The website is an extension of any business. It puts an online face and persona to the company, and shows visitors and prospective clients what the firm is about and what it can offer.
For many businesses, the website is essentially a marketing tool. Aside from providing content about the company, the website may be used to attract potential customers who may be interested in the products or services that the company is offering. And similar to facing a traditional salesperson, clients may get turned off if they don’t like how the website looks or what it contains.
On top of high-value content and effective marketing strategies, the design and appearance of your website can help engage more visitors and generate leads for your business.
1. Make content readable
What good is a beautiful website if your site visitors cannot read the ultra-small font? On the flip side, expect visitors to turn away when they see too many pop-ups and sliding panes blocking the text. Choose a site design that does not lose sight of the importance of textual content.
2. Keep it simple
You may be itching to show off your design or coding skills on your website, but don’t let it steal the spotlight from your real objective. Avoid putting too many features and visual gimmicks just for the sake of breaking the Internet! Put yourself in the shoes of your prospective clients and visualize what they’re after on your site.
3. Highlight the call to action
Digital marketers know by heart that a good marketing campaign – email, website, or social media status – should contain a call to action (that is, a specific instruction for the visitor to do something). Need more sales? Put an eye-catching “Order Now” button on your pages. The same goes for invitations to email subscription and membership registration.
4. Use HTML header tags wisely
Web designers know this as h1 or h2 tags, but many people just refer to it as “extremely large font size”. Reserve these font styles for words or phrases that need emphasis, say a company slogan or page titles. For paragraphs, it’s better to highlight content by using bold or underline styles, or by changing the color.
5. Choose a responsive (or mobile-friendly) design
Smartphones and tablets have evolved as formidable (and absolutely handier) alternatives to laptops and computers, and so expect a fraction of your site visitors to view your pages on mobile gadgets. Make your website responsive from the get-go, so that you’ll be able to capture mobile viewership.
6. Limit the use of ultra-trendy designs
Years ago, 3D graphics and animated GIFs were all the rage. Now, it’s flat design and parallax scrolling. Although these trendy design elements show that your website is updated, a time will come when these designs would be considered tacky. It’s still a good idea to stick to the basics, although you may use web design trends sparingly throughout your site pages.
7. Aim for a fast-loading website
A slow-loading page is the bane of website visitors, prospective clients, and search engines. Prevent the early departure of your website users by streamlining your site to shorten page loading time.
Start by removing convoluted codes, optimizing images, and regulating the site elements only up to what is required for the purpose. You should be able to notice that the boost in website speed will increase site traffic.
8. Display your contact info prominently
People want to feel valued when they visit a website that offers a product or service. One way of doing this is by making it easy for them to contact you.
This may come in the form of a prominently displayed phone number at the header section of the page, a visible link to a Contact page, or clickable Font Awesome icons that lead to your social media accounts.
Be sure to include operating hours, directions, and a map if your business has a physical store.
9. Think about changing your brand imagery
Companies who have been running for many years may find themselves on a plateau when it comes to public interest. It might be a good time to change your website’s look. You can approach this in many ways, like updating the overall design, changing the logo to make it look more modern, or adding more images that represent your brand.
10. Put important information above the fold
This section refers to the first window of your website that loads on the user’s screen. Put this portion to good use, by placing your most pertinent info above the fold. This should typically include your brand logo, a navigational menu to browse through the site, a call-to-action image or button, and contact details.
Just by using a few of these web design tips, you may see client interest heating up. Remember that web design is not only about prettifying your website. Instead, it should be approached with lead generation and marketability in mind.
