site if the layout is not appealing and 33% leave if it is difficult to use, i.e. buttons and links do not work well.
So we know that poor design leads to visitors leaving without converting. No matter how good the content itself is. That's why in this post we'll go through some basic tips on what makes good design.
Usually, you should live by the principle of "less is more" when it comes to design. It's easy to want to squeeze as much as possible into a small space so that users don't have to scroll, or to not be able to select content because all the information feels important. If you overwhelm the user with information, it will be reflected in how long they stay and whether or not they are willing to convert.
Uniformity
Consistency in colour, shape and font. If you mix between several different fonts depending on the page, the overall impression will be cluttered and unprofessional. It is fine to use 2-3 fonts that complement each other, but no more than that.
For example, you can use one font for headlines and body text and another for CTAs or text that needs to grab the reader's attention a little extra. You can also use a different font for the logo than the one used in the body text of the website.
When it comes to colour, it's also important to find colours that complement each other and feel cohesive. Rather, choose a few colours and be clear about how you use them. Hubspot has produced a really good guide on how to think about colour choice in digital channels. You can find the full guide here.
Some psychologists believe that the perception of colour accounts for 60% of the reasons why people do or do not take an action. In other words, colour choice is significant for conversion rates. A colour combination that is perceived as poor can even produce the same experience as a slow-loading website.
There are several examples of companies that increased conversions by changing the colour of their Call-to-Action buttons. This can easily be done through Google Optimize to ensure that the changes lead to an improvement. This way, you can test that if you change the colors of a CTA, you can see concrete results on which color performs best.
Navigation
An easy way to help visitors find their way around the website is a clear menu and an easy-to-navigate homepage. Most people want to know quickly what you offer before they are interested in knowing anything more about your business.
In a study on how B2Bs use and interact with websites, 86% said they wanted to see products and services directly. 60% said they were then interested in contact details. If users cannot easily find the information they are looking for, they will simply leave the site.
Images and infographics
Humans are generally visual creatures. Text is all well and good, but a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words. If you fill your website with a lot of text, make sure you also intersperse it with images, icons and infographics to reinforce your message.
A strong advantage of infographics is that you can present a lot of data and a lot of information in a simple and engaging way. In addition, adding visual content increases the likelihood of your audience interacting with your content by up to 80%.
Don't just focus on the text that you fill the website with. Visual elements such as icons, images, videos and infographics are just as important to the user experience.
Poor design that makes users leave the website
So what should you avoid when it comes to web design?
Overuse of elements
If you mix text and images with forms, popups, a CTA and a movie in the same view, your visitors won't know what to focus on. Instead of interacting with any of your content, they will likely choose to leave the page. Spread out your content and don't be afraid to build on the length. If you have a design and content that the visitor wants to interact with, they will look further and find more information over time.
Colour choices that clash
By mixing colours that don't go together, you run the risk of degrading the overall experience of your website. In the worst case, it can give your target audience a headache or damage their trust in your brand. If you're not sure which colours go together, you can use tools like Paletton.
Videos that automatically play the sound
In today's open office environment, it's not much fun to click into a website and have a video automatically play at the highest volume. Instead of focusing on whether the content of the video is relevant to us, we focus on quickly tuning out and not disturbing our colleagues. In the worst case scenario, the page itself shuts down and the person looks elsewhere.Add subtitles so that the visitor can follow along with the video without sound and let the person decide when to turn on the sound.
Summary
Good web design is often as much about user-friendliness as it is about graphics, and is often about keeping it simple and uncluttered. Make sure fonts and colour choices are consistent and choose a few colours that complement each other.
If you want to increase the number of conversions on your website, you need to present information in a clear and accessible way. Incorporate visual elements into your text and make sure the home page and menus are easy to navigate.Good design can build trust, keep visitors coming back for longer and increase conversions.
Want to discuss conversion optimization or web design? Contact us below and we'll talk further over a cup of coffee!
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