Since its inception in 1991, web design has grown to become one of the most powerful digital tools for small business owners. The internet has billions of websites, an indicator of value. Websites have proven helpful in allowing small businesses to conduct their operations effectively.
But, building a website is one thing; ensuring it converts is another. As a small business owner, you need a well-planned web design to appeal, engage and convert. You can outsource this task to agencies or get it done yourself.
Regardless of how you decide to move forward, this article gives you a simple guide to designing a website that converts. Read on!
What Is Web Design?
Web design is the planning and arrangement of content on a website for distribution and accessibility. It’s a collaborative process that utilizes design knowledge, techniques and tools from various industries. It involves design fields, such as graphic design, web development and search engine optimization (SEO).
The art of web designing combines functional and aesthetic elements to develop your site’s structure and enhance user experience. The way a website is designed determines its appearance and layout. A good web design makes your site easy to use and pleasing to users. It also helps enhance users’ perception of your business.
Professionals that specialize in web design are referred to as web designers. These experts bring together different web elements to ensure optimal performance. They focus on the visual and technical aspects of your website to meet your purpose, goals and expectations.
Although web design focuses mainly on website creation, it has recently expanded to include mobile plans for business app integrations.
Elements of a Good Website Design
Regardless of its industry or design style, every small business website must possess some aspects to pass as a well-designed website. These elements are what separate a good website from a bad one.
Here are the essential ones:
- Visual Look: Website users are visually oriented creatures. When they visit a website, they expect to find appealing visual elements as part of the user experience. Hence, your business website should integrate great graphics and impressive features to appeal to users visually.
- Navigation: A website should be easy to navigate, and essential items should be easily accessible from any page. Users should be able to find their way around your site without any hitch. A site map can help with ease of navigation.
- Intuitiveness: The best websites often anticipate users’ needs and cater to them promptly. A good web design integrates landing systems that take users to pages relevant to their search. That way, it minimizes navigation effort and maximizes engagement.
- Branding: A good website design should reflect your brand clearly and compellingly. Visitors should be able to connect between the visual and content elements of the site. This helps enhance your business’s image and reputation.
Why Small Business Owners Need Web Design
Small business owners need websites for various reasons. A high-quality and professionally designed website can help build the credibility of your business and encourage customer trust and patronage. Satisfied customers can also leave reviews on the website – positive feedback helps foster trust. When prospective clients come across these reviews, they’re more likely to convert.
With a website, your business can also achieve increased marketing effectiveness at a lower cost. More than traditional marketing, digital marketing has proven to be a highly effective marketing method, considering its significantly higher return on investment (ROI). Thus, your business can earn more marketing rewards at a lower cost through web-based digital marketing strategies.
Furthermore, businesses with well-designed and running websites are more easily found on search engines. A website with a high Google ranking has greater visibility to its target audience.
Aspects of Web Design To Focus on for High Conversion
While aesthetic features are crucial, one of the most critical indicators of a website’s effectiveness is its ability to generate conversions. The higher the percentage of site visitors, the higher your potential conversion rate.
That said, here are aspects of design to focus on to create a high-converting website:
Design and Backend
Design and backend structure should be mobile-friendly and desktop-enabled. But, the majority of small business consumers are mobile users. Bearing that in mind, your concentration should be on mobile devices. Having a website that works well on mobile devices increases the rate of user engagement. Increased engagement means a high conversion rate and improved sales and profit for your business.
Calls to Action
When visitors navigate your website, they come with an intention. Regardless of that intent, they need some sort of guide on how to proceed, also known as a call to action (CTA). If you want your customers to do something, maybe sign up, click a link or visit a page, the instruction must be clear.
Communication Media
Every website communicates something. However, communication can be done differently. Media, such as images, videos and podcasts, are some of the most common means of business communication. Businesses should choose the most effective communication media to work with. Communication systems can also be integrated for improved performance. The more engaging the media are, the more conversion they guarantee.
SEO
Your web ranking matters a lot. Websites that are more visible to search engines get more engagement. To get a higher conversion, you should consider on-page and off-page SEO for your design. Both are crucial to the performance of your website.
Strategies for Designing a Website With High Conversion
Achieving a high conversion rate for your website increases your bottom line. Small businesses with high-converting websites enjoy better ROI on their digital marketing and branding efforts. But, a website doesn’t automatically convert without the right strategies in place.
Here are some of those:
1. Designing a Plan
A plan details the elements and goals of your website. What functionalities will the site have? How will it appear? What goals do you intend to achieve? It’d be best if you answered these questions before your design plan.
You can do that by creating a prototype design that shows exactly what your business needs. But, a prototype is informed by data. Data about customer needs, location, interaction and pain points will help achieve a genuinely user-friendly website, thereby increasing your conversion rate.
2. Eliminating Distractions
Websites usually contain different pieces of information about a business requiring various design elements. While these elements have their roles to play, things shouldn’t get complicated. Complicated details will distract customers from the message the website is trying to pass.
The truth is that most website users have a short attention span. When overwhelmed with information, users miss the message or abandon the site altogether. Therefore, distraction inhibits conversion. To achieve higher conversion rates, keep your website functionality as simple as possible.
3. Integrating Social Proof
Social proof can be in the form of customer testimonials or reviews. The feedback helps add credibility to your business and makes customers gravitate towards it. If users see positive testimonials from other customers, studies show that they feel encouraged to hire or buy from a business.
Social proof can be communicated through various formats, such as video, graphics and text formats. While video testimonials are often the most effective, you can combine them with other types of content.
Remember to remain truthful. Showing fake reviews harms your business’s reputation, leading to fewer conversions.
4. Improving Content and Readability
No matter how great your website design is, it’ll not convert visitors if the copy is irrelevant and doesn’t appeal to users. The content is as crucial as the design itself.
Content doesn’t refer only to text, but also videos, infographics and images offering value to visitors. But, if you’re using text-based content, ensure it can be easily read and understood. Excessively technical or inappropriate content usually fails to achieve conversion goals.
Also, when using visual content, utilize high-quality visuals. Get the best images and illustrations to depict your message. This helps improve engagement and conversion rates.
5. Input Customer Feedback System
Customers love businesses that listen to them. Having a part of your website dedicated to customer support improves the business-customer relationship. Through a customer feedback system, you get insights from customers and know their experiences with your website. You can also listen to their complaints and recommendations for improved customer satisfaction and increased conversion.
Conclusion
As a small business owner, having a well-designed and functional website offers several business advantages. A website will help your business establish a professional presence, improve credibility and build trust with its target audience. It’ll also allow you to maximize digital marketing without making costly investments. Finally, when your web design is fully optimized and visually appealing, you get to increase engagement and improve conversion rates.