How many times have you been distracted while browsing a poorly designed website? You don’t need to be an expert in web design to know that if the site is difficult to navigate or unappealing, it’s not going to convert.
People usually don’t buy products from websites they are unfamiliar with or sites that make them uncomfortable. The goal of any website should be customer satisfaction, so they will return again and again. This can only happen when their needs are met.
The bottom line: Your website design has a significant impact on your sales and conversion rates.
So how do you create a high-converting website?
Drawing from countless website reviews that I have conducted for businesses, below are some of my best suggestions on how to optimize.
1. Craft an excellent user experience
There are many things that go into designing the perfect site, but one of the most important factors is usability. It’s how the customer feels when they are on your site and interacting with it that really counts.
If people can’t find what they’re looking for on your site, or they feel frustrated by navigating it, then they’ll leave before finding what they want. This means less conversions and money coming in for your business.
Website design should be intentional, and not distracting. When you look over your website content, ask yourself if any extraneous elements can be removed. Simple is often better when it comes to creating a streamlined experience.
Consider using photos alongside your text blocks. Humans tend to comprehend concepts more quickly when displayed visually, meaning we will spend less time reading lengthy paragraphs if there’s also great accompanying imagery.
2. Websites with slow load times are less likely to convert visitors
A study by Convince&Convert shows that your web page loading speed has an effect in how long you keep visitors on site. The research points to a correlation between site performance and customer experience. Its findings reveal that websites with fast-loading pages get 67% more clickthroughs than slower ones from search engine results pages (SERPs).
The solution? Test your website’s speed with a tool like Google Page Speed Insights or Ubersuggest. Make sure that your pages load quickly, and that load time is minimal from one page to another.
When you use these tools, you’ll be able to see a customized list of feedback on how you can improve your page load time. Some suggestions might include implementing lazy loading, minifying your code, and compressing your images.
3. Website navigation needs to be simple and intuitive for the user
Once again, it’s important for a website to be easy-to-use. The navigation needs to make sense and be intuitive so the user can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily without feeling lost or frustrated with their experience on your site.
Avoid confusing navigation by keeping menus simple with only one level or two levels maximum. Keep menu items short and concise so people know what they’re clicking through for at first glance instead of scrolling endlessly until they find something of interest.
4. Designing a website that is mobile-friendly will increase traffic from smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices
Think about how many times you have visited a website on your phone only to find that the brand doesn’t have a mobile-friendly version in place. The navigation is displayed at a teeny tiny font. It’s hard to read the content because of the layout. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?
A responsive web design is the best way for any business to reach more customers. For those with a website, they’ll be able to make their site work better on different platforms such as tablets and smartphones because of this new technique that allows pages to adjust themselves automatically based on screen size.
Using responsive web design techniques such as fluid grids and media queries make it possible for visitors to access their page through any device (desktop/laptop, tablet/smartphone).
5. Ongoing maintenance and updates for websites after they’ve been launched are imperative to keep your visitors coming back
Launching a website is just the beginning for most businesses. Maintaining and updating that site to stay relevant in today’s ever-changing digital landscape can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be!
Sometimes plugins break. Your website platform may eventually need an update. Upgrades are often needed for security purposes. And eventually – content just goes stale.
Make it a habit to keep your website updated technically and creatively to give your customers incentive to come back again and again.
In conclusion, websites can’t just be a collection of text and stock photos. They need to have an excellent user experience that is crafted with the visitor in mind. This means:
- considering how visitors will use your site
- ensuring it loads quickly
- has simplified navigation for users on all devices
- designs content for mobile-friendly browsing
If you’re looking to level up your website so your business will thrive online, download my FREE Elevated Web Presence Checklist below!