Not all websites are created equal. In fact, the opposite is true: Your website could be falling well behind the pace of your competitors if you aren’t focused on optimizing your web design. While having a website is great, web design is a beast without form, changing its DNA constantly. If you ignore the innovations, you could quickly become the dinosaur of your industry.
Fortunately, the steps to remain relevant aren’t overly complex. By employing a few simple strategies, you can refine your existing website to meet the needs of the day and make a big splash with consumers. What’s more, your marketing department can track the impact these changes have made to provide some tangible results connecting your web design changes to your ROI. Although web design and other online work can sometimes feel like taking shots in the dark, there’s actually plenty of data you can use to refine your strategy in various ways.
Read on for some basic changes you can employ to enhance your company’s web design.
Optimize for ease-of-use
Complicated websites can turn consumers away. When your primary goal is to seek a conversion, each additional step serves as a hurdle to overcome. When it comes to the opt-in process, you want to streamline it as much as possible. This is why websites like Amazon.com have employed one-click purchasing: They understand that ease-of-use will yield more sales.
Outside of the immediate conversion process, you want a website design that is simple and easy to navigate and read. Don’t confuse web traffic with too much clutter you’ll only hurt your business.
Make your products and/or services evident
Don’t make web traffic scour your website to figure out what you’re all about. Put your product and services out there, where they can be easily viewed, explored and digested. Use your web design to support these items, which are the lifeblood of your business. Employ a neat design that frames your products or services as the centerpiece of your website, since that’s exactly what they are.
Create a well-interlinked website
Ever clicked on a link only to find that the page it leads to offers no links to go back? It’s one of the quickest ways to stop a site visitor dead in his or her tracks. Make sure all of your website’s pages offer strong interlinking that supports seamless navigation. Much like avoiding obstacles in the opt-in process, difficulties in navigating a website can frustrate users and convince them to abandon their efforts – and, consequently, your business.
Emphasize the human element
Your online marketing efforts will be well-rewarded if you can successfully convey the larger importance of your business. Often referred to as the “why” message, this will make it clear to consumers how your business can help them. By understanding the needs your business fulfills, website traffic will be more inclined to appreciate the services you can offer and value your organization as a result.
Don’t be afraid to toe the line of hyperbole by relating your company’s efforts to the ever-ongoing pursuit of innovation. Civilization is constantly working to move forward, and your business should demonstrate its role in that movement.
In many cases, web design doesn’t demand that you throw away your current approach and start from scratch although that may sometimes be the best approach. Instead, seek out small ways to innovate and shore up potential snags in the user-end experience. And use your marketing data to monitor this progress and make additional changes as needed. As a result you’ll create future opportunities to increase your ROI and expand the number of referrals successfully converted.
