An attractive, well-made website is essential for every business in the current digital era. Statistics show that the more attractive and smooth a business’s website is, the more likely they are to trust that website or will be more likely to purchase something from it.
But creating a good website is not just about nice designs and a good color scheme. There are a whole host of components that factor into the process of web design that combine to create a great User Experience (UX) that can drive customer engagement and breed brand loyalty.
The Art of Web Design & How It Breeds Brand Loyalty
We are not living in the late 90s/early 2000s anymore. Web design, just like any other discipline, has been refined into an art form. And, first impressions, as always, matter a lot. In today’s world, where just about every second business has a website, you can’t afford to get left behind.
Not only does a well-designed website contribute to a cohesive brand image, with a logo, colors, palette, and typography, but it also contributes to brand recognition and ultimately trust from the customer. But it’s not all about design either.
An attractive-looking website can have atrocious back-end support or be non-responsive (not mobile-friendly), which can lead to a lot of frustration for the user, as these things are a given for pretty much all websites these days. Over 94% of all internet users access websites with their phones. With that ratio, you can’t afford to have a non-responsive website.
User Experience (UX): The Key to Retention
User Experience (UX) is a whole subdivision in the field of web design. It deals with the usage experience of the websites, such as load times, intuitive physical design, and other stuff. Here’s why that’s important.
- Ease In Navigation: Intuitive design leads to a better UX. What we mean when we talk about intuitive menus is the clear positioning of buttons, menus, and images, as well as the flow of content on a website as a whole.
- Load Speed: A website is only as good as its load speed. Not only are websites with slow load speeds abhorred by users, but they are also actively ranked lower in search engines, being preferred over websites with faster load speeds.
- Accessibility: Accessibility is a must in website design, to make it easier for even people with disabilities to use. With features like one-handed mode, high-contrast/inverted colors modes, alt-text, video captions, and accessible and readable fonts. All of this contributes toward better web design.
Content Strategy: Building Trust and Credibility
So, we’ve talked about the value of a good user interface and user experience. But what about the content on a website that can foster trust and brand loyalty?
When it comes to websites, the first thing you need to focus on is SEO optimization. A well-optimized website will rank higher, and people tend to trust websites that feature on the first page, near the top of the results the most.
You should also focus on adding value-driven content to your website, including but not limited to blogs, guides, and other text-based or video-based content that not only showcases your product or services but also helps provide knowledge to people for better decision-making.
Testimonials and reviews are another aspect that people consider, which is why you need to ensure your testimonials and reviews are real and provide a true reflection of your product or services.
Real-World Examples of Successful Website Design
Here are some true examples of successful website design:
- Apple (Apple.com):
Features:
- Sleek & Minimalist Design: Apple’s brand design philosophy has been established as elegance in minimalism. They pride themselves on not overloading their designs with too much junk.
- Intuitive Navigation: Their website is designed highly intuitively. The flow of the website is instinctive and you feel like every button or menu is where it should be.
- Highly Responsive Design: Their website is designed to be used on just about any digital device you can imagine. Not only that, it is quick and snappy, with minimal load times.
- Airbnb (Airbnb.com):
Features:
- User-Centric Design: Airbnb’s website is designed to fit the customer’s every need, with a highly intuitive and user-centric design.
- Personalization: Airbnb provides a tailored experience to every user based on their search and purchase history.
- Element of Trust: Airbnb’s business model relies on trust. So, customer reviews, testimonials, a strong customer support element, and host ratings are just some of the trust-based features they offer.
Now, just because these are websites of big brands and companies with big budgets for web design doesn’t mean you can’t achieve what they’ve done. It’s all about good design choices, which can be made even on smaller budgets and stricter requirements.
Tracking Metrics To Drive Conversion
Here are metrics you need to always track to ensure your website is on the right track.
- Bounce Rate: This focuses on how many people are navigating to your landing page and how many of them are navigating further into your website rather than leaving.
- Conversion Rate: This metric focuses on people navigating your website and how much they are engaging with the site, like purchasing, signing up, joining email lists, and so on.
- Time on Site: Indicates how much time people are willing to spend on your website.
Conclusion
A well-designed website is one of the best ways to attract, engage and convert visitors. The website should be easy to look at, easy to navigate, and create a great first impression, and it should be intuitive and responsive enough to spend a lot of time on.
The power of great web design cannot be underestimated or overlooked. To harness the maximum potential of your website, reach out to us at SEO District today!
