What drives change in web design? Users. Your website shouldn’t make users think. It should make them act!
In our newest webinar, “Web Design 2016:” attendees learned the top ten trends to attract new customers. We focused on the user experience and how to use web design to attract, engage and ultimately convert. Before beginning any website design project, it’s important to discuss strategy. How will your site performance be measured? It’s important to understand that the launch of a website is certainly a major milestone, but not the finish line.
Design to: ATTRACT
- Design For Mobile
Mobile internet traffic surpassed desktop traffic in 2015. This might seem like old news, but now is the time to make this a huge priority if you haven’t already. Googles priority is the customer. In April of 2015, Google updated its search algorithm to increase the organic rankings of sites that pass its mobile-friendly test. If the mobile user experience suffers, it’s hard to even get their attention and they will quickly move on. If you haven’t taken advantage of Google’s mobile-friendly test, this is an absolute must as we move into 2016.
- Design To Be Found Locally
Users rely on search engines to find what they’re looking for and there’s a much higher intent to make a purchase in local searches. According to Televox, 94% of mobile users look for local information on their phone. Those buying decisions are being made based upon proximity and timing. Why drive thirty minutes away when there is a local branch down the street? Is it important for your business to be optimized for local searches? If so, this must be considered at the web design stage.
- Design Unique Content For Each Stage of The Customer Journey
The customer journey is the process you go through when making purchase decisions and some journeys are more complex than others. Content can encourage or discourage the customer from making those decisions. There are many different formats and it’s important to understand that different types of content are more effective at different stages of the customer journey. Ultimately, you want to use the right content to reach the right audience at the right time.
Design to: ENGAGE
- Responsive Design 2.0
The idea of responsive design is based upon the notion that today’s consumers demand a consistent online experience across all of their devices. Consumers are now taking a multi-device path to make a purchase. This can ultimately affect traffic, sales and customer engagement. When designing specifically for social, your content needs to be formatted appropriately for each channel in order to maximize engagement.
- Consider Customer Intent
The information we want on our mobile phone is most often times different than the information we’re looking for on a desktop or laptop computer. Mobile customers are most likely searching for three things: address, phone number and hours. This is where adaptive design comes into play. This allows you to provide specific display options based upon fixed device sizes and orientations.
- Design A High-Quality User Experience
Consider this fact. According to Google, it takes about .05 seconds for users to form an opinion about your website. This is assuming your site already loads quickly and correctly. In just half a second, visitors determine whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave. Stanford’s web credibility research discovered that 75% of users make judgements about a company’s credibility based on its web design. Loose the cliché stock photos and showcase authentic and high impact visuals. High impact visuals are a must and will add value and credibility to your site that the users are looking for.
Design to: CONVERT
- Eliminate Friction
Friction equals frustration and confusion. Think about what frustrates you when you’re looking at a website. Here’s our list:
- Slow-loading page
- Poor legibility
- Page clutter
- Unclear call-to-action
- Inconsistent navigation
- Unnecessary changes to classic functions
Don’t risk losing potential customers to your competition. Eliminate these frustrations and build a friendly user experience.
- Social Proof
What is social proof?
- Testimonials
- Ratings and reviews
- Case studies
- Awards
- Recognition
- Custom illustrations
- Pictures
Customers don’t trust ads anymore. They trust strangers more than they trust the actual brand. There’s a lot to gain if you showcase your customer reviews. In doing so, you’ll rank higher in search, increase traffic and ultimately increase conversions.
- Clear Call-To-Action (CTA)
Don’t make your site visitors think, think for them. Guide consumers to easily navigate where you want them to go throughout your site. What is your ultimate goal? If someone lands on your homepage, what is the first action you want them to take?
- Website Performance & Speed
Mobile users have half the bandwidth and are twice as impatient. According to Google, 81% of mobile searches are driven by speed and convenience and it is suggested that your site load in three seconds or less. Keep in mind that small incremental changes can make a huge difference in user experience. How well is your site configured to attract and convert?
2016 will be a very exciting year for web design. It’s no secret that web design is fast-paced and ever evolving. It’s more important than ever to marketers to stay ahead of the curve.
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