So you want to have a website built or perhaps you want your current website updated and are wondering just how important website design and user experience are…right? Well, we are here to tell you that website design and user experience are extremely important. And if not done properly, it could mean the difference between success and failure not only for your website but quite possible for your business as well.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about why website design is so important and the other facets of web page design you need to know.

Reasons Why Website Design Is Important

There are many reasons why website design is so important. Most people want to see a professional, well-designed website over one that is plain and not visually appealing. But there are other reasons as well.

• Your website is what gives your first impression.
• It will help (or hinder) your search engine optimization (SEO).
• Your website is the digital face of your business.
• Your website is what helps build trust, brand recognition, and brand
•  authority.
• Your competitors have a website and so should you.
• A website is the best way to present information to your audience.
• Your website works for you for free 24/7/365—infinitely.

What Is Web Design?

Web design refers to the elements that make up a web page, as well as the different skills and disciplines in the building and maintenance of a website. This could include the content, graphics, navigation, user interface, coding, SEO, and any other front-end (what visitors see) or back-end (what visitors don’t see) elements you choose to include on your website.

Benefits of Having a Great Web Design

There are many web design benefits that come from having a great design. For example:

• A professional, well-designed website will provide your business with a good first impression.
• A properly designed website will help you rank on search engines like Google.
• Professional-looking website will make your business appear credible and approachable.
• A website will help you get leads, drive traffic to your business, and convert that traffic and those leads into sales.
• A well-crafted website will help you convince your visitors to opt for your business over your competitors.
• A website is what gives your business a personality which, in turn, will help build your brand and your brand’s reputation.
• A well-designed website will help lower your site’s bounce rate, which is extremely important to your search engine rankings.
• A professional website will give you an avenue to deliver information to your visitors 24/7/365.

Important Website Design Principles

If you want an effective web page design, there are some important website design principles that need to be followed.

1. UI/UX and Website Layout Design

UI and UX are two different things when it comes to website layout design.

• UI Design – stands for user interface and it is the architecture of a website.
• UX Design – stands for user experience and it is how easy and intuitive your website is for people to use.

Generally, website developers deal with the architecture, performance, and functionality of your website (back-end). And website designers deal with the visual aspects of your website (front-end).

2. Responsive Mobile Website Design

Responsive mobile website design is critical. A mobile responsive website is one that adjusts to both large and small screens so it can be easily viewed and used regardless of what kind of device is accessing it. This will help increase the amount of time a visitor spends on your site. This means that your visitors won’t click off of your website because it’s too hard to see and use. It will also improve your search engine rankings. Google and the other search engines put a lot of emphasis on the mobile responsive aspects of your website and will reward your site with higher rankings if it’s mobile responsive.  

3. Quality Content: Copy, Imagery, and Videos

The entire internet is basically content in some form or fashion. And the search engines are capable of recognizing quality content from poor or spammy content. Therefore, your website will be rewarded for posting high-quality content that your visitors find useful. Additionally, having a variety of content is also important. Text, imagery, and videos are all important. And all forms of content can and should be optimized using alt tags, meta descriptions, and the proper keywords and phrases to help increase your search engine rankings.

4. Call to Action (CTA)

Call to action (CTA) is a term used to describe a specific website design element that includes a message or action phrase that prompts your visitor to perform a specific action. For example, your website might have a “Click Here to Subscribe” button. That is considered a call to action because it calls for the reader to click the button to perform the intended action. CTAs are used to gain email list subscribers, make sales, or do anything else you want to achieve.

5. SEO Traffic

SEO traffic is a key performance indicator that measures the number of people who visit your website as the result of organic or paid search traffic. This is called SEO traffic.

6. Credibility Via Social Proof

Any type of social proof will give your website, your business, and your brand some credibility (or not). Social proof is a psychological action that is based on social influence. This is when people copy the actions of others based on each individual’s reported experience with your brand. For example, when someone retweets something, makes a purchase based on others’ positive reviews (or doesn’t if the reviews are negative), or takes any other action or non-action based on someone else’s reported opinion of any given business or issue.

Social proof is one of the most powerful (good and bad) marketing influences used today.

7. Brand Identity and Consistency

Brand identity is all about brand consistency. Brand identity and consistency are the ways in which your business delivers its message. How do those messages align with your core values, brand mission, customer experience, and brand identity elements? That means all communications your brand puts out should be easily recognizable as your brand across all marketing channels. Meaning the same logo, formats, color scheme, fonts, content tone, and brand personality.

How Bad Can a Website Design Affect My Business?

A bad website design can affect your business in so many critical ways. For example, people will abandon a website that isn’t visually appealing or one that isn’t mobile-friendly, meaning it can be easily viewed and used by someone using a mobile device.

Additionally, most people expect a web page to load in two seconds or less or they will click out and find one that does. A bad web design could give your brand a negative connotation, and less credibility, and can even impact your search engine rankings. And that’s just to name a few.

So, yes, a good website design is that important!

Customize Your Website Design

As you can probably see by now, having a professionally developed and designed website is of the utmost importance. Additionally, having a website designed by someone who knows how to craft it so it is user-friendly, mobile responsive, SEO sufficient, coded correctly, and that the elements are properly titled, tagged, and optimized could mean the difference between helping your brand and brand reputation versus one that does the opposite.

What’s Next?

If you want a website design that will significantly improve your SEO, user experience, and performance, please Contact Marketing Done Right today.

We are a digital marketing agency in Cleveland, OH. Our mission is to always focus on quality over quantity, never take shortcuts, and treat every client as if they were our first client. Then we will use our proprietary method for designing custom websites to craft the perfect website for you—one that will exceed all your goals and expectations now and going forward! And the best part is…we don’t require a contract—EVER!