Today, every business needs a good and professional website. It forms the basis for a successful business. It is important that the online presence reflects your business and associated values as closely as possible.
This means that your website should look as professional as possible. But how exactly do you get this done?
In this article, we will discuss the importance of a professional web design and all its components. Curious? Read on quickly.
A professional web design: what exactly is it?
A professional web design is to a design of a website or web shop that. However, it must meet a number of factors: aesthetics, usability, functionality and performance.
The ultimate goal of a professional design is to leave a positive impression on visitors. Good design also helps you achieve your company’s goals. Consider, for example, increasing conversion rates and building brand loyalty.
And why is it so important?
Today, more than 80% of consumers make their purchases on the Internet.
When a potential customer lands on your website, you naturally want him or her to stick around. A professional web design can help with this tremendously. It is important to stop underestimating the importance of good design.
Professional appearance: the first impression
Website visitors decide within two seconds whether they or want to linger on your website, yes or no. So it is important to have a design that makes people stick around as long as possible. When your web design is out of date, it makes for a bad first impression. You want to avoid this, of course.
A strong, professional web design gives a reliable appearance. You show as a company that you have your affairs in order! Your company immediately exudes more professionalism, reliability and confidence. So leave a good first impression with your website!
Brand identity: the perfect picture
A good website reflects a company’s values and identity. A professionally designed site takes a company’s corporate identity into consideration. Think about the colors, the fonts, as well as the tone of voice and your logo!
A good web designer ensures that all these elements are reflected in the design in a consistent way. Don’t have a corporate identity yet, or is it outdated? No problem, we are happy to help with this!
UX: the user experience
Not only the appearance is important for a first impression, the user experience also plays a big role!
When your site is unclear, loads slowly and has overcrowded pages, the user experience is negatively affected. When a visitor cannot easily find what they are looking for, he or she quickly drops out. So a professional web design should not only be beautiful, but also easy to use.
Accessible: opportunities for all
The user experience must be good for everyone. Even for people with visual, hearing or motor disabilities. A win-win situation. You can expand your target audience AND you contribute to an inclusive user experience.
A professional web design can be made more accessible by taking several factors into account. From screen readers to keyboard controls. It is also important to work with contrast and clear fonts.
An accessible website leads to more satisfied users and a better reputation for your business.
SEO: search engine optimization
A well-designed website is optimized not only for the user, but also for search engines such as Google. Good search engine optimization ensures that your website appears in Google’s search results. Fast load time, mobile optimization, content optimization and link building all contribute to improving SEO. Good search engine optimization will get more people to your website.
Conversion optimization: click, click, click
A professional web design ensures that your site is easily found. In addition, people spend more time on a professional Web site than they do on an outdated one.
A strong design focuses on directing visitors to desired actions. By adding call-to-action buttons and using Cialdini’s seven principles, the conversion rate on your website or online store can be increased. This means more clicks, more leads and more sales!
Distinction from the competition
The online world is vastly populated. So it is very important to stand out among all your competitors. Chances are huge that a potential customer will compare your company to five different competitors.
Therefore, it is crucial to have a website with a strong, professional design and eye-catching elements. Take control and make sure consumers choose you!
Have a professional website made
A professional web design: the perfect recipe
User Experience
As you read above, user experience is very important for a professional web design. Fortunately, you can improve this experience! Read on quickly to find out.
Website layout & navigation
A website visitor has a number of requirements when he or she lands on your page. Thus, a potential customer wants to be able to find the most important information as quickly as possible. They are also looking for a website that is easy to navigate. In addition, they prefer websites that are clearly designed.
Is your website not meeting these needs of online consumers? Then you can get your website revamped. When designing your website, keep your target audience in mind. Ask yourself what exactly they are looking for.
Do you have a book blog? Then people are probably looking for recommendations rather than a contact page. Of course, this can also be the other way around. When you have a massage studio, people are more likely to look for the contact information than a blog about the best massage oils.
Based on the needs of the target audience, you can smartly layout your page.
Responsive design
More and more people are using their mobile devices to surf the Internet. Therefore, a responsive web design is really a must!
A responsive website or webshop automatically adapts to the size of different types of screens. From laptops to cell phones and tablets.
When your website is not optimized for different devices, it can have negative consequences. People may become irritated. This leads to a loss of trust with potential customers.
Visual elements
The visual elements on your website should go hand in hand with your corporate identity. The visual components of a corporate identity are the logo, typography, colors and visuals. The colors of your brand identity are reflected in all of these elements, so they are hugely important!
As an online business owner, you want to influence your potential customers somewhat. When choosing the colors that fit your online identity, it is important to consider color psychology. After all, colors evoke certain emotions in your website visitor. So choose a small palette that is visually appealing, reflects your brand identity and evokes the right emotion and mood.
Content
A professional web design is worth little the moment the site is full of poor quality content. To keep visitors on your website, it is important to offer them valuable and relevant content. This will increase your authority and credibility.
After all, strong web copy shows that you have a lot of knowledge within your industry. Good content also contributes to your ranking in the search results of search engines such as Google. A good position means you will be found faster by potential customers.
All in all, professional content is key to attracting your target audience. Creating (or having created) content is a valuable investment for your website and business.
Common mistakes when designing a professional web design
As you have already read, there are many factors that make a web design good and professional. Mistakes are frequently made in the world of web design. It is good to be aware of the pitfalls so you can avoid them.
1. The neglect of SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) is an important component for any website. So in your professional web design, it is smart to consider SEO elements. Consider meta tags, images and alt texts. Other factors you can consider are your headers, titles and loading speed.
2. Missing (or unclear) call-to-actions.
A professional web design is not finished when the user experience is poor. Users also need to easily know what action to take and how to do it. If your CTAs are unclear – or even missing – your conversion rates will drop.
3. Excessive animations and effects
Yes, animatics can make your web design a lot more dynamic. But be careful. Overuse can be hugely distracting. In addition, it can also make your Web site slow.
A professional web design features the right amount of moving images.
4. ‘Design over functionality’
Of course, a professional web design should look beautiful. But it is important that design is not the only priority.
User experience and the operation of your Web site should, of course, be just as good. Maybe even better. Most people appreciate well-working sites more than a Web site that looks pretty.
Having a professional web design created
At Gaia Digital, we graatly help you create a professional web design. We love to hear what all your ideas, goals and wishes are. Together we’ll work on a digital world that is the translation of all these concoctions. Do we talk to you soon?
