Here’s the thing most small business owners get wrong about their website design. They see it only as a business card for their company but not as a selling tool.
Although aesthetics play a crucial role, users care less about the bells and whistles and more about the experience they’re having on your site. The math is pretty simple: it doesn’t matter how good your website looks; if prospects have a difficult time getting around and finding what they need, they will bounce.
Can my website’s design have such a great impact on my customer’s decision to purchase my services, you might ask yourself. Well, considering that there are over one billion websites out there, the answer is yes.
Now, here comes another tough question: what design elements can increase your online sales?
Let’s find out!
1. Is Your Navigation Simple and Intuitive?
One of the most important things you need to pay attention to if you want to boost your online sales is the user experience. As mentioned above, prospects should have no problem navigating your site and finding the information they need. The entire purchase process needs to be clear and easy to follow. Otherwise, your customers will give up before the final step.
Organize content in a way that is logical and intuitive, making it simple for your prospects to move from one stage to another. Keep the information consistent and relevant across all pages. Last but not least, ensure your website is mobile friendly since consumers nowadays spend 51% of their time on mobile devices.
2. Are You Up to Date with SEO?
Your web design affects not only your users’experience but also your site’s SEO performance. There’s no secret that Google rewards high-quality sites, so it should come as no surprise that user experience plays a vital role in your SEO strategy. If your prospects are not satisfied, they will bounce. Search engines will notice this trend and read it as poor user experience. As a result, they will keep your website low in search engine results. The lower your site is in SERP, the slimmer the chances that your prospects will find your business.
3. Are You Inspiring Customers Through Design?
While usability is essential, the actual design also plays a crucial role – if it’s properly thought out, of course. You want your website to inspire customers to take action. You can achieve this by creating a design that resonates with your buyers’ persona and is consistent with your brand’s identity.
Make it a priority to catch your client’s attention through a cohesive choice of color scheme, white space versus text and graphics usage.
If that sounds like a challenge, then services like SITE123 can help you create your site quickly and for free. All you have to do is go to their platform, browse through their styles and layouts, and build your business with SITE123.
4. Can Your Prospects Compare Products?
Enabling your customers to compare products and services through your website is another highly efficient way to increase your sales.
Purchasing decisions can sometimes be overwhelming, leading prospects to not making any decision at all. By offering customers the possibility to compare products or services, you help them navigate through the decision making process with ease. That can translate into increased sales and long-term loyalty since people will come back for an easy, trustful purchase.
5. Are You Using High-Quality Visuals?
When it comes to visuals, you might want to stick to this golden rule: unless it’s high quality, ditch it. Nothing is more of a turn off than poor, scratchy visuals. Be it images or videos, keep them nice and crisp or don’t keep them at all.
That said, stay away from pop-ups – they are a customer repellent. So, unless you want them to run off, keep them to a minimal (or, better yet, don’t use them at all.)
Making sure your website not only looks great but performs well too is crucial if you want to increase your sales. Keep these tips in mind when you’re designing or making any changes to your site.
