You only have 3 seconds to capture the attention of your site’s visitors. If you fail, there is a high chance that they’ll never come back.
Now, you might want to take the time to reflect. With your website’s current design, do you think visitors can determine what your business does? Could they easily navigate around pages and find the information they need? Are your products and services visible and easy to understand?
If your answers to the questions is ‘no’, then it is best that you start assessing the way your website is designed. The problem nowadays is that plenty of websites out there were built as a graphic design portfolio that aims to show off a designer’s skill. Others are even hastily put together for the sake of rushing to start a business.
Sigh! If there was only a way to create an effective website design that converts. Wait, there is! And lucky for you, we’ve compiled all the best tips in this article. Stay on this page to learn more.
1. Prepare a plan.
Don’t just create a beautiful website design. Make sure that you consider your buyer’s journey. Start from the time visitors come to your website until they become buyers. Consider the pages they will be viewing and what types of content they will be reading on. Also, think about what types of offers they are most likely to click on. Understanding all this will help you create a website design that may take your visitors through the sales funnel.
2. Remove unnecessary elements.
There are some elements on websites that only distract visitors. Among these elements are flash videos, complex animations, and huge website images.
Given that visitors only have 3 seconds of attention span, it is vital to create a lasting impression. This can be done by using short yet powerful content and relevant icons and images that are sectioned off by headers or dividers.
Avoid the use of words that confuse your visitors. If possible, do not use those words that are used by most companies and make your content less appealing. These words include robust, scalable, flexible, next generation, mission critical, innovative, groundbreaking, and easy to use.
3. Include social sharing buttons.
If you fail to include social sharing buttons, you could miss out on a lot of traffic from social media sites.
Okay, before we proceed, what are social sharing buttons? These are the small buttons that you normally see at the bottom or top of blog posts. These buttons contain icons of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a lot more. They act as a tool for sharing content to social media.
4. Be sure your website has call-to-action buttons.
When a visitor reaches your website, does he know what to do? Does he know what pages to visit?
Call-to-action buttons are among elements that tell users what step should be taken next. Although most of us know that already, some website owners fail in this aspect. They forget to implement these important buttons that guide users through their website.
It would be great if you can add call-to-action buttons that provide your visitors with materials that educate and solve their problems. Once they feel that your business can resolve your pain points, they will be comfortable with you.
Examples of call-to-actions are:
- Click here to know more
- Download our eBook for free
- Sign up to get your 5% coupon
- Get our price list here
- Place an order here
- Contact us today
5. Use the appropriate images.
Not all images can effectively convey your company’s message, so you have to be careful with your choice.
Yes, there are plenty of free stock photos out there. But you have to pick wisely. Many of us are guilty of plaguing our websites with stocky photos.
Now, if real photos are not an option, consider editing them. Tweak them by adding a sense of realism and making sure the images match the content you are explaining.
6. Make use of white space.
Contrary to what most people think, a professional web design company in Australia is not afraid of white space. As a matter of fact, they would make good use of it to break up pages and improve readability.
Though extra space may seem unnecessary, it actually plays a vital role for content readability. It is also essential in the design process as it helps with the positioning of web design elements.
7. Be found.
If you want to boost your online presence, you have to create a website that can be found. This involves developing an effective SEO strategy. An SEO strategy includes creating videos and writing articles or eBooks that are relevant to the needs of visitors.
Identify the right keywords that your visitors are searching for, too! This way, you won’t be attracting a lot of visitors that aren’t likely to convert.
8. Navigation is key.
When designing your website, know that navigation is essential. Nothing’s worse than a disorganised website with a confusing navigation menu.
To improve your site’s navigation, put yourself in your visitor’s shoes. Can you easily find what you are looking for? If yes, then great. Otherwise, prepare for a lot of work. If a user cannot find what he is looking for, it is likely that he would click away. He will look for another competitor that offers a better experience.
Wrapping Up
Creating a web design is easy. The only problem is how you are going to play with various elements to make sure it serves its purpose and convert. If you are not that confident in your web designing skills, that isn’t really a problem as well because you can always avail of web design services in Central Coast and Sydney, NSW.
Is your business in dire need of an effective web design in Central Coast? Then get in touch with Coast Wide Web. Discuss your project with us and we will tailor a solution that suits your needs and falls within your budget. Call 02 4384 3008 today!