As the age-old adage goes, first impressions last. This is especially true for websites. Research shows that almost 50% of people tend to judge a company’s credibility based on the design of its website. The staggering number alone should serve as a wake-up call among business owners. While there exist numerous factors affecting the conversion and bounce rates of a particular website, the overall visual design is indeed one of the key players. Listed below are tried-and-tested design tips to attract more visitors to your online portal.
Six Tips for Effective Web Design
1. Put yourselves in the shoes of the user. Imagine yourself sitting in the comfort of your home, browsing your own website for the very first time. What are the things that would make you stay a bit longer as soon as the site loads? A thought-provoking image, perhaps? Big, red letters explaining what your product is all about? Think like a customer, and it all becomes easy from there.
2. Keep it clean and simple. You may probably have a few ideas floating in your head, but always remember that people are more likely to understand your product if the homepage isn’t filled with too much text and unnecessary images. In our fast-paced environment, you only have a few seconds to convince the average internet user to stay on your website for the first time. Take advantage of this by focusing on strong call-to-action texts in order to steal everyone’s attention.
3. Font is king. Have you ever visited a website wherein the text is too small to read? Ever get turned off by amateurish fonts? As a business owner, pay attention to your site’s readability. The color of the text should not clash with the background. Also, stick to at least three font types; using too many fonts will confuse the reader. These seemingly minor details will make your visitor stick around for a bit longer.
4. Make the most out of negative space. Despite the name, negative space is actually a positive thing. Also known as “white space,” the term refers to the empty area surrounding the visual elements of a website. Playing around with space, as a result, produces a higher readability rate. It doesn’t hurt to experiment. Sometimes, there’s treasure in nothingness.
5. Never ignore mobile users. Nowadays, it is almost a crime to create a website that isn’t mobile-friendly. For years, a huge percentage of people have been using nothing but their phones and tablets to access the internet. It is important to create a functioning mobile-friendly version of your website to stay one step ahead of your competitors.
6. Seek professional help. When all else fails, hire a company that has years of experience in the field of web design. Agencies like Web Design San Diego, for example, specialize in providing small and large business with services such as digital marketing and web development. When in doubt, call them first and schedule a consultation. Best of luck with your website!
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