In a recent survey by Vistaprint, 42% of the 1,800 participants said that it was “very unlikely” for them to purchase from “ugly” websites. That’s not so surprising, given that there are plenty of visually appealing and user-friendly competitors’ websites that they can visit instead. If your business website fails to make a critical good first impression, it could trigger high bounce rates — which then translates to missed opportunities and lost revenue. You can avoid this by improving some of your website’s elements.

Photos

From product shots to team photos, high-quality images are arguably the most attention-grabbing element you can have on your website. Blurry, outdated, or irrelevant pictures tell site visitors that you don’t care about their browsing experience. In-house photos are the best option, but stock images shouldn’t cause any problems as long as they are optimized for mobile viewing and relevant to your content.

Navigation

Aside from having subpar images, linking to nonexistent pages is one of the best ways to turn site visitors away. Make sure site navigation is a breeze, and remove outdated or irrelevant pages. You can’t sell 404 pages to customers, and if that’s all visitors can find, your chances of making a sale will be close to nil.

Copywriting

It’s important to keep all of your product or service descriptions as straightforward as possible — the last thing you want to do is to confuse your customers. If what you’re selling has detailed information such as dimensions or technical requirements, make sure that the item descriptions are clear and concise. They should also be easy to find but not obtrusive.

Promises to site visitors

Any website that ships products should make its returns policy as visible as possible. This establishes trust early on in the buyer’s journey. Explicitly stating terms of return is also important because some online shoppers make purchase decisions based solely on the clarity of a return policy.

Even if you don’t run an eCommerce site, you still need to prominently display privacy commitments, such as those mandated by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

About Us page

To further create a connection with your site visitors, your brand needs a relatable story behind it. Every company website should have an About Us page that describes its team, culture, and what sets the business apart from the competition. Some customers buy products and services based on a business’s mission or vision, and some make decisions according to their impression of the people behind the business. Whatever your story is, make sure your About Us page is accessible from any page on your site.

The bottom line

With more revenue coming in from online channels, small- and medium-sized business owners can’t afford to overlook the importance of creating a fully functional, aesthetically pleasing, and easy-to-navigate website. If your budget is tight, there are DIY site builders specifically geared toward small businesses. With a relatively low monthly expenditure, you can also hire a managed website provider who will design and maintain your site for you.

Your website’s overall look and design can make or break a sale. For more information on building a modern website, call us today.

The post Easy tips to design an effective website appeared first on TechSolutions, Inc..

Most modern businesses build and maintain their own website to reach more customers. It’s good to have an online presence, but know that your competitors are also doing their best to optimize their websites for better brand awareness and profitability. Don’t fall behind — follow these web design trends to increase web traffic and boost your bottom line.

Mobile-friendly layouts

Many websites today are designed to have a mobile version. With around 47.07% of all internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s safe to assume that you are losing a big percentage of your viewership by not having a mobile-friendly website.

Implementing a thumb-friendly mobile web design is also critical, as most people who browse websites on mobile do so with one hand while on the go or doing another task or activity. Putting important navigation features within reach of a mobile user’s thumb on the screen will greatly improve your website’s user experience.

Website load time

One of the most important web design features these days are high-speed website load times. Site visitors seem to be more impatient than ever, and they would most likely close websites that take three or more seconds to load. According to a study conducted by Pinterest, efforts to speed up web page load times reduced perceived wait times by 40%, resulting in a 15% increase in search engine traffic and sign-ups.

One technique for cutting down load times for content-rich sites is to lazy load the page instead of fully loading it before it can be viewed. Lazy loading is when a browser is configured to only load the portion of the page that is currently viewable on the screen. The parts of the page that are currently off-screen won’t be loaded so that they don’t consume too much processing power. This works great for websites that are configured to have infinite scroll, like Pinterest.

Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions are small animations that provide subtle feedback after they complete an action. These are usually found on navigation and tool buttons to further emphasize the purpose of each button. For example, if your cut button is a pair of scissors, you can make it do a couple of snip motions during mouseover. Or if your delete button is a rubbish bin, you can make its lid pop open during mouseover.

These actions will make your website more lively and easy to navigate for site visitors. It’s also a great way to keep them on your site for longer periods of time.

Micro-animations

Although similar to micro-interactions, micro-animations are more for aesthetic purposes. You can use them to make your site more visually appealing, as well as to subtly direct visitors toward certain parts of your site that you would like to gain more attention. For example, if you run a coffee business, your website’s micro-animations can be a pot of coffee brewing for page loads, or a big puff of steam from an espresso machine for page transitions.

Dark mode

Many users appreciate dark mode because it helps them conserve device power and lessens the strain on their eyes when they browse the internet before bedtime. Websites that offer this option may entice visitors to stick around to read articles and learn more about the product offerings, simply because the site is comfortable to use.

If you need help staying on top of website design trends or adapting to an ever-changing digital landscape in general, give us a call.

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Many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) nowadays build and maintain their own website to reach more customers. But because a majority of your competitors also have a website, an underperforming site just won’t do. Follow these web design trends to increase web traffic and boost your bottom line.

Scrolling

Scrolling is a convenient method to navigate a website. Instead of clicking on confusing menus and drop-down tabs, you can just scroll through a one-page site that has a cleaner look and is usually more intuitive to users. This web design style is definitely more important now that people have grown more accustomed to mobile web browsing.

You also have to decide how far visitors will have to scroll to get to know your company. While a long scrolling page gives you more white space and content to work with, a short scrolling page can quickly convey your company’s message and encourages action.

Animations

One way businesses have been setting themselves apart from others is by adding customized animations to their pages. This doesn’t mean you should overload your site with flashy effects that take forever to load. If you want to use animations on your site, give it a subtle twist. For instance, Slack’s loading animation features their logo.

Additionally, animations can be used to increase user interaction and engagement. Hover animations will allow your users to position the mouse over your content and get an immediate response without having to move between pages. Slideshows on your homepage can also showcase what your company is about without throwing too much information at the audience. When deciding to add animation to your page, figure out how a specific effect can enhance the user experience while showcasing your business.

Flat design

To achieve an optimal viewing experience for users, many companies have adopted a flat design for their websites. The flat design style replaces the elements that give an illusion of depth, like shadows and textures, with minimalist typography and colors. For example, Google employed this style to get content to viewers more effectively. The company added flat-design colors and used a sans-serif font. This allows the logo to load faster and makes it easier to read, as well.

Full-screen forms

More websites and apps are using full-screen forms to increase user interaction. Rather than being redirected to another page where your visitors decide to register or login to a website, they are welcomed by a full-screen form right on the home page. This is also especially useful for mobile users since they are less likely to misclick sections of the form.

Customized photos

The next time you want to use photographs to highlight your company, forget about using stock photos. Business websites that exhibit the company’s own photographs on their homepages look more personal and stand out from the competition.

While these trends are popular at the moment, don’t blindly adopt them all because it might end up looking messy. Instead, use the trends that are best suited to your company.

If you want to learn more about current web design trends, give us a call.

The post Web design trends you should follow today appeared first on TechSolutions, Inc..