What do you think characterizes a good website? The answer to the question will vary a lot depending on who is answering. Some will highlight design, such as font and color. Others focus on the structure and navigation, i.e. the page’s user-friendliness, also called UX and UI design. And a third will say high-quality images. Many believe that stylish design is timeless. Ultimately, it simply depends on who you ask.
If you rewind the tape 10-15 years, things looked different. The answers to what a good-looking website is were probably just as varied back then, but in those days it was quite a long way when the website worked. If you had a good design and nice pictures, it was a big plus. Most had no website at all. But today, the demands and competition are significantly higher. Users want more than a pretty design.
A good-looking website is for many a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing website. A design that can convey the company’s brand and vision well is a must today. Beautiful, aesthetic design that conveys the brand is of course very important, but for us at thernloven, a nice website is more than that.
The visit to the website must be simple, pleasant, clear and enjoyable. Just as a well-designed office or home is both functional and easy for most visitors to experience as a beautiful environment, your business website is just as important. And there are a lot of general guidelines to rely on. It is always the whole, form and function that make good design great design.
Three important things that is needed on your website.
- Purpose: Your website needs to accommodate the needs of the user. Having a simple clear intention on all pages will help the user interact with what you have to offer.
- Simplicity: Simplicity is the best way to go when considering the user experience and the usability of your website. This includes color psychology, font-type and images.
- Navigation: Website navigation is key to retaining visitors. If the website navigation is confusing visitors will give up and find what they need elsewhere. Keeping navigation simple, intuitive and consistent on every page is key.
An important reason to invest in a nice website is the contact it creates with customers. The first visual impression is of great importance, but it is also very important that the website loads quickly.
According to statistics, the bounce rate, i.e. how many people leave the page without clicking further within your website, is if the loading time on the page is 2 seconds. But if the loading time increases and becomes 7 seconds long, the rejection rate becomes a whopping 32.3%! A huge increase! So make sure you review the technical aspects of your website.
Today, most of us experience something called “micro stress” when pages load more slowly than we are used to. When you have managed to get a visitor to your site, it is extremely important that the customer gets the chance to get to know your company and your services so that those who feel that your company would suit them perfectly, do not miss the chance to become your new customer .
If you work with digital marketing, a nice website will also come in handy for the site’s search engine optimization, or “SEO”. A website that looks beautiful but lacks relevant information regarding its products/services will get a lower “ranking” on Google. That is, the page will probably not appear among the first companies, but end up on a later page in people’s searches, which in turn affects results and the number of conversions from the website. But more on that in next weeks Newsletter… 🙂
