Why Web Design is Important
Web design is an often underrated but necessary part of promoting your business since a website is usually the most visited and most publicly visible area of your company.
Maintaining your company’s integrity and image is key when expanding into the World Wide Web. A web designer’s job is to focus on the usability of your website – how easy it is for visitors to come to your site and accomplish the task they have in mind.
Here are a few important factors that a web designer takes into consideration when creating a site:
Usability
Every website has a purpose, whether it’s selling a product or service, providing information, or entertaining users. Decide what your purpose is and hone in on that.
Make it as simple as possible for your users to understand the purpose of your web presence. For example, if you are selling bicycles, really stick to the point and have a large picture or headline about bicycles on the homepage.
Users come online to find products, services, or information. If they have to spend too long looking for it, they will leave and go somewhere else.
There are many factors to consider when it comes to usability. The navigation of your site is especially important because it’s what drives people to the pages they are looking for. The simpler and more intuitive the navigation, the faster you will be able to drive traffic to important parts of your site. Straightforward search bar functionality can also be vital for larger sites.
The Aesthetics
Many organizations mistakenly regard great web design as a luxury rather than a necessity. A great-looking website keeps people looking and reading longer and can drastically increase revenue and reduce bounce rates.
It’s human nature to be more attracted to good-looking things. Not only does an attractive website hold visitors’ attention longer, it also builds trust. Customers do not want to share sensitive information, such as emails, phone numbers, and credit card information with a sketchy-looking website.
A clean, modern design builds customer trust and illustrates that your company is putting in the time and money to maintain it's image and it's integrity.
If your website is old and outdated, you should seriously consider having a professional redesign it to reflect the current needs of the Internet and your users (i.e. your customers).
How Visitors View Your Site
Photo from Slate.com
So much about the way we use the Internet has changed within the last ten years. The way people shop, browse, and click online has evolved.
Many studies have been conducted to understand how people read (or ignore) articles and content on the web. Most reading happens “above the fold,” or the area you can see in the browser window before scrolling is required.
The term “reading” is used loosely, since most readers tend to scan or plow through content quickly, looking for key words or phrases that interest them.
Eye-tracking studies have determined that scanning tends to happen in an “F” shaped pattern. Viewers focus on the top left corner of the page and then continue to scan down and across the page from there.
Knowing how visitors read your content can be useful when designing. Placing logos, key imagery or important text in the upper left is a great idea because they will be viewed much more often than other elements on the page.
Studies also show that centered text is hardly ever read as website visitors like to be able to scan from left to right.
In conclusion, the design and usability of a site are key factors for a businesses' success.
Usability makes it easy for people to connect with the site after accomplishing their task without much annoyance.
The aesthetics of your site speaks about you and your company and is crucial in maintaining visitors on your site.
Lastly, viewers tend to scan and not “read” every sentence of your content. It is important to understand this so that important elements can be placed on the page accordingly.
Never underestimate the power of good design!
Ready to take the next step? Check out our portfolio to see how we can revamp your website.
