Creating a Website That Engages and Converts

As a business, it’s extremely difficult to stay on top of the technical advances and important design options that are emerging just about every day. Following are a few of the most important website design considerations that will help you engage visitors and accomplish your website conversion goals.

Responsive (Mobile Friendly) Website Design

Because of today’s mobile centric culture, a responsive website design is a top priority. Basically, a mobile friendly, responsive website is one that is specifically designed to look the same when it’s viewed on any device. Bottom line, it’s all about the user experience and if your site isn’t “mobile friendly”, your visitors will look elsewhere for products, services and answers. Responsive design is also preferred for SEO. As a matter of fact, mobile-friendly websites are given priority by major search engines like Google because they offer a superior user experience.

Website Imagery

Website images, backgrounds, photography and logos are important key factors when it comes to creating a website that converts. Big, bold, crisp and clean imagery can’t help but have a positive impact on your target audience. Presenting pixilated, low quality, outdated imagery will be a huge turn off to your viewers, making you look like an amateur.

Navigation

Navigating your website needs to easy to use and identify. It’s also important to keep navigational menus uncomplicated so you don’t end up overwhelming users. Aim for using only 5 to 10 menu items at the top (or side) of your website.

Call to Action (CTA)

Your website is the gateway to actions that including gathering contact information, providing valuable information and making a sale. To ensure that action is taken, CTA prompts need to be strong and obvious. Design your CTA so that users are attracted to it, using techniques like color, space and contrast, leading users to the appropriate buttons/forms.

Basic SEO

Basic search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental to the success of any website. SEO will help position your website to be properly found at the majority of critical points during the buying process or when people are in need of what your website has to offer says Chris Poole of SEO Company CT. Search engines do their best to refer users to websites and content that’s the most relevant to what they’re looking for. Relevancy is determined by the content viewers look at, the performance and authority of the website and, most important of all, the overall user experience.

Web Fonts and SEO

While in the past, we only had a few typefaces available to us that were readable by most browsers and computers, we’re not as limited today. That said; web fonts are still important because of licensing and compatibility issues. That said, if you use a web font service, type is type online, an important factor for SEO. Also, website designers don’t need to produce images out of their type in order to maintain a specific appearance. Start out using a service like Google Web Fonts (it’s also free).

While there are several important elements of effective website design, including the key components listed here can make a significant difference when it comes to creating a website that engages and converts.