Sometimes a website is nothing special, really – just a website, with nothing in particular that makes it stand out or capture your attention. Your website should be visually appealing, filled with valuable content and simple to navigate, with a well laid-out design. After all, if statistics show that 85% or 90% of your visitors are leaving within seconds, what’s the point?
Great web design can make your company and your brand stand apart from your competition, giving your target audience a reason to hang around. It’s been proven time and time again that you must capture your visitor’s attention in the first 3 to 5 seconds, which isn’t long! A visitor that quickly leaves is likely going straight to your competition, browsing those on the first page or two of the SERPS until they hit the one that immediately grabs his or her interest. That can be you, with effective website design.
Here are a few tips that will ensure your website stands out in a crowd:
- Remember that less is more. Websites that are clean and simple, easy to navigate and offer plenty of white space are much more pleasing to visitors than pages packed with too much information, which can look cluttered and confusing.
- Choose your color palette carefully. Colors represent certain moods and feelings, and affect people psychologically. Your color palette should reflect your brand, and spark the right feeling for your product/service, whether it’s energy, comfort, wealth, passion, trust, etc.
- Content should make your visitor want to explore further. Drab, boring content drives people away. They’re searching for information that pertains to them personally, that is valuable or helpful in some way. Your content should be clearly broken up into sections, using bold headlines that let your visitor quickly find what he/she is looking for just by scanning the page.
- Brands often revolve around logos. Make sure that your logo is placed where it will attract notice, usually near the top left-hand corner. Many people recognize brands purely by their logo. For instance, everyone in the world recognizes Nike’s brand when they see the swoosh logo!
Graphics, images, consistency throughout your pages – all of these things help you create an indelible brand, and keep your visitors on your pages. If your website is “just there,” lacking interest and personality, maybe it’s time for a fresh new design!
