The importance of professional website design
It’s the twenty-twenties, and the era of fierce digital competition doesn’t look like easing up any time soon. Where does web design play its part? Presenting your business as professionally as possible is becoming increasingly important.
According to a research survey, nearly 90% of customers tend to search online for information on a business before making their move, whether this is purchasing an item, enquiring about a service or signing up for a newsletter.
Based on the research study alone, it’s clear how pivotal a website is for your business. It’s a place where people land to extract information and learn about your company. Having a user-friendly, professional presence online offers the immediate benefit of trustworthiness, as described by website usability expert Nielsen.
Failing to ensure your website is responsive and optimised, it can lead to damaging results for your brand. If your site is hard to use or takes too long to load, customers will leave. Just a few of the prospective failures a company typically faces due to improper website design include:
- Increased bounce rate and losing potential customers
- Sending out an impression of a ‘closed down or outdated’ business
- Adversely affecting the company’s credibility and reputation
- Falling behind competitors
- Losing online presence in the e-market
Several approaches can be applied to make the website more user-friendly and engaging. Some of the tips that can be employed by these e-businesses to build a professional website include:
- Select your design as per the business niche or brand
- Display a minimalistic interface with clear usability patterns
- Keep the information up to date and relevant
- Focus on fast-loading pages
- Prioritise a responsive and optimised website
- Take into account the security of customers’ data and how trustworthy your website appeals to a guest
Top 5 benefits of an appealing website
No doubt, sites have cut down running costs for pretty much every business. However, maintaining a quality online presence is becoming more and more of a necessity. The all-important high street image has now been substituted for the requirement of a professional online identity.
Before jumping towards the benefits of what excellent web design can bring to the table; remind yourself, your website is your identity. We have compiled an in-depth yet concise overview of the top 5 benefits of great web design:
Enhances First Impressions
Most of us have heard the phrase, ‘the first impression is the last impression.’ Irrespective of being an eCommerce platform or a company with an online presence, this proverb applies equally to all businesses. According to an article published by The Guardian, it roughly takes about 1/10th of a second to form an impression about people.
Fortunately, websites are no exception to it. A behavioural study by the professors of Carleton University concluded that it takes merely 0.005 seconds to develop an opinion about a company’s website. Hence, cashing in on those milli-seconds and developing a visually appealing ultra fast-loading website enables a business to keep its users satisfied.T
Showcase An Online Presence
Over half of the global population has gained access to the internet, and soon, every human being in this world will be able to get an internet connection. Websites, therefore, are providing companies with an ensured online presence ’24/7′. Sites also offer customers a gateway to reach out to the company; via integrated in-app messaging, customer representative calls, instant messaging, email, to name a few. A website helps businesses go beyond geographical limitations and be accessible anytime, anywhere to be there for your customers.
Boosts Your Conversions
The primary focus of any business is to generate revenue. Favourably, a trustworthy, well-built website will help the company to improve conversions. Firstly, using a well-planned Search Engine Optimisation strategy means your business ranks well on search engines and provides customer outreach.
Secondly, a customer-focused web design project ensures maximises conversions by focusing on classic business conversion features including;
- Call-to-action (CTA) buttons
- Payment options / buy now buttons
- 24/7 Representative presence
- Clear terms and conditions and privacy statements.
- Contact details and if applicable, physical opening hours
- Ratings and reviews
Cuts Down Costs
The mantra of a business can be described in a single sentence, “increase the revenue and reduce the costs.” In comparison to the traditional business strategy, it has become much easier for the business of today to cut expenses without affecting performance. For most companies, this involves initial web development costs and then ongoing maintenance and SEO to keep your website in optimal health and running smoothly. In fact, with us, there may not even necessarily be an upfront web design cost with one of our pay monthly web design options.
Encourages Insightful Data Collection
Last but not least, a website helps to connect a business with customers. Just like how we mentioned a user would research a company 9 times out of 10 before taking their next step, we can use websites as powerful data collection tools.
We can use analytics to track user visits, their viewing patterns, bounce rate and much, much more. All of this data can be used to make well-informed business decisions to help increase your revenue.
A clear, usable and well-designed website allows both parties to connect on a single medium.
Wrapping It Up
Having a website built professionally can create many more of the benefits listed above. From landing investment opportunities to increased sales, maintaining a decent online presence has long left the status of luxury. For small businesses, it has become a lifeline to keep on track with their business and create organic growth.