On average, it takes around 5 seconds for a first-time visitor to form an opinion about the website they’re visiting. Within that 5-second window, they should be able to tell what your brand is and what you do. If your site is challenging to navigate and the layout leaves a lot to be desired, people will move on and you’re left with a high bounce rate and zero sales.
Website design is crucial to any brand looking to gain a foothold on the online market. From social connectivity and communication to shopping and knowledge building, more and more people are spending their lives online. If you don’t have a website, your brand or business is basically guaranteed to fail.
A local SEO agency can help you with improving your website rankings. A brand with a clean and professional site will have more conversions than a generic online store.
1. Design for mobile view
Let’s say you already have a website. It works fine for the most part, but it could do with a little refinement. When redesigning a website, your top priority should be ensuring it is mobile-friendly and responsive.
Google penalizes websites that aren’t mobile-optimized, and your search engine results may suffer as a result. You’ll also lose a huge chunk of your target demographic who prefer browsing the Internet on their smartphones.
Two things to keep in mind: When a site is mobile-friendly, it means it can be viewed properly on smartphones and tablets. A responsive site ensures your website layout looks right, regardless of the visitor’s browser or screen size.
2. Simplify content
Many webmasters cram their websites full of content, whether it’s audio, video, images, or text. But more content isn’t necessarily better. In most cases, it can even detract from the overall experience as visitors struggle to load and navigate your website.
The ideal business website is clean, professional, and free of unnecessary content. You only want to add material that helps you get your point across without crippling user experience. Getting rid of heavy animations, long-winded copy, and generic images goes a long way in improving your website.
3. Take advantage of social media
Social media channels are the kings of the Internet. People use them to connect with people and brands, collect information, and keep up with the latest news. When redesigning your website, you need to take advantage of social buttons and plugins to expand your reach and improve user experience.
The concept is simple: If people like what they’re seeing, they’re more likely to share it with their friends or followers. Social buttons allow users to share content with a simple click, and you don’t even have to do extra work.
These are just some of the most common methods to improve your website design. There are dozens, if not hundreds of website improvement techniques out there, so feel free to use ones that best fit your niche. Just remember to keep the user at the forefront, and make sure your website is light, clean, and professional.
