Think web design doesn’t matter?
Think again!
It’s true that an eye-catching website is not the be-all and end-all of your digital marketing efforts. But design can make or break your ability to convert traffic.
Most expert web designers agree that the primary goal of creating a website would be to turn visitors into paying customers. So lay down your color wheel, and let’s look at how you can tackle web design like a pro — and turn visitors into paying clients.
The Lowdown on Conversion Rate
In the online marketing world, conversion rate is defined as “the percentage of the total number of website visitors that completed or took the desired action.” Website conversion has two distinct categories: micro conversion and macro conversion.
Macro conversions are designed to complete actions that directly affect the revenue growth of the business. This includes filling out a contract form, making a purchase, requesting a quote, or signing up for a free trial.
On the other hand, micro conversions have a much lesser impact on revenue. However, it is still beneficial to the brand. Micro conversions include free downloads, blog subscriptions, and social media engagements — and may ultimately lead to a macro conversion.
Converting Visitors to Paying Customers: Key Factors to Consider
If you want to effectively convert website visitors to customers, below are some website design factors you should keep in mind:
Website Structure
When it comes to converting visitors to customers, how the website is structured can make a massive difference. Even if you have a fetching website, it won’t help much with the conversions if your visitors can’t find what they are looking for or have difficulty purchasing from the website.
When designing and structuring your website, it is ideal to follow The Rule of Thirds. According to the principle, you will divide the website into thirds, horizontally and vertically. So you should be getting nine equal squares. The four intersection points — where the lines cross one another — are considered strategic points of interest.
That said, the most critical elements of your page (i.e., call-to-action, key features, etc.) should be placed there. The structure of your website should be on point and user-friendly, with vital information placed where it can be spotted right away.
What you should do: Complex website structures are a no-no. They might intimidate your visitors and cause them to hit the “x” button before making a purchase.
Website Readability
It’s safe to assume many of your visitors will not read everything written on your site. Often, people skim through the pages and look for headings and keywords to find the information they are looking for. It is also likely that they will skip anything not relevant to their search.
With this user behavior in mind, your content must be as readable as possible. Otherwise, your visitors won’t be enticed to take action. Also, it pays to remember that some research indicates that users scan content using an F-pattern.
This means they read the first few sentences on the page to get an idea of what it’s all about. From there, they scan downward and make small forays into the left side. The bottom right of the page rarely gets any attention.
What you should do: To make the most of this user behavior, ensure you have a great visual hierarchy. Place important information and powerful headers at the top of the page so your visitors can see them right away.
Aesthetics
Fonts, images, and colors are critical design considerations as they are one of the first few things visitors will notice when they are on your site. When it comes to website design, the simpler the design, the better. If your website is too stuffy or crowded, you might turn visitors off.
A minimalist and clean website is considered ideal as it is more likely to boost conversions. When the non-essentials are removed, you will have more space for essential elements like the call-to-action. It is also ideal to only use photos and images that are of high quality.
What you should do: As a general rule of thumb, your choice of imagery and colors should tie all the aspects of your website together and effectively convey and complement the message of your brand.
Navigation
Your visitors should be able to navigate your site with ease. They should be able to move from one page to another regardless of where they are on your site. It is also essential to keep in mind that not all your visitors are tech-savvy. If tech-challenged visitors can’t find what they are looking for, they might leave and look for another provider.
One good trick you can do to boost conversions is limiting user decisions. According to Hick’s Law, the more choices your visitors have, the longer it will take for them to decide. What’s worse is when there are too many options, they can get overwhelmed or confused and click out.
What you should do: When designing your website, follow the three-click rule. This website navigation rule suggests that visitors should find what they are looking for within three clicks. Otherwise, they can get impatient and leave.
Speed and Responsiveness
This might not be common knowledge, but page speed directly impacts the user’s overall experience. A 2019 survey revealed that consumers are less likely to revisit slow-loading websites. Also, search engines now consider mobile-friendliness and site speed when ranking web pages.
This means that if your website loads fast and has a mobile-friendly design, it has a higher chance of ranking high in the search engine results pages (SERPs). When your site ranks high, you can generate more traffic and, ultimately, conversions.
What you should do: In an era where most people access information through their mobile phones, it makes perfect sense to optimize the site for mobile users. Bottom line, if you want to generate more conversions, it is recommended that you make sure your site is mobile-friendly and responsive.
Content
If you want to get more targeted website traffic, you need to ensure you have a high-quality copy. While one of the primary goals of creating a website is to promote the service or product you are selling, putting in the effort to create helpful and quality content for your visitors can also do wonders.
Like other digital marketing tactics, you start your content strategy by figuring out who your target audience is. Knowing your audience can also help ensure you can create content they will find interesting and engaging. More importantly, quality content can help establish trust between you and your target audience.
What you should do: Ensure you keep your content fresh, practical, and engaging all time to help build trust and turn prospects into likely customers.
Call-to-action
If you want to make visitors complete specific actions, asking them is the most effective way to achieve your objective. Ideally, you should know where, how, and when to do it. Strategically positioned call-to-action (CTA) is something every high-converting website has in common.
A CTA can be an image, video, button, or text that incites them to perform the action you want. A CTA often uses action-oriented language that clearly instructs visitors to do something like learn, call, check, download, and, of course, buy.
What you should do: You can make your call-to-action more effective by demonstrating or creating urgency. Using words, terms, and phrases that propose a limited-time offer (e.g., limited, now, or today) will entice consumers to take immediate action.
Final Thoughts on Web Design
In today’s highly competitive marketplace, setting yourself apart from the competition can make a world of difference. If you want to be a step ahead of the pack and generate more traffic and more conversions, start by designing an exceptional website. The tips laid out above should get your designing efforts off to a superb start.
