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In today’s world, most businesses have an online presence in some form or another. Whether you are a small start-up with a single-page website or a large corporation with a massive website with hundreds of pages… an engaging, visually appealing, and professional business website is crucial to drawing in potential customers and conveying your brand message.
In this article, I’ll discuss why professional website design and the look of your business website matter more than you may think and how it will impact your overall success online.
Make a Good First Impression with a Professional Business Website
The phrase “optics matter” has never been more applicable than when it comes to your business. It takes less than a second for a potential customer to form an opinion about you and your business… and that opinion can make or break their decision on whether to stay and browse or leave immediately. This behavior trickles down into every aspect of your business.
Think of the last business card you were handed. Was it flimsy and boring or was it heavy, beautifully designed, and felt like rose petals (like my business cards)? Was it printed from paper you purchased at Staples or by a professional printer, like premiumcards.net? What was your first impression of that last card?
Now, imagine walking into a physical store and immediately noticing dirty floors, dim lighting, and broken shelving. I’m guessing that image doesn’t stir up feelings of you wanting to spend your hard-earned dollars there.
We’ve talked about business cards and a physical location… but what about your website? Does it matter what it looks like? If the design of your business’s website is outdated, hard to navigate, has broken images or links, or is unprofessional-looking… visitors may leave head to the next result in their search.
On the other hand, a professional business website is visually appealing and will inspire trust and confidence in potential customers. It shows that you care about the quality of your business, and its image, and are willing to invest in your company. This reinforces trust in you, your business, and your products and services.
Hi, My Name Is…
Since your business website is often the first point of contact between potential customers and your business, it’s important that it accurately reflects who you are as a company and what you stand for. A well-designed and easily navigable website will convey professionalism, reliability, creativity, and pride. On the flip side, if your website looks cheap or outdated, visitors may assume that those qualities extend to your entire business, including you and your products or services.
UI and UX
The look of your website, known in my industry as User Interface (UI), isn’t just about aesthetics – it also plays a major role in User Experience (UX). In fact, 38% of people will stop engaging and leave a website if the layout is unattractive. That equates to over 1/3 of all people who view your website being shallow enough to leave if your website doesn’t look good. Yikes! That’s why professional website design is so important in this day and age.
A good user experience involves not just how the site looks, but also how easy it is to navigate and find the information or products they are looking for. If your site is cluttered or difficult to navigate, visitors are likely going to become frustrated and leave.
On the other hand, a professional business website with clear navigation can make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for and engage with your brand. People are busy… if they can find what they want and get it and get out quickly, your website will be very successful.
SEOwhat…
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing your website so that it appears higher in search results. While there are many factors that go into SEO, having a professional business website can actually play a role in improving your ranking.
When search engines crawl your site, they take into account factors such as load time, mobile responsiveness, and overall user experience. If your site is slow or difficult to navigate, it may affect where you appear in search results.
Take My Money… Please!
At the end of the day, the main goal of any professional business website is to convert visitors into customers. A good design can help facilitate this by creating a positive first impression and making it easy for users to engage with your brand.
Elements like clear calls-to-action (CTAs) on each page encourage visitors to take a desirable action – whether that’s making a purchase or filling out a contact form. Phone numbers with Click-to-Call (C2C) capability for mobile users, and online ordering or appointment booking help build trust with potential customers and make them more likely to follow through on these CTAs. All of these would be properly placed and addressed in a properly-built professional business website.
The natural flow of your information is key as well. New visitors don’t know who you are, what you do or sell, or why they should trust you. Having these questions answered in well-defined sections will help the visitor learn more about you and make them comfortable engaging with your business.
Wrapping Up
In today’s digital age, your business website is often the first point of contact between potential customers and your business. It’s important that you make a positive first impression by investing in a well-designed and user-friendly website. Not only can it help improve your brand’s image and convey your business’s values, but it will ultimately lead to more conversions and sales.
Remember – first impressions count, so make sure yours is a positive one. A professional business website should not be considered a business expense, but instead, an investment in your business.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I offer free design and marketing advice and am happy will help you to avoid the most common pitfalls associated with identifying the right designer for your business.
Thank you for reading and best of luck on your business journey!
