Your website is the first thing that many of your potential customers will use to form a first impression about your business. This may seem obvious - after all, if you’re visiting a business with a real world location then you will make judgments about it based on the way its premises looks.
Sometimes business owners can neglect their website and unknowingly put off potential customers. This article looks at why professional web design matters and how you can you can get your website professionally designed without breaking the bank.
First impressions are made instantly
Studies suggest that website visitors form their first impression of a website in fractions of a second. Clearly, that’s not long enough to decide if you’re selling the product they want, or if your site is easy to navigate. But it is long enough to tell if the site looks good, or if it looks like it was designed in the early 2000's and hasn’t been updated since.
Remember, just because you think your website looks good that doesn’t mean potential customers will feel the same.
Design really matters to people
According to research, 38% of people will stop using a website if its content or layout is unattractive. That means just because your website makes a good first impression, it doesn’t guarantee people are going to stick around.
Professional web design is about more than just making sure your website looks good, it’s also about making sure people can navigate your site easily. And while putting off 38% of people so much that they leave your website is bad enough, it’s likely that yet more visitors will be unable to successfully navigate your site.
Speed is crucially important
Visitors don’t want to wait for a website to load. In fact, 47% of website visitors expect a site to load in less than two seconds, while 39% of people will stop engaging with a website if it takes too long to load.
According to research by data platform QuBit, this hatred of slow websites translates into an estimated loss in global sales of £1.73bn. So if your website isn’t fast, you’re leaving money on the table.
Websites are expected to be mobile friendly
Until the rise of the iPhone and 3G mobile networks, visiting a website on your phone was something of a novelty. Not many people did it, and those who did weren’t expecting a good experience. However, in 2019 consumers expect the websites they visit to work just as well on mobile devices as they do on desktop computers.
In fact, 85% of people think that a website should perform just as well, if not better, on a mobile as it does on desktop.
To make matters worse, 80% of people say they would leave a website if it didn’t work well on their device, while research from Google shows that 61% of people are unlikely to return to a site on mobile if they couldn’t use it properly, with 40% saying they would visit a competitors website instead. So it’s clear that if your website isn’t mobile friendly, you’re going to suffer.
Vibrance website design
What would you consider to be the most important pages on your website?
The chances are that you’re going to say your product pages and maybe your homepage too. But did you know that 44% of people will leave a website if there is no contact information? Or that 52% of people want to see “about us” information on a website?
Web designers know what people want from websites and how visitors want to interact with your website.
Looking for a professional web design service?
If you’re looking for a new website either because you’re starting a new venture or because your existing site is out of date then Vibrance can help. Vibrance will build you a mobile friendly website that doesn't disappoint, or break the bank. Just give us a call on 01354 694369 / 07496 103208 or email steve@vibrance-net.co.uk
BACK TO BLOG INDEX