Web Design…..the thought of it makes your heart pound as the numbers and ££ signs fall in front of your eyes like the opening to The Matrix. You’ve just opened your business site on your laptop and are once again underwhelmed and more than a little embarrassed by it.
You look it over, checking out the CTA’s, the image quality, the links to the contact form…..they’re all still there but your leads are coming in fewer and further between these last few months. You simply don’t have the time, let alone the stupid amounts of money it would surely cost, to overhaul and redesign your website….the way it looks isn’t that bad, it’s not that big of a deal!
You go over to the blog….yeah that needs updating more frequently, you’ll get that on the list…...oh, you need to check the site’s responsive, that’s a big deal, yes! Once all these areas are ticked off, and the blog is up and running consistently, those leads will surely come back. Your rankings will be up in SERPs so they can’t miss you!
The Value of Design in Business
Yeah, that’s not going to happen. And you know it.
Bluntly, people like to look at pretty things, and if you’re not giving them your good side, they’ll go elsewhere for their eye candy. And when you have companies like GoPro giving people beautiful images, seamless design and a stellar user experience, your site isn’t going to compete with a basic HTML template.
You’re not just losing money here either, which inevitably you are; you’re losing essential brand reputation and customer loyalty, which is so hard to build in the first place!
You need to be presenting an on-brand, relevant and high-quality website to your audience, because appearances are everything online. You have a split second in which to engage your users, and a bad web design is the fastest way to increase your bounce rate!
The average person has an attention span of around 8 seconds, so considering the absolute plethora of options your potential customers have online, a bad web design will probably send them away in less than half that time. We’ve all been there, having to create new navigation sitemaps, new wireframes and colour palettes…...and yes it can be time consuming, but in the end, it’s worth the revenue you’ll see coming in.
Alike, Yet So Different
Take these two UK landscape gardening businesses, Garden Line and Landscaping & Gardening Services, both working within the same area and providing the same services.
The way they have showcased their businesses, and their brands, online is vastly different;
Garden Line
- Immediate trust signals
- HTTPS secure
- Clean, branded & UX friendly web design
- A welcoming, friendly tone of voice
- Visual snippets of services
- No chunks of text to get through
- High quality images showcasing their work
- Engaging & valuable page content
Landscaping & Gardening
- Low quality imagery
- HTTPS secure
- Example images lacking description
- Blocks of bullet-point text
- Basic & clunky web design
- Lacking valuable content for user
- No testimonials
It’s pretty immediate the differences between the two, obvious which one is lacking, and apparent which one most users would opt to work with when designing their dream garden.
This is shallow, yes, but you’re working in a competitive and highly critical online arena, and you need to start recognising your website as the brand ambassador that it is.
Landscaping & Gardening may have real creative gardening geniuses on their team, driving award winning designs and breathtaking vistas, but how is anyone to know that if it’s not at the heart of their branding? Garden Line show that efficient web design doesn’t have to mean complicated or expensive, but it does have to engage, inform and satisfy your users’ needs.
And a good looking web design is one of them.
Make the Change
So you’ve got a handle on what needs to happen now, and you’re confident that a new web design will truly take your business to the next level, awesome! It’s a fresh start and a valuable chance to make sure your website is truly aligned with your brand, with a consistent and effective tone of voice, UX & conversion efficient and images that truly reflect your business.
But if you still need convincing, here’s some common red flags that your site is in need of a makeover.
Low Conversions & Bounce Rate
You’re getting the traffic, but no one’s buying? It’s probably because of how your site looks, and that is a problem that is simple to fix, but a HUGE one to avoid! It’s just not a valid excuse these days, to lose revenue because your competitors have a nicer looking site.
Your Google Analytics dashboard will be your guide here, showing you where your traffic is coming in, where it’s leaving and how long your users are checking your site out for. The higher the bounce rate and the lower the conversions, your site is definitely in need of a redesign.
Site doesn’t reflect the Business
Have you won any awards recently? Had any new customer testimonials? Any press coverage you’ve gotten? Perhaps a new company slogan. If not, get cracking, but if you have, these need to be front and center of your site, reflected in a brand that can show people trust it, love its services and is as professional and consistent as the people customers hope to do business with.
Your site and your brand need to grow simultaneously with your business, in order to get that revenue rolling in.
Not UX-Friendly
A badly designed site navigation will kill your user’s experience, and will largely contribute to the decrease in revenue you’ll experience. If your users can’t find what they’re looking for when they are the most motivated to purchase, then you’ll be losing out to your competitors with simpler and more ergonomically designed websites.
There are a million options out there for consumers, and they won’t waste their time searching around your confusing site when they can get what they want faster, somewhere else.
And that’s it, nothing mind blowing or revelatory, but a much needed rehash on the basics of why presentation is everything these days.
Your business website has to be your brand ambassador in the online world. And it needs to look good to stand apart from the crowd, just as you like to do on a friday night out.
Web design isn’t scary and it needn’t be hellishly expensive, but it does have to be truly reflective of your business, your value and who you are serving. If it doesn’t reflect or work for your target users, then you’ve already lost money.
Don’t be that guy who let a badly designed website cost him money and his reputation. It’s too simple a problem to fix! And no, you don’t have to be a millionaire with creative ideas coming out your ears. You just need to work with a team of industry designers and experts who know how to get you amazing results, with bespoke, flexible and conversion-focused web design.
Stay competitive and stay relevant with iNS, and create the website your business deserves.
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