Web design plays a critical role in marketing. Your website is probably the primary online channel for engaging with prospects and customers. As you might imagine, you need to leave site visitors with a good impression of your company—and that positive impression needs to flow throughout the customer journey.
This guide will discuss the role of web design in your content marketing efforts. We’ll discuss usability, clean design, and the importance of creating an aesthetically pleasing website. With that in mind, let’s jump right into this guide.
Here’s how web design can help ensure your content marketing success:
1. Helps provide a nice browsing experience
An unpleasant or complicated design can turn people away, even if your content is easy to find. A clean design illustrates professionalism and provides that positive first impression, which is so important in business. Working with a reputable web design company ensures that your website not only looks visually appealing but also offers an intuitive and user-friendly experience.
Simplicity is the best way to go when considering the user experience and the usability of any website. Focus on a simple structure, white background, and choose a color combination that matches your brand guidelines.
You can see how we’ve applied these principles on the Lform homepage.
The content above the fold makes use of white space. We use a complementary color scheme, with shades of orange and yellow and a blue accent. The font is easy to read, and the Calls to Action are clearly visible. In addition, the main image has triangles that seem to lead the user’s eyes to the “Book a Meeting” button at the top-right corner of the page.
You need to choose the right fonts and colors that help visitors understand your content.
Make your web pages consistent. Pay attention to matching the design elements throughout the site too. Match your fonts, sizes, headings, sub-headings, button styles, etc.
Many people are visual learners, so they understand and remember things by sight. Make use of that and utilize graphics and photos on your website that support your content.
Include a hamburger menu or a drop-down menu and search bar.
These elements allow the users to get to the content category or page with a single click. While a sitemap helps Google find and index your content, your users can also use them to find specific pages. A user-friendly website sticks to the “three-click rule” where users can get the required information within three clicks.
Finally, keep in mind the importance of mobiles for browsing. The graph below shows the percentage of mobile device website traffic worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 1st quarter 2021.
Source: Statista
The conclusion is that internet users simply won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile. To stay ahead of the competition, keep checking website development trends. Ensuring you apply industry best practices will help you provide the best user experience.
2. Keeps users on-site longer
The average bounce rate varies significantly according to your niche and the type of content you provide visitors. For example, the average bounce rate on a landing page ranges from 60-90%. That’s high, but the figure makes sense when you think about it.
Source: CXL
You need to monitor and optimize your bounce rate. That’s important for numerous reasons. For example:
- A high bounce rate will impact your organic search rankings
- People who don’t take the time to explore your site are less likely to become customers
You can use A/B and multivariate testing tools to optimize the appearance of your site. Screen recording tools and heatmaps are useful resources too.
Good practices include using lots of white space, creating a visual hierarchy to draw visitors’ attention to content, and using easy-to-read fonts.
Bear in mind that it takes less than a second for visitors to decide whether or not they like your site. That’s not much time, which is why you need to make that first impression count.
3. Increases return visitors
The majority of consumers will not return to a site after a bad experience. Websites that are difficult to navigate and don’t offer easy accessibility simply will lose users’ interest in no time. What’s worse, a potential customer could turn to your competition and may never come back.
Imagine that your website is a real-life store. You will feel much better if you walk into a light, clean, and uncluttered room. Plus, if you find what you need and are happy with the product, you will return.
You want to create the same sort of experience with your website. If your website is bright, modern, and inviting, your audience will feel more welcome. Conducting user research, including surveys, focus groups, user interviews, and user personas, can help you figure out how you can improve your website further. Consider a refresh if your website has a low return visitors rate and hasn’t been updated or redesigned in the last few years.
4. Establishes your brand
A well-designed website should align with your brand identity. You want people who engage with your company to have a seamless experience regardless of the channel they use. That means utilizing a set color scheme, brand voice, and visual identity across channels.
Having a brand entity will make you stand out from the competition, plus customers will remember you. Implementing this effectively aids brand recognition and makes it more likely visitors will stick around your site.
Here’s how a popular sportswear brand Nike does it on its website:
With the same logo, color scheme, etc. on its Instagram:
Your audience needs to recognize your brand across all platforms. Differences between channels can create a disconnect. You risk losing peoples’ trust, as they might sense that something is wrong with your business when that happens.
5. Supports your conversion goals
A conversion goal is a website goal is something you want site visitors to accomplish. A few examples include: completing a purchase, submitting a form, or signing up for an email newsletter.
Your site design directly impacts conversion rates.
Generic website templates can harm the user experience and the overall conversion rate. Many businesses get help from a professional designer. Companies with experience in web design can create a site that helps you achieve your conversion goals.
Site speed is another important factor to mention here, which isn’t directly related to design but impacts conversions. Don’t lose visitors simply because your website is slow. Make sure you check the following factors that affect website speed:
- perform a speed check
- server/hosting
- reduce the size of images and files
- plugins
Be aware that your PC, internet connection, or traffic volume can also affect your website performance.
In closing
Almost every business has a website to be more accessible to their end-users.
A well-planned web design can give business owners a straightforward, user-friendly, and attractive website. It helps to reduce the bounce rate and increases the number of return visitors.
Having a site designed with attention to the correct details can efficiently support your brand identity and change your conversion goals into a reality.
A well-managed website can make people trust you, your services, and your products. All these can result in a successful and profitable online business.
