Web design is not less important in any way, and businesses need to focus on it thoroughly. A well-designed website offers multiple advantages. The most important advantage of a good website design is that it instils a positive impression on the potential customers at very first sight. This is by far the easiest and most convenient method of generating leads and increasing conversions.
The web design must provide a good user experience. It should make your website accessible to visitors and easy to navigate. If you want a good website design that creates a favorable impression on your audience, hire one of the leading custom web design agencies to design your website. If you already have a website, the right design agency will help you optimize it better to improve accessibility and enhance user experience.
If you are still thinking about why so much importance is being laid on a good web design, read how web design is the first thing that matters for your website’s success.
The First Impression Says It All
What do visitors first notice on your website?
An important question that needs to be answered is whether the visitors will first see the web design or the content on your website. Content does matter, but the stage is first set by a good web design. Content does have the potential to increase your website’s search engine rankings. It also has the power to persuade visitors to make referrals and give likes on social media.
However, when visitors visit your website, the design is the first thing that matters. To better understand why web design will be the first thing noticed, let’s consider the time a visitor spends on average on a website.
How long does it take for a visitor to form an impression of your website?
The first thing that your audience notices when they visit your website is the design. It does not take hours or even minutes for a visitor to form an impression. Impressions are formed within a second, as studies have suggested. So your website and hence your business will be judged in the matter of a second purely based on the web design.
Studies have suggested that visitors form an impression about your website is only about 50 milliseconds (ms) or 0.05 seconds. This means that this is how long it takes for a visitor to decide whether they want to continue exploring your website or not. So it is pretty evident that content is not the first thing that will be noticed because 0.05 seconds are not enough to read a short sentence or a few words.
What does research suggest on the first thing being noticed on your website?
Research suggests that the look and feel of a website influence first impressions. 94% of participants who took part in the study gave feedback in which they indicated that the design is the first thing they notice. It was also established that when the user did not like the design, the website was no longer further explored.
Another study by Stanford University proved that the average visitor focused more on the superficial aspects of a website. The preference for visual cues was given over the content.
Based on the research, it can be safely suggested that a good website design ensures visitors trust your website and stay on it for a longer time. On the contrary, a poor design will increase mistrust and compel visitors to leave your website earlier.
Content comes after the web design.
The visitor will only consume the content if the web design makes a positive impression. Good content indeed persuades the visitors to take a desired action such as purchasing your product or hiring your service, but the stage is first set by a good website design. Content only matters later. So the setting for converting visitors into customers is first developed by the web design.
What happens if your web design is not good?
If the visitor feels your website looks terrible or confusing, then this is likely to turn them away from your website. The most important thing that many businesses forget is that the design will be offering a subconscious experience to the visitor and will result in a subconscious reaction before even the first line of the content has been read. The overall look and the feeling that the design of your website offers will play an essential role in shaping the visitors’ perception of your business. The web design must be in harmony with the content, and it needs to support the content.
The website design must convey a feeling you want your customers to feel.
Since the website acts as an essential marketing tool through which you can promote your brand, you need to focus on the first thing that visitors consider – a good web design. The website should be designed in ways to offer the visitors a feeling you want them to feel. The web design must look inviting. A poor web design will only provide a bad experience and result in the visitors forming a wrong impression of your website. It will then result in prospective customers moving on to your competitor’s website.
Bottom line
Web design is not a beauty contest and should not be treated as such. It should rather be regarded as an integral part of your online marketing campaign. It influences the perception the customers form about your website and business and helps increase user experience. Next in line, it also helps a business move towards its goal. By aiding and promoting the content on your website, web design goes a far way ahead in encouraging potential customers into making a purchase.
Hence, a web design must be paid attention to from the very start and must be a part of your web marketing strategy. Use your website design to inspire a better first impression from customers to increase your sales.
