Web Design
However sophisticated any digital marketing campaign might be, every element of it leads back to your website. It's the anchor of all your efforts. It's the online embodiment of your brand. All digital roads lead back to this central destination where you present your personality in exactly the way you choose, engage with your visitors, create relationships, convert visits into sales and build a loyal, profitable customer base.
Your website has many functions but the two most important are these. Firstly, you are sharing your identity, story and values with your target audience. Secondly, you are giving them the very best possible user experience. That's why you must never under-estimate the importance of expert website design, built to your requirements and delivered to the highest professional standards.
Why is Web Design So Important?
Study after study has reached similar conclusions about the behaviours and preferences of website visitors. People form a judgment of a website within seconds.
- 38% will leave if they don't like the layout or content.
- 39% will quit if the site loads slowly.
- 47% expect a site to load fully within 2 seconds.
- 75% of customers judge a company's credibility by their website design.
- 88% are unlikely to return to a site after a poor experience.
- 94% of first impressions are dictated by the design.
And just a reminder that desktops and laptops are no longer dominant: well over 50% of website traffic now comes via mobile devices.
We think these numbers answer the question.
We haven't even touched on the vital role that design plays in your site's SEO performance. Search engines have become extremely sophisticated in how they find, assess and index websites. Keywords still play an important part in the process but there are many other features that need to be refined and optimised to ensure you achieve the best possible search engine page results. The knowledge and skills required are only to be found amongst professional designers.
What Makes a Good Website?
Every website needs a great look. The aesthetics really matter. But they must not come at the expense of function. What the visitors sees and how their experience develops must always be central to the design. Navigation must be fast, smooth and logical - visitors need to know where they're going with clear sign-posting and pathways. It should be easy to find everything. On an ecommerce site, the product pages need to be comprehensive, the browsing user-friendly and the checkout process quick and intuitive but self-evidently secure.
Since most website visits are conducted on smartphones and tablets, businesses should take a 'mobile-first' approach. The best option is a fully responsive design which adapts perfectly to suit the device being used to access the site. And however your site is viewed, try to present the essential information 'above the fold' which, in a nod to broadsheet newspapers, means in the first section, before there's any need to scroll down.
Content
High quality content is essential not just because it demonstrates your credibility and adds value to the customer but because it is now an important element in the way the search engine crawlers assess your site's worth. Unoriginal, repetitive or thin content will not help to get your site indexed. Make it readable and entertaining for visitors and the search engines will view it in the same way.
SEO
This has evolved over the years from a very rudimentary practice into a complex discipline as the search engines have refined their standards. SEO is best when built into the structure of the site, including menus, page layouts, images, keywords, headings, links, backlinks, meta tags and site maps.
Calls to Action (CTAs)
Of all the functions you want your site to perform, the most urgent is to make the visitor do something. Whether it's subscribing to a mailing list, downloading an e-guide, making an enquiry or buying a product, engagement with your website should lead somewhere. You should place easily identifiable buttons at all the key places on your site, with labels such as 'read more' 'download now' and 'contact us'.
Will Bad Design Harm My Business?
Yes. If your site falls down in any of these areas - speed, look, navigability, authority, trustworthiness, relevance, added value, security - you're practically inviting visitors to check out your competitors. You have one chance to get it right with every new visitor. Great website design will make every visit count.
Why Use Us?
At first glance, you might think it's never been easier to build your own website. There are countless online services offering inclusive packages for domain registration, hosting, do-it-yourself design and ecommerce solutions. But they are only as good as the knowledge that goes into using them. Whatever your business might be, it's not web design, which is why you need the professional services of a company like Going Media.
Why us? Because we've been where you are. We've learned through experience, hard work and success how to build a website that meets the highest demands of digital marketing and ecommerce in the most competitive online categories.
Why not get in touch with us today. Let us create a website that will help fulfil your vision.
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