Why is website design important?

Web Design is extremely important, as it is a reflection of your business as a whole. More people will see your website than those who will actually see your physical place of business. Your website is the first impression they will have of your business and we all know first impressions can go a very long way. If people come to your website to see an outdated, incomplete, slow or nonfunctional site, chances are that they will click away at the first glance. Here are just a few of the things you should take note of when accessing your current site:

• Navigation & User-Friendliness – No matter how much information is on your site, if users can’t actually find what they are looking for it’s useless. They will most likely navigate to a competitors site and find what they are looking for. Don’t let a confusing, cluttered, or chaotic site run your customers away.

 

• Customer Service & Trust – People want things to be easy. If they come to a poorly designed site with no information, it is like having a customer service representative that can’t answer any of their questions. It leaves customers frustrated and an unsatisfied customer may be one that doesn’t return. Even worse, they may in turn write a negative review of your business – which can be detrimental. Reviews are a huge part of a new customer’s decision on whether or not to make a purchase from your business. 

 

• Consistency – This should be a given. Think of shopping for a home, if you look at a home with every room painted a different color and different flooring in each room you most likely won’t be impressed. If your site looks like a quilt from your grandmothers closet, you need to reconsider your design. People want consistency. Fonts, image sizes, and layout may seem like small things but many consumers consider it a distraction and will look elsewhere. 

 

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search Engine Optimization is crucial to making your business visible on search engines such as Google, Bing, and others. A website with no SEO or poor SEO is pretty much useless. No one will find your site unless they type in your exact URL into their browser. 

 

• Competition – Have you looked at your competitor’s sites? Do they leave yours in the dust? If your site looks shoddy and amateur, and a competitor’s looks polished, professional, and up to date potential customers will most likely choose the other guys.