About 36% of small businesses don’t have a website, so if you have one up and running, you’re on the right side of that statistic.
But just having a website isn’t enough to get visitors to buy. Purchases require a sense of trust and professionalism to convince consumers to hand over their money. They want to know they’re getting quality products and that their credit card information is safe.
Doing a website audit of your web design elements helps you determine if your site is appealing to consumers. What are you looking for when you analyse your website?
Keep reading to find out the key elements of web design that encourage visitors to make a purchase.
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Overall Professional Design
The overall quality of your website design affects a visitor’s first impression. A clean, polished design that’s easy to view makes consumers stick around. When thinking about your own online purchases, you likely gravitate toward businesses with quality websites over competitors who might have a poorly designed site.
A professionally designed website validates your business as legitimate and trustworthy. It shows that you’ve invested in your company. It can also help convey your branding and company values with the graphics and taglines you include.
Professional design elements include quality, original photos instead of stock photos or low-quality, grainy images. The site should also be clean without lots of clutter and include white space to balance the design.
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Relevant Information
Consumers won’t buy products or services from you if they can’t find relevant information to see what they’re getting. If you sell physical products, include clear images from different angles so visitors can see what they’re getting. Include detailed product descriptions with relevant information, such as dimensions, colours, features, and other things users want to know.
For a service-based business, describe what’s included in the service. Explain what clients can expect with the service and other relevant details a consumer would need to know before making a decision.
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Easy Navigation
Make your website easy to use with simple, clear navigation. Arrange your products in clear categories with menus so users can click to the right area. Include a highly visible link to the shopping cart from all pages so users can see what they’ve added easily.
The checkout process should also be simple and streamlined. This lets your customers choose shipping options and process payments easily without getting frustrated and abandoning their purchases.
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Signs of Trustworthiness
Users want to know they’re entering credit card information into a secure, safe site. They also want to know they can trust that your products or services are high-quality and the way you describe them.
Include your logo and company information, including a contact address and phone number. Make it easy for customers to reach you for support via email, phone, and chat options. A FAQ page that answers common questions and addresses common concerns can also help build trust.
If you accept PayPal, include the certification logo on your website. Other payment processors may also have badges or logos you can use to show you process payments securely. Add other trust badges and seals, such as SSL certificates, third-party endorsements, and security program badges.
Adding valuable content to your site through a blog can also help build trust. It gives you a sense of authority in the field and makes people feel more comfortable using your products or services.
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Customer Reviews or Testimonials
Adding customer reviews or testimonials to your website can help convince consumers to make a purchase. This is especially helpful for higher-priced goods or services where users may be hesitant to hand over so much money.
Ask your previous customers or clients to write reviews for your website. Include them on the product description pages so potential customers see them.
Video testimonials can be a powerful marketing tool for service-based businesses. The video creates a personal connection and lets visitors hear the positive experience others have had with your business.
If you’ve worked with prominent companies or clients in your service-based business, include those company names as long as the companies give their approval. You might list companies you’ve created content for as part of your freelance writing company.
Website Performance
If your website doesn’t load quickly, you’ll likely lose potential customers. Research shows that 53% of mobile users abandon a page if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds. The bounce rate climbs quickly the longer it takes your site to load.
Start by using a responsive website design that automatically adapts to different devices and screen sizes. This makes your site easier to navigate when consumers access your website from a mobile device.
If you use plug-ins on your website, make sure they’re necessary. Lots of plug-ins can slow down your website’s loading time. Compressing your content can also improve loading times.
Another potential problem causing slow site performance could be your hosting service. You may need to bump up your hosting package to a VPS instead of shared hosting. When you use shared hosting, the other websites on your shared server can impact your site’s speed.
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Call-to-Action Buttons
Encourage visitors to take action and make a purchase with call-to-action buttons on your website. These are highly visible links consumers can click to take them to a sales page to finalize a purchase.
Contrasting colours on the CTA buttons make them stand out better. White space around the button also makes it more visible. Make the text on the button large enough to read clearly yet short and to the point.
Getting the CTA text and design right can take some time. Doing some A/B experimentation can help you land on the most effective design. Even changing the wording, colours, or font choice may result in more clicks and conversions.
Inspect Your Web Design Elements
Having the right web design elements in place can give you a boost in sales and conversions on your website. Compare our list of must-haves to your current web design to see where you can make improvements. A few changes can transform your page into a selling machine for your business.
Do you need help updating your web design to increase your sales? Contact us to get started with a consultation to see how we can help!
