A well-designed website is key to a successful online presence. It's not just about looking good, though; your website's design must also be effective in helping you reach your business goals. In this blog post, we will discuss the seven key elements that have the biggest impact on your bottom line. By understanding and optimising these elements, you can create a website that helps you achieve your desired results!
Effect: The header of your website is the first thing visitors will see, so it’s important to make a good impression. It should be visually appealing and provide a clear indication of what kind of content can be found on the page. Make sure your logo and tagline are prominently displayed in the header to reinforce your brand identity.
How to do it well: Create a header that is visually appealing and includes your logo, tagline, and clear navigation links.
Effect: A clear and intuitive navigation structure is essential for a good user experience. Your visitors should be able to easily find the pages they are looking for, while being encouraged to explore other areas of your website. If your navigation isn’t well organised, it can cause confusion and frustration in users that will likely lead to them leaving your site.
How to do it well: Create a logical structure with clear labels that are easy to understand. Consider using drop-down menus when appropriate, and make sure the navigation is consistent throughout the website.
Effect: Quality content is the foundation of a successful website. It should be well-written, relevant to your target audience and engaging enough to keep visitors on the page. Poorly written or irrelevant content can cause people to leave without reading anything, which will lower your conversion rate and affect your bottom line.
How to do it well: Aim for high-quality, relevant content that is interesting and engaging. Focus on providing value to your readers rather than just trying to push a sale.
Effect: A good website design creates an emotional connection with visitors, helping them feel more comfortable navigating the site and trusting your brand. Poor design can turn people away from your website in seconds, causing you to lose out on potential customers and sales.
How to do it well: Make sure the design of your website reflects your brand identity and appeals to the aesthetic preferences of your target audience. Only use visuals that add value and create an overall pleasant experience for users.
Effect: High-functioning websites have a major impact on user experience. If your website takes too long to load or isn’t responsive, you are likely to lose potential customers and sales. Poor site performance can also lead to increased bounce rate and decreased customer loyalty over time.
How to do it well: Make sure your website is optimised for speed with minified code and compressed images. Also make sure the website is mobile-friendly and works properly on all devices.
Effect: Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher your ranking, the more likely potential customers will find you online. Without proper SEO, it will be harder for people to discover your business, decreasing your chances of gaining new customers.
How to do it well: Optimise your website for search engines by using relevant keywords, optimising title tags, meta descriptions and images. Also make sure to create quality content on a regular basis to keep your website up-to-date.
Effect: Your marketing strategy plays a huge role in driving traffic to your site. Without proper promotion, people won’t know about your business or website and won’t be able to take advantage of what you have to offer. Identifying the right channels for promotion can go a long way in increasing visibility and generating more leads for your business.
How to do it well: Research different marketing strategies such as SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, and email campaigns to identify which are best suited for your business. Also, make sure to measure and track the performance of your campaigns to see what’s working and what needs improvement.
Effect: Security is an important factor when it comes to website design. Poor security can lead to data breaches which not only hurt customer confidence but also can cost you a lot in terms of legal fees, fines and damage control. It’s essential that you implement the right security measures to protect your website from malicious attacks or other threats.
How to do it well: Make sure all access points are secure with proper authentication methods such as two-factor authentication. Implement anti-malware software and keep your website up-to-date with the latest security patches.
Effect: Usability plays a key role in website design as it helps visitors easily navigate and interact with your site. Poor usability can lead to user frustration, resulting in people leaving your website without taking any action. This can significantly impact your bottom line by reducing the number of conversions you get from your website.
How to do it well: Make sure each page on your website is organised and easy to navigate, with clear CTA buttons that are prominently displayed throughout the site. Utilise UX research methods such as user interviews and usability tests to ensure that users have an enjoyable experience navigating through your website.
Effect: The quality of web hosting you choose plays a big role in the performance of your website. Poor hosting can lead to slow loading times and other issues that can negatively affect user experience, leading to fewer conversions and sales.
How to do it well: Do your research when selecting web hosting for your website. Invest in quality hosting with reliable uptime and good customer service support.
Effect: Analytics are essential in understanding how users interact with your site so you can make informed decisions about how best to optimise it for better performance. Without analytics, you won’t be able to measure the success of your website and track important metrics such as page views, bounce rate, time on page and more.
How to do it well: Set up analytics tracking on your website to measure key performance indicators and make sure to review the data regularly. Use the insights you gain from analytics to optimise your website and drive more conversions.
Effect: With more people using mobile devices to access websites, it’s important that your site is optimised for mobile users. If your site isn’t properly optimised for mobile, it can lead to poor user experience which can result in fewer conversions.
How to do it well: Make sure your website is designed with a responsive layout so that it looks great across all devices. Utilise best practices such as large tap targets and ensure that all pages load quickly on both desktop and mobile devices.
A well-designed website is essential for any business looking to increase brand awareness, generate more leads and drive sales. Each element plays an important role in website design, and it’s essential that you consider how each one impacts your bottom line. By taking the time to properly evaluate each element, you’ll be able to ensure that your website is optimised for success.
