DOES WEBSITE DESIGN REALLY IMPACT SALES?
Having a website is important. What many businesses don’t realize is that just having a website isn’t the only thing that matters. As a Fort Collins web design company, we know that excellent design is just as important, if not more.
Your website design plays a crucial role in converting site visitors into satisfied customers. With the right design, you can make a lasting impression on potential customers; one that will hold their attention long enough to establish trust and encourage a sale. With poor web design, you could create a negative impression that scares away customers rather than enticing them.
Why Is Design Important?
To put it in perspective, think of a brick and mortar retail store. It needs a building, but it also needs quality products. Without a building, the store cannot showcase its products and serve its customers. Without products, a building on its own cannot serve customers. And yet, a store cannot be successful if it simply has a building filled with products.
Products may have value and the building may be beautiful, but if those products are not properly displayed and organized, the store will lose out on potential sales. Customers cannot buy an item they need if they can’t find it. Likewise, they can’t find what they need, if products are not properly labeled and showcased. If the layout is confusing, overcrowded, or unattractive, customers may leave and buy elsewhere. In the same token, if layout overpowers products, customers may become overwhelmed and look for a store that feels more comfortable, inviting, and easy to shop at.
Think of your website like that store building, your services/goods like the products, and website design like the layout, merchandising, and displays. You may have excellent services or products and your website may be attractive and impressive, but if the design isn’t up to par, it makes it difficult for customers to buy.
The success of your website demands quality design; design that is not only strategic and innovative, but that is also simple to use and easy to understand. Great design works to provide service, direction, and value to those interested in what you offer.
Can Design Really Affect Sales?
In short, yes. People will judge your business by your website, it’s an inevitable reality of a digitally-driven culture. Your website is a direct representation of your brand and company goals. It tells people who you are and what you do, but it also tells them how much they are valued as a customer. If it is not designed with user experience in mind, you run the risk of losing potential customers to competitors offering similar services and products with websites that are more relevant, beneficial, or easy to use.
What Can You Do to Improve Design?
Even if you suspect that your website may be to blame for the loss of potential sales, it doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Stores don’t abandon their building when sales are low; instead they take a look inside, create new displays, change their merchandising strategy, and make the small changes needed to attract and engage customers.
1. Website Maintenance Can Be Eye-Opening
In many circumstances, the foundational design of your website isn’t the problem. Over time, small changes and well-intentioned tweaks can take away from the splendor of beautiful, effective design. Whether you want to prevent this from happening or need to fix mistakes that could be destroying your site, maintaining your website design is not only beneficial, it is necessary.
Performing an audit of your web design can help identify changes that should be made to increase sales. It may need something as simple as replacing low quality images or cutting down on over-cluttered pages of content. Or perhaps you discover that there is more duplicated content than you realized. These little details may seem insignificant if you have a good structure, but they can have quite the impact on both rankings and sales.
2. Look at Your Site Through Two Sets of Eyes
As website maintenance opens your eyes to changes that should be made, take a closer look and make sure that your site is aligned with the purpose of your brand and the goals you have established as a company. Your website should be designed to complement who you are and the values behind those webpages.
If you’re satisfied with the digital representation that the site provides, take another closer look, only this time through the eyes of a customer. Judge your site as a visitor would and identify the areas where customer experience can be improved.
3. Take a Glance at the Competition
Undoubtedly, you want a brand and a website that is uniquely your own, but recognizing what a competitor is doing right can be extremely beneficial. Visit their sites from a customer point of view and take notes of anything their site offers that puts them ahead of the game. You don’t want to copy what they’re doing, but you can get a better idea of the areas where your site may be falling short.
4. Invest in a Website Redesign if Necessary
Fort Collins web design experts can help you to decipher the things that may be wrong with your design and make recommendations to get your site back on the road to success.
Redesigning your website could be as significant as gutting the whole thing and doing a complete remodel, but it could also be more cost-effective and focused on individual pages. Sometimes, a web page refresh, such as on the home page, is just enough to get people through the door.
While there are many reasons to redesign your website or refresh a web page, the best way to get what you’re after is to work with a company that understands the impact and value of good web design and has the skill and knowledge to make it happen. If you’re worried your current design is affecting sales, call us at (970) 674-0079 and let us help you create a site that is more than just a pretty building.