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Highly Effective Web Design Tips That Your Business Use
You’re never too far away from web design tips on the internet – there seems to be an abundance of people who believe they know the secret behind what makes the perfect website, whereas really, an objectively perfect website simply doesn’t exist. Everything is subjective when it comes to what one person likes and what another likes, not to mention, the information you are trying to display will also have a huge impact on how your site should look. This is why web designers get to know their clients and their businesses well before starting work.
Even though there is no set formula for success, that does not mean that web design isn’t important. In fact, it’s the most important factor when it comes to the success of a website. A lot of people admit that the lay out of a website is a huge factor when it comes to determining the credibility of an organisation. As such, the design of your website will also go on to influence your business’ conversion and bounce rate and more.
So, in a world where there is no objective answer, but getting the subjectivity of your design right can have a massive impact on your business, what do you do? This list will discuss some of the most popular research-backed tips for the design of your website and its functionality.
Don’t Be Afraid of Lists
There seems to be a preconception that simply putting information into lists is counterintuitive, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you have a lot of information that you are trying to convey to your prospective clients, then putting this into a list is incredibly user-friendly.
Take the site computergaga.com as an example. These provide a full breakdown on Excel that discusses its different functions, why they exist and what they are most commonly used for. Who is likely to visit this page? Naturally, someone who struggles with excel. Are they expected to memorise all of these functions in one visit? No. So computergaga put together a resource for these users to come back to as and when they need more information. This ensures that not only is the page helpful in that moment, but the site will also encourage visitor retention due to how well the information is laid out.
If you have to convey a similar amount of information on your site, don’t hesitate to put it all into a list for the same reasons.
Site Speed Should Be an Absolute Priority
This is most likely the least debated fact across all of web design. Having a presence online is now essential for every kind of business, which means that the average consumer has access to products from all over the world. This means that their patience for loading speed delays is lower than it has ever been.
Research has shown that your site speed can have an impact on all manner of aspects, including your bounce and conversion rates and overall customer satisfaction. This is also very important as if a customer is not happy following their experience on your site – even if they buy a product, they won’t be heading back in a rush. Not to mention, search engines also factor in the speed of your page when they are ranking sites, so you won’t appear as high up on Google with a slow site.
The bottom line is that if your site is slow, then visitors won’t stick around. If your site is slow and you want to rectify that, there are plenty of ways that you can improve the speed of your website.
Consider Using Hick’s Law
What is Hick’s Law you ask? It’s interesting – Hick’s Law is a theory that states the more choices an individual has, the longer they will take to make a decision. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If you’re in a supermarket and have to choose between six types of jam, you’ll be able to make that decision quicker than if you were faced with 25 types of jam.
How does this apply to your website? Essentially, you are more likely to boost conversions if you limit the amount of choice that you’re giving your consumers. A few different ways that you could do this include:
- Reduce the number of menu items you have on your site
- Focus on only having one call to action
- Only display buttons for social networks that you are actually active on
- Stick to one goal per page
Don’t Overcomplicate Things
This is directly linked to the subheading above. Visitors aren’t fans of complexity. Why would they be? If they are browsing online, then it means this is their time off and of course they wouldn’t want to spend such time flicking through a complicated website trying to make sense of it. A couple of ideas on how you can make your site more simple but still effective are:
- Stick to Standard Layouts – People are fond of familiarity, which means if they are on a site that is displaying a non-standard design, it can make them feel uneasy about remaining on the site. As such, you should try to stick to familiar designs and layouts to make your customers feel comfortable.
- Rethink Having a Sidebar – It is common now for websites to not bother with having a sidebar and instead opt for a single-column design.
Conclusion
Having an easy-to-use website is a crucial component for all businesses these days, which is why getting the design right is essential for conversations, bounce rates and customer retention. Whilst the success of your design is subjective, depending on what your business does and what the user who visits your site thinks, the above are fairly universal approaches to successful web design. Before creating your website, you should consider the above and work out which you think are most applicable to your site.
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