Business owners know that growth is the key to success. Every conversion, or the desired action you want your site visitors to take, brings you one step closer to more sales. But if you want to have consistent revenue growth to sustain your business, you need to invest in professional website design.
A poorly designed website can cost you customers. In fact, a study by HubSpot found that 93% of people will leave a website if it's poorly designed. Simply putting together a website using a free platform with pre-made themes and plugins won't cut it.
Your website is the core anchor of your business, supporting all of your digital marketing efforts. It acts as a 24/7 salesperson, and it can be your most powerful asset and the centre of your marketing activities.
Below, we'll discuss why having a website is critical for your business's success and provide you with key information to get started with creating a professional website for your business.
Web Design - The Key to Your Digital Marketing Success
Your website is the first destination for anyone who looks for your product or service online. If your website is poorly designed, it will be difficult to attract and convert visitors into customers.
But a well-designed site can help your business grow exponentially. If you're serious about growing your business, you need to create a great website user experience that recognises the problems that different visitors need to solve.
With more than 200 million active websites out there, your site must be unique to stand out.
Importance of Website Design for Businesses
Create a Strong First Impression
The first impression a visitor has of your website is formed in a matter of seconds. In that short amount of time, they will decide whether to stay on your site and learn more about your business. If the site is dark and cold with outdated graphics and a very confusing navigation - why would anyone want to continue on the site?
Website design is like the storefront of a brick-and-mortar business. When you walk into a store, the first thing you see is the storefront. If the storefront is clean, well-lit, and inviting, you are more likely to go inside and explore the store.
However, if the storefront is dirty, dark, and uninviting, you are more likely to keep walking and certainly not buy anything. A website's design can make customers feel the same way and produce similar results.
Establish a Consistent Brand Identity
People often research a company before they do business with them. Besides word of mouth, your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers, so it's important to make sure it accurately reflects your brand identity.
Your website should tell your brand story. This is achieved through both the content on your site and the design elements on the homepage and in the site's navigation structure. Pay close attention to details like fonts, colours, and images.
These elements should highlight important aspects of your story and brand message, making it easy for visitors to associate your company with your branding.
That is why it’s important to hire a professional web design company. They can provide expert advice and help you create a website that tells your brand story in a way that resonates with your target audience.
Reach Out to Potential Customers
The purpose of your website is to help potential customers see that your company is worth their time and attention. Sometimes, they visit for educational content on your blog, and other times they are interested in the products and services that you offer.
Either way, your goal is to deliver useful content that attracts these prospects, offering them something helpful and establishing trust in your expertise.
Whether you're a legal firm or a product seller, having a unique, user-friendly, and visually appealing website design is key to attracting your ideal customers.
Your website should always be accessible on all devices and offer easy navigation to provide a user-friendly experience. You can easily create a growing base of repeat and new customers by creating an excellent user journey for your potential customers.
Optimise Conversions
One of the most important benefits of good web design is the huge boost it delivers to your conversion rate. Effective web design is primarily about simplicity and ease of use, both of which have a direct impact on conversion rates.
If a potential customer finds it hard to buy a product on your website because of poor design, then you will end up with a lower conversion rate. On the other hand, a well-designed, user-friendly website has the opposite impact.
Those who were unsure about buying are more likely to convert based on how easy it is, and those who were ready to buy in the first place will be more likely to come back after having had a fast and easy experience. When you work with an experienced web design agency, you can be confident that your website will be handled properly, allowing you to maximise conversions.
Beat Your Competitors
This is especially relevant for small businesses – great website design can really set you apart from the crowd, as many small businesses do not invest in quality web designs. Differentiating yourself from your competition is critical when you’re in a highly saturated market.
Creating a strong brand identity and maintaining a consistent choice of fonts, colours, and creative layouts can easily make you stand out from your competitors and demonstrate the professionalism in your company.
Use elements that align with your company’s core beliefs and stick to that particular aesthetic unless it is necessary for you to make changes. Make your brand more memorable and appealing to potential customers. Be unique with captivating and story-telling web designs. Uniqueness sets you apart from the competition.
How to Get Started with a Website for Your Business
The importance of a website for your business success is evident. Without a website, reaching and engaging your target customers online is simply not possible. Even if your business primarily serves local customers through a physical location, having a website can still provide notable benefits.
Getting started with a professional website for your business doesn't have to be complicated. There are various website-building services that allow you to create a beautiful website in just a few hours.
At the very least, your website should include:
1. Your company's unique story
2. Contact information
3. Details about the services you provide
4. A portfolio showcasing your work
5. Testimonials and success stories
6. Optionally, a free downloadable resource to build your mailing list
However, if you're serious about launching a professional website and optimising it for search engines, you may want to consider working with a professional web design agency. Working with web design professionals does involve an initial investment, but you'll quickly discover that the money spent on professional web design services is worth it.
Here's why:
1. A web design agency understands how to create a website that offers a positive user experience. They can create clear and simple navigation that makes it easy for your site visitors to find what they are looking for.
2. A web design agency can also create web page content that is optimised for the search engines (SEO). SEO-friendly content ensures that your target consumers can easily find you when they search for relevant topics and products on search engines like Google.
If you need help setting up a visually appealing website that is search engine-optimised and easy to navigate, it's time to call in the experts.
