You’ve just started a business and need to design a website, Or you have a website, and you need to generate more online sales. Investing in website design is not expensive when you compare the costs to the cost of lost opportunities that a poorly designed website will create. With a well-developed website, you can target your specific audiences and the relevant geographies to increase online traffic and sales.

1. User-Friendliness

88% of online customers are unlikely to return to a site after a bad user experience like a failed page load or incompatibility with a browser. Your prospects have seen thousands of websites. They are used to fast load speed, intuitive navigation and modern design that clearly communicates a business offering. If your website makes it tough for your user to discover content and difficult to understand your product or service offerings, you have not only left a poor first impression, your prospect will likely bounce from your site and never return.

2. Look and feel

If your website is more than 4 years old, you are likely lagging behind in design trends. On the web, 4 years is a long time, and with trends in page speed and SEO, it’s critical to keep your site up to date and relevant. Consider a bricks & mortar shopping experience… Store A has the lights on and the door open. The floor is clean, the shelves neatly stacked. The attendant is helpful and they stock a good range of associated products. Store B has a single light on and the door is shut. It’s difficult to tell if the store is open or closed. Peering through the window, the shelves are nearly empty and no one can be seen. All other things being equal, which store would you do business with? An updated and modern design isn’t just for show, it is one of the key factors in your customer’s purchasing decision.

3. Responsive Layout for Mobile Devices

More users now browse the internet with their mobile phones and tablets than with desktop browsers. And nothing is more annoying than a site where you will need to use your fingers to enlarge each page to read the text or are unable to navigate through links. Creating a mobile-friendly website that works on all browsers is important an important factor in capturing and converting traffic that visits your site on the go.

4. Good Website Design Reflects Your Brand and Your Marketing Strategy

Your business model and clientele have evolved, but your website hasn’t. This is a perennial problem for businesses today in the online milieu, where standards and practices change so quickly. Whether it’s you our your audience that has changed, it’s important that your online presence aligns with the company brand. This could mean adding or changing imagery, text, and tone. Or it may mean adding video to tell a story.

And the website should reflect your marketing strategy. Whatever programs you’re doing offline or in social media, be sure your website allows visitors to interact with the content online. That interactivity is the difference between fleeting traffic and visitors who become customers.

Designing your next website does not have to be a difficult process. It means knowing your business, and tailoring your online presence to match it — and to meet the needs of your website users. Answer Media can help. Contact us today for a FREE consultation. Answer Media. Because you have questions about your web presence.