How important is your online presence to your users? Seriously, think about the last time you came across a website that just made you laugh because of how poorly it was designed. Did that make you second guess or affect your decision to do business with them? Imagine walking into a poorly designed storefront, that is unorganized, and smells of dead rodents. Would you continue to shop there or would you walk out and find a similar storefront that sells the same products and or services with a better user-experience? There have been countless times that I personally have come across websites that were not designed with the end-user in mind. Do you think I reached out to this particular business? Take a wild guess….NO! I searched for another vendor or business that was more appealing. I mean honestly, if you don’t care about your online presence, imagine what users are thinking about your company?
According to researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, it takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand once they’ve perused your company’s website. Let’s be honest, if you don’t meet the consumer’s expectations and needs in that moment, you will more than likely lose that potential business. No one wants to wait 1-3 minutes for a website to load especially if it’s non-mobile-friendly. Unfortunately, this happens way too often. Many companies focus on spending thousands of dollars on marketing and neglect investing money on their poorly designed websites.
Does this sound like you? Consider the following tips before you invest money into your marketing budget:
Think like the user
Keep the end-user in mind. First impressions continue to be a primary factor for an end-user. When you have a poorly designed website, your credibility is on the line. A negative first impression of your business can greatly impact you and help others negatively voice their opinion about your business to all their friends and family. A website is a representation of the quality of a company’s products and/or services, so make sure your site accurately represents your business.
Focus on Design Principles
What constitutes a well-designed website? Focus on usability, utility, and have a user-centric website. Don’t forget the rule of thumb, simplicity is key! You want to ensure you condense your content that way your users can find the information quickly and effectively. Remember to keep in mind who are your users and how are they going to use your site. If you focus on these design principles, your website will not only look attractive but it will help increase leads.
