Todd Sumamno
When it comes to designing websites, it’s good to circle back to the overarching goal. And for the vast majority of businesses, this goal is to leverage the website to drive conversions. Unfortunately, very few sites are designed with this underlying objective in mind.
It’s Shiny–But What’s Under the Hood?
It’s pretty easy to design a visually compelling website these days. Whether you’re working with a website designer or using a drag-and-drop site builder from one of the many user-friendly site-building platforms on the internet, sleek, clean, and sophisticated site design is attainable to the masses. The bigger challenge is figuring out how to make a site look good and function at a high level.
In other words, every car on the used car lot is shiny and clean on the outside. But what’s happening under the hood? Is the engine operating as it should, or are there critical components that need to be replaced?
As Active Web Group, a Long Island web design company, explains, “Our ultimate goal isn’t just to build a good-looking website, but to develop a conversion-generating site for increased online visibility that nets a higher ROI.”
When that becomes the goal, everything changes – for the better.
5 Web Design Tips to Boost Conversions
Conversion-based website design is a skill set that must be learned and acquired. But once you understand these principles, it becomes possible to apply these same tactics across various websites to generate real and predictable results. Here are a few:
1.Focus Above the Fold
Conversion-based website design emphasizes the most visible portion of the page first. This is the top segment of the page that displays when someone clicks on a specific page. In web design lingo, we call this part of the page “above the fold.”
When it comes to above-fold design, simplicity reigns supreme. Eliminate as many distractions as you can and focus on simplifying your message so that it’s free of distractions. There should be a unique value proposition (one statement or sentence), compelling visuals, and a clear call-to-action.
2. Use Hick’s Law
If you want to increase conversions exponentially, pay attention to Hick’s Law. This popular theory, while not necessarily focused on web design, can be applied to our discussion.
“Named after British psychologist William Edmund Hick, the law states that the time it takes for an individual to make a decision is directly proportional to the possible choices he or she has,” OptinMonster mentions. “In other words, by increasing the number of choices, the decision time is also increased.”
Limit choices and focus on the quality of the offer over the quantity of offers you make. If you have 24 products on your site, don’t include 24 images with “buy now” buttons on your homepage. Instead, focus on one or two products, then give people the opportunity to browse your site for additional products that they might like.
3. Let Your Design Breathe
Breathability is an important component of website design. This refers to the spacing between elements and the overall layout/look of the page.
Negative space is helpful in reducing friction and keeping visitors focused on the elements you want them to focus on (like calls-to-action). When in doubt, white space will always serve you well. Use it to make specific parts of your site pop without having to devote a ton of time to complicated design work. (Not convinced that white space works as a conversion tactic? Go look at some of the top websites on the internet – like Apple, Google, and Tesla – and get back to us.
4. Prioritize Speed
Do you have a need for speed? (Hint: You better.)
There’s a significant interplay between your website’s page loading speed and your conversion rate. For each second that you make someone wait for a page to load, your conversion rate is declining. This isn’t a theory – there’s ample research to prove such.
Much of a site’s speed is dependent on the design. Look for leaner ways to design your site by removing all non-essential elements.
5. Reduce Friction at the Point of Conversion
Finally, eliminate as much friction as possible at the point of conversion. Opt-in forms should ask for the bare minimum information. (This might include nothing more than an email address.) When a person adds something to their cart, keep it streamlined and only collect what you need to process the transaction. (You can ask for additional information later.)
Rethink Your Web Design
Copy isn’t the only element that produces conversions. Strategically optimized design that’s layered with the right copy can make all the difference in the world. It’s time to rethink your web design and begin doing more with less.
