The old adage that one should ‘never judge a book by its cover’ should be expanded to include inanimate objects. Appearance and looks do matter on the web. In an era where people make snap judgements, websites are also judged for their appearance.
The truth of the matter is that good web design pays off. Not just because people like brilliant designs and aesthetically pleasing interfaces, but because it is well-designed. It will make your business more competitive and attract more conversions.
A website is an extension of your brand online, after all. It is your main door to communicate with your customers on the web. The goal of every business online should be to leave a good, lasting impression on the viewer which will convert them into a buyer. Leaving a lasting first impression depends on many factors, which all come down to one thing: good web design.
Here are some reasons why having a good web design is important for your business:
- Opinions are formed based on web design: people’s first impressions on your website are formed rather quickly – 0.05 seconds 50 milliseconds to be exact, after your page has fully loaded. This means that the judgement call is based on what they are seeing on the design interface. This first opinion will probably determine whether they like or leave your site.
- Poor design affects trustability: believe it or not, a good web design can influence how much a viewer trusts a company. Poor design had a negative impact on trustability: 94% of people cited it as the reason why they mistrusted a site. Only 6% said content-related reasons. That being said, it is safe to say that even if a website is rich in content and has a sound content marketing plan, it will fall short to poor interface design. Chances are visitors will not even look at it as they will not want to explore the site beyond the home page.
- Load time affects traffic and bounce rates: load time, or how long it takes for a page to load, plays a primary role in building traffic to your site. The average time people wait for a web site to load is 2.078 seconds. Having said that, load time is also related to making visitors stay on your web site, or lower bounce rates. If it takes more than 3 seconds for a page to load, 40% of users leave. More than 4 seconds of loading time results in a complete, or 100% bounce rate.
- Mobile-friendly designs increase sales: it is impossible to talk about web design and not mention mobile or responsive design. 62% of companies that designed their sites for mobile platforms noted an increase in sales. This should not come as a surprise, as mobile is where most people are. Most people are on their cell phones all day, texting, browsing and calling. Say they run into a post of yours on social media, and cannot view a link on your site? You lose the chance of delivering a message to the viewer and a potential customer.
- The colors you choose affect traffic: the combination of colors you choose on your website also has an impact on users. Certain colors have certain effects on viewers, and should be used wisely according to the type of product or service you are trying to showcase. Some facts are that blue is the most popular color, followed by green. Sites with dark color schemes result in 2% growth while lighter color schemes report 1.3% growth.
A lot of work goes behind a website, especially if you want to make it functional and beautiful. Today’s users demand a lot from the sites they browse: valuable content, short load times, interactivity, and professional but aesthetically pleasing look. Having a website that is appealing has become quite complicated though. Hiring professionals to design it site is the norm.
Our web design team will do everything for you: from understanding what your business’s needs to showcase on their site, to designing a layout that is functional, attractive, and efficient. Our designs are fully-tested for multiple screen sizes and what’s best of all, is that they are cut-out for any size of business. Prices for our web design plans start at the affordable price of $19/mo.
Our plans are all inclusive, and not only do we work with the creative and design process of your company, but with the promotional side of it. With our digital marketing plans, we’ll also help you improve your marketing efforts in whatever aspect you need – be it SEO, social media management or content marketing.
Creating a stunning and lasting presence online could not be more important today. Gather viewer’s attention. Start today!
