First impressions matter most. As the web development industry becomes increasingly competitive, here at Launch Digital we’re constantly brainstorming ways to build websites that stand out from the rest. In these sessions, we ask ourselves how we can create designs that are memorable and unique, at the same time engage potential clients. Whilst researching, we came across a study referenced by Derek Halpern of Social Triggers. It was titled Trust and Mistrust of Online Health Sites.
The goal of the study was to answer this question;
“How much impact does design have on trust and mistrust of health websites and how much impact does the quality of the content have?”
Now, we won’t bore you with the stats, but the conclusion of the study was summed up in this quote;
“The look and feel of the website was clearly important to the participants. Visual appeal, plus design issues relevant to site navigation appeared to exert a strong influence on people’s first impressions of the site. Poor interface design was particularly associated with rapid rejection and mistrust of a website. In cases where the participants did not like some aspect of the design the site was often not explored further than the homepage and was not considered suitable for revisiting at a later date…The main reason that websites were rapidly rejected was due to the design of the interface. Design issues affected first impressions and could lead to the mistrust of a website.”
So, how do you design a website that makes a striking first impression and stands out from the rest? Here are our 4 best website design tips:
1. Striking Graphics & Beautiful Imagery
“People make snap judgments. It takes only 1/10th of a second to form a first impression about a person, and websites are no different”. A website that has professional images will ALWAYS make an impression. Use some professional images or even a video for your top landing page.
2. Professional Branding
Your branding says a lot about who you are as a company. Your full brand experience, from the visual elements like your logo to the way that your phones are answered, tell your customer about the kind of company that you are. When your branding is consistent and easy to recognize, it ensures potential clients feel more at ease purchasing your products or services.
3. King Content
Content is king, queen and ruler supreme. Crafting content that takes a unique stand and resonates with your audience, it helps them relate to your brand. Not only does it give a feel for your company culture, but search engines love quality content that expresses unique points of view or opinions on important subjects with lots of supporting information. Blogs are also a great way to bring in fresh content “Don’t bait the click: Nurture it.”
4. UX Design
Whilst visual design steals all the love, UX design is how it, along with the rest of your brand is experienced. User Experience Optimisation is important because it aims to provide the best possible experiences that keep users loyal to the product/brand. When a visitor arrives at your site, you have mere seconds to influence them and investing in UX optimization is necessary to quickly gain trust, brand recognition and ensure user retention.
So, there you have our top 4 website design tips.
Developing a website that stands out from the rest is really no different than developing a game-changing product. It’s all about understanding consumer psychology, which is one of the things LaunchWeb understands best. If your online presence isn’t working for you, then your audience aren’t finding you, and if they are then they don’t like what they see and it’s time to rebrand, revamp and get back out there!
Looking to redevelop your website? Then we’re the guys to talk to! Get in touch with us today and we’ll send you a custom quote in 24 hours!