As a business owner, you likely believe in your brand. You know that your products or services are high quality and top-of-the-line. You believe in your business and you are able to back it up with explanations, demonstrations, facts, figures, data, and so much more. You are your products’ greatest salesman.
But imagine never even getting the opportunity to make a great sales pitch because potential clients are turned away by the way the way your product is packaged, or the way that you’re dressed, or the appearance of your storefront. These things don’t actually have anything to do with your product, so they really shouldn’t matter. But unfortunately, human nature doesn’t operate this way. People are attracted to beautiful things.
This situation is sadly true for many businesses who operate online. Their products or services are well-designed and address a pain point that could affect the lives and businesses of so many clients. But, their expertise is not in website design and thus, their online presence is sub-par and even potentially off-putting.
So what does this have to do with your business? Everything.
If you’re not taking web design seriously, you’re allowing tons of leads to pass you by. Not because your product or services aren’t good, but simply because your website is not aesthetically pleasing or your landing pages are confusing to navigate.
Don’t let design choices cause you to lose business.
Here are a few aspects of design to focus your attention on when crafting your website to convert more leads.
Credibility
Case studies show that almost 50% of people look to website design as a measure for deciding the credibility of a brand or company. That in and of itself is a major reason to ensure that your website design is top-notch. With online scammers running rampant and becoming trickier to sus out, your trustworthiness and reliability need to jump off the page from the first scroll.
This looks like having a well-planned responsive design, concise URL links, clear and grammatically correct copy, and blog posts, verifiable social proof, and an obvious customer journey map. All of these factors lend to your credibility and integrity as a brand.
Simplicity
Have you ever walked into a store that has an overwhelming amount of unorganized products littered throughout the store? Or perhaps you’ve opened a magazine catalog and the color scheme, amount of fine print, and product placement is jumbled all over the page making it an information overload? These scenarios surely don’t make you want to make a purchase. The same is true when shopping or searching online. Less is always more. Having a website that is cluttered with text information, too many landing pages, and a confusing amount of products is an easy way to turn a customer away and drive them to your competition.
Keeping your color palette concise, your written text short, your imaging limited and simple, and your negative space empty allows your customers to see what is important on your site.
Clarity
Confusing navigation is a conversion rate killer that is easily avoidable. Ensuring that your website is easy to navigate is the simplest way to ensure that your customers know where to find what they’re looking for, or how to contact you and ask questions when they can’t find the answers on their own.
Each landing page should be simple with a clear call to action (CTA) in the form of a button or fillable form fields to signal your clients of a desired action. Additionally, your contact information should be easy to find either on a contact page or a live chat feature.
Beauty
Beautiful things attract attention. It is in their nature. This is why colorful birds are always easy to spot and why people love to bring flower arrangements into their homes. Humans gravitate towards good design, symmetry, and complimenting colors. The first word you think of when you think of an online website is probably not “beauty.” But beauty is definitely a feature you should consider when designing your online presence because people flock to well-thought-out design.
This looks like establishing a brand color palette and font, using professional graphics and images, and designing your web pages according to artistic principles, such as the rule of thirds. Implementing beautiful and clean design principles automatically sets you above the competition and attracts new leads (even if it is subconsciously).
Momentum
One of the most stated reasons that a customer did not complete a purchase or sign up for a free trial is because the process simply took too long. If a customer finds you on social media, they need to easily be able to find your direct website link. They shouldn’t have to wade through unclickable links or captions and a plethora of landing pages.
Additionally, in today’s fast-paced world, you cannot afford for your website to have slow loading speeds. When a page, especially a purchase page, has a slow load time, it gives leads an extra opportunity to second-guess or reconsider. It can also lead to frustration when a client is quickly looking for information. And frustration is not a feeling you want to be associated with your brand and name.
Ensuring that your website operates properly and your hosting site is quick and glitch-free is vital to conversion rate optimization.
Optimizing Your Website Design
If your area of business is not in the design or tech world, it can be so confusing to know where to begin to improve conversions. Should you use pre-made templates? Where should buttons be placed on a page? How many landing pages does your site need? Is there specific language, keywords, or buzz phrases you should be including? What happens if there is a glitch in a server or a disconnect with a link?
These are all important questions. But figuring out the answers takes significant time away from your own business and job responsibilities. Therefore, in the long run, it is well worth your budget and bottom line to hire experts that can take your online business to the next level and maintain a well-crafted online presence.
Our team at Sting Marketing does just that. Our designers and strategists stay up-to-date with the everchanging technology of website hosting and optimization strategies so that you don’t have to try to keep up on your own. We can build a unique website for you designed to attract and capture leads while maintaining your strong company goals and core values. We pride ourselves on being growth driven and backed by data to ensure that your business grows steadily and soundly.
Are you ready to find out more specifically how our team at Sting can help tailor your website design and increase your conversion rates? Schedule a call with a strategist to get started today.
