All website owners strive for a well-designed site that looks great and performs well. A clean layout and a beautiful, sleek theme promotes excellent user experience.
Here are some tips on how to best design your business website to successfully convert your visitors:
1. Simple Design Beats Noise Every Time
The 90s saw over-the-top, garish web designs that screamed loudly for audience attention. Flash was everywhere and so were animations. Now, a simpler, minimalistic design serves as a better model for making your visitors stay for longer. Today’s audience is now more discerning and sophisticated- they appreciate clean lines and an easy layout. This doesn’t have to be done hiring a costly web designer. Simply look into one of the many great website builders out there for a simple way to create a new modern design.
Put emphasis on delivering quality content and product or service offerings. Deliberately splashing your business website with contrasting font and background colors won’t cut it anymore. Heed today’s maxim for good web design- Keep It Simple.
2. Choose Responsive Designs
Mobile is where it’s at, and businesses should sit up and take notice. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile screens, then you could be missing out on potential revenue. RWD, or Responsive Website Designs are important if you want a successful online presence. It’s simple- you should make your website look good on any small-screen device, whether it be tablets, smartphones, netbooks and notebooks. All your design elements should be accessible. If you have to pinch, zoom or squint to get to that special offer, then it’s not good web design. Your customer won’t have the patience to do this either.
3. Simple Navigation is Key
The rule of thumb in a good user experience is that visitors must be able to find what they’re looking for in about two clicks. Anything longer than that and your website stands to lose potential sales and will fail to engage your audience.
Navigation should be kept as simple and as intuitive as possible. Don’t put in too many options, as it could overwhelm your visitors. There should be a clear path for your customer to follow, whether they want to read valuable content or are looking for specific types of products or services.
4. Do Not Use Stock Photos
Stock photos may be useful for certain types of content, but they are not the best option when it comes to building a well-designed website. Blog posts can make use of them, but they don’t have any business to be in your business website, or your About Us page.
Stock photos are generic and can ruin the design of a website. For example, if you want to put in photos of your team, take the time to have them photographed at a studio. High-quality images should be placed in the main areas of your site to make it look professional and original. You stand to lose consumer trust when you try to show your specific industry expertise with stock photos.
5. Eliminate Social Media Feeds
Social media feeds were all the rage back in the day when it was at its peak in popularity. Now, it’s time to tone the noise down and keep it simple and intuitive. Consumers are smart enough to know where to go when they need to connect with you via social media sites. Putting in Twitter or Facebook feeds may distract your audience away from where you really want them to go.
If you must, put the social media buttons on the sideline and out of the way. Your audience will click that button when they want to follow you. Keep in mind that your business website is primarily for putting out informative content, getting your viewers to try out your products or completing forms. There’s a separate cyberspace for having them read through your previous social media posts and tweets.
6. Install Trust Signals and Testimonials
Potential customers who land on your website are more likely to try out what you’re pitching when they feel that they can trust your business. Make sure to include positive testimonials from past or repeat customers, or from notable industry partners. Showcase any and all accreditations, recognitions, awards and accomplishments, i.e., Better Business Bureau to make your visitor feel that he or she is safe in buying your products or services.
Consumers can spot fakes, and this includes fake testimonials. These will not establish brand trust but will do exactly the opposite- driving potential buyers away from your business.
7. Install Live Chat
Business owners mistakenly think that live chat is only good for customer support or for companies that are trying to sell products or services online. Live chat is actually one of the best things you can put in your business website. It can do a lot of things- answer queries in a timely manner, provide web and product assistance, or direct the visitor to where they need to go. Chat services can even be put in mobile apps which can be favorable for businesses.
8. Put In a Great Explainer Video
Consumers are becoming wiser. They also have a short attention span. They take a few seconds to see what a website can offer, then quickly move on to the next. Business websites should optimize their online content to try and grab their audience’s attention. One way of doing this is with explainer videos.
An excellent explainer video will do a lot of things that a thousand-word content will not. It can help massively improve conversion rates. It can captivate, educate and entertain the viewer long enough to make them want to try your products or services. Well-made explainers will show the quality of your brand. Invest in the time and effort to put in a great explainer video, and your business website will have considerable success.
9. Identify the Good Spots
Use a web tool that identifies where your viewers are clicking and where they aren’t. Reposition the most important elements such as offers and propositions to improve the rate of your click-throughs. See what kind of content your visitors are viewing and put them in where others could easily see them. Understanding visitor behavior is part of making a well-designed website.
10. Make It Easy For Your Customers to Contact You
Technology is such that there are plenty of communication channels available. Email, chat, phones and instant messaging are some of the notable channels that businesses can employ. If you have potential customers who are interested in your product, they will want to speak with a qualified representative to answer their questions. Don’t waste that potential sale; include as many ways for your audience to connect with you.
