Redesigning their website is something that most businesses indulge in. Their motivations to do so can vary from improving customer experience to simply revamping their current image. But, one thing that a lot of businesses don’t factor in is the impact that web design can have on their brand.
More often than not, a redesign ends up being either worse than its older version. At best, it just turns out to be rehashed. Why do businesses end up making this expensive mistake? Well, it’s because they’re too focused on one particular element of their digital marketing strategy when they should be focusing on the entire strategy.
For example, most of the time a business simply wants to boost its SEO or add a new logo. Basically, they intend to change anything that captures their attention at the moment.
However, as we already stated, even the slightest alteration can impact more than just that single element. So, when revamping an existing site or even designing a completely new one, it is best to take into account all the elements of the site.
One big pot of stew
Traditionally, it was normal for businesses to hire individual agencies for each specific requirement. You had one agency handling the SEO while another focused on improving site responsiveness. However, that approach isn’t going to work anymore.
Businesses need to develop a comprehensive approach to web design. Web design isn’t just about aesthetics anymore. There’s a lot more going on.
For instance, web design must incorporate other aspects such as inbound marketing.
Hiring different agencies to handle individual requirements only results in failure to achieve cohesion and in turn, failure to achieve goals.
Content is just as important
The whole purpose of a website is to draw in more visitors. Now, just design can be quite helpful in achieving this objective. In fact, studies show that many users actually judge websites based on how they appear. For instance, it has been found that sites with too many pop-up ads, slow page load times, illegible text, or simply, a dull design don’t do too well in terms of attracting users.
But, the problem doesn’t end there. Content is something that users look at as well. A website must boast high-quality content, apart from a nice appearance.
Good content is necessary to draw in customers or visitors and good design in combination with good content ensures that these one-time visitors turn into regulars.
Focus on identity
When designing, it’s obvious that you need to choose elements that make your site presentable. For instance, let’s look at color. Choosing the right color goes a long way in making your site design more palatable.
In fact, the right color does more than that. It can even evoke certain emotions. If you find that hard to believe, just Google “Color Psychology”. Color Psychology is an actual field that aims to study the impact that colors can have on a person’s emotions and thoughts.
For example, the color red is known to increase respiration, pulse, and blood pressure. As a result, it is often associated with energy, passion, danger, and excitement. Why do you think Ferrari chooses red as the default color?
The point we are trying to make is that your brand obviously has its signature colors. If you don’t, it’s time you settled on finding a color (or colors) that work for your brand; colors that can communicate what your brand is all about.
Colors play a key role in your brand identity and it’s important that your website reflects this fact. Why? Well, Google’s search algorithms factor in color and websites are, after all, an extension of your brand. So, your website needs to use the same colors.
This is true for all your design elements from logos to even images. Even your content and font choice should be consistent with what you’re using outside of your digital marketing channels.
Conversion
Not too long ago, it was assumed that web design had very little to do with conversion. However, that has been proven wrong. It is now an agreed-upon fact that web design has a direct role to play in boosting conversion rates.
More specifically, there are 3 key design elements that need to be taken into consideration here – the color scheme, the call-to-action, and navigation.
As mentioned earlier, color has a profound impact on a person’s emotions and thoughts. You can, in fact, leverage color to convince visitors about visiting a particular link or page. Your navigation needs to be outstanding if you want the customer to know where to go and what to click. Finally, your call-to-action must be noticeable and persuasive. There are A/B testing methods to determine where the CTA is best positioned.
Add character
Your web design needs to reflect the character of your brand. When we say character, we are simply referring to the personality of your brand. Having a personality can help you communicate what your brand is all about.
For instance, Volvo is a brand that stands for safety and reliability. Visit their website and one of the first words you will come across is safety. Everything from their images to the general layout suggests that the brand isn’t playing around and is very serious about innovation and automotive safety.
The reason brand character is important is because people actually use particular products to define their own personalities and interests. This is why a majority of the people who buy Volvos are family-oriented individuals who want the best for their families.
Your website needs to communicate this aspect. Failing to do so can create inconsistencies in the message you’re trying to send and cause customers to doubt your commitment to them. This is especially true if you’re a business that’s just entering the market.
Even for a major, established brand like Volvo, a sudden character-shift can turn out to be a risk. Your website needs to have the same qualities that your customers want to associate with.
About Crafted
Crafted is NYC’s top website design agency, with a keen attention to detail. We produce beautifully designed websites that meet every scale and budget.
Our goal is to make our websites stand out from the crowd. We do this by creating a carefully constructed, clean experience in everything we build. We like to take the most complicated products or business models and present them to users in the clearest, simplest way possible.
