The Importance of Great Web Design

Photo courtesy of Jung-nam Nam

Many business owners we speak to shrug off the importance of web design. “They just make it look pretty, right?” Wrong. Great web design is integral to the growth and presence of your business. These days, your website is the central aspect of your business. It is the gravitational center of your web presence. Customers make instant decisions about your company based on your website. Do they feel comfortable? Do they understand the purpose? Do they know how to find what they want? In today’s post, we’ll look at exactly why great web design is so important.

User experience – As we said before, visitors to your site make an instant judgement based on design. Great web design makes visitors feel instantly at home on your page. The layout will be intuitive and instinctive. The layout will be familiar but with a personal touch. Web visitors scan internet pages in a very specific way. Good designers understand this process and know how to capitalise on it. They’ll take your visitors on the journey and make the experience seamless.

Branding – Branding has always been a vital part of the marketing process. They say that a customer needs to see your branding 20 times before they make a strong connection with it. Your website is a great way to solidify and strengthen that brand. We spoke to a web design company for some essential branding tips. They told us that the best designers incorporate the colours from your branding palette into the site. They use your logo in strategic places where the eye falls most often. These are just some of the many great tricks used by the experts.

Trust – This one may sound dubious, but it is backed up by strong data. 94% cite web design as a reason they don’t trust a company. Poor and thoughtless design is easy to spot and it tells the user everything they need to know. There are some ways you can improve trust through design. It’s all about reputation. Show off large social media numbers and highlight prominent clients.

Mobile consideration – In 2014, internet access on mobile devices overtook computer access. More people are using the web on their phones than their laptops now. For that reason, it’s essential that your design is adaptable for mobile use. Failing to do this means losing over half of your potential customer base. The best mobile sites are designed and built by experts, we suggest you use one.

Reach goals – Every website should have a prioritised list of goals. It could be as simple as increasing web traffic. It could be to increase online sales or to extend your community reach. Whatever your goals, good web design is built around these fundamentals. The best web designers shape the site to highlight and promote these aspects. Good web design will help you reach those goals faster.

Web design should be at the very core of your online marketing strategy. It will make or break your customer relationships. Good design will increase trust, awareness and profits. Take the time to get it right and don’t be scared to invest some money here. Think your site could do with sprucing up? What are you waiting for?