Is the design of your business website important to the success of your business? It is tempting to think that as long as you have a website for your business, you are good to go. After all, it takes time and money to have these things professionally designed–money that could be spent elsewhere. What if, however, you are losing money by ignoring the importance of design? Without a well designed website, you are losing potential customers.
How people perceive your business when they visit your website directly impacts your bottom line. People are influenced by design. Every day, decisions are made based on emotions and understanding directly evoked by the way things appear. People simply do not separate perception and value in their minds.
What makes website design good? Many considerations such as color, layout, and type all powerfully impact how your customers will respond–good or bad. Important characteristics of a well designed website include (note: this is by no means an exhaustive list):
- intuitive and easy to use
- a color scheme that makes sense, is visually appealing, and provides enough contrast
- content that is concise and relevant
- content that is organized in a meaningful way, making key information easy to find
- fonts that are easy to read and adjustable in size, so those with impaired vision can make text larger
- plenty of space around each element, keeping things from appearing overcrowded and chaotic
- fast loading images/graphics that are relevant to the design, layout, and content of the site
- compliance with Section 508, making it accessible to people with disabilities
Stanford University has conducted research, among a number of other organizations, that clearly illustrates the correlation our brains make between design and credibility. Design directly influences customer’s emotions and behavior–it makes the difference between a website visitor and a customer.
Your website speaks on your behalf 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ask yourself if your website is saying what you want to communicate to customers. If not, consider having a professional help you achieve your communication goals through effective design.
Comments
Excellent article. Excellent subject. Good to see this issue addressed in our shared forum, Norma! And I'm sure it's only a coincidence that you debuted with an article on the importance of professional website design on the very day that my own (finally!) professionally designed website debuted (imaginetheworldatpeace.com). I'm looking forward to reading more great information from you in this space, just as I'm hoping for more interest in my writing on ending poverty and war.
Welcome to Examiner.com, Norma!
Debbie Jordan, Phoenix Progressive Examiner
I do agree that "if you built they will come " theory does not apply to website design...
However, if a masterpiece is never seen is it still a masterpiece?
So having a website that gives the best impression for your business is crucial in establishing trust with your audience...
Its important to focus on getting traffic to the site.
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Thanks & Regards
Noel from nopun.com
a professional graphic design studio
A professionally designed website that is well organized will definitely give a better impression than one that is not. It will definitely help with getting repeat visitors and getting sales.
Most people concentrate on solely getting traffic to their website. This strategy by itself will not work. To have a successful website, webmasters need to have a good looking website and content that is useful and/or entertaining.
John Griggs
Phoenix Home-Based Business Examiner
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