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Good Web Design Will Increase Business Sales Through Conversions

May 4, 2020

John Hawley

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Web Design

Design has a direct impact on sales

You’ve heard it before — first impressions are crucial when customers visit your site for the first time. You wouldn’t be impressed by walking into a store that looks run-down, right? Presentation matters, no matter whether it’s in the real world or the digital one.

How exactly does web design have an impact on sales? Ultimately, the most direct result is through driving conversion — which is when a customer on your website completes a desired action. The most straightforward example of a conversion would be a customer purchasing from your website. They visit, they like what they see, and buy or subscribe to your service.

Sales aren’t the only valuable conversion

Of course, conversions aren’t just limited to product sales. For some businesses, different actions can be more desirable for their marketing strategy. Here are just a few examples of what you may want to happen:

  • A visitor reaching out to you via a contact form
  • Signing up for your newsletter
  • Sharing content via social media, if that’s your marketing strategy
  • Signing up for a trial account

While some of these conversions may not directly result in a sale or monetary compensation, they are avenues that can be just as valuable. Remember, although these types of conversions aren’t money in the bank now, they are efficient ways to cultivate long-term sales goals and keep your brand top of mind. Which, ultimately leads to sales in one form or another.

Of course, there are a variety of ways to increase your sales and conversion rate through the web. Digital advertising is a great solution for boosting business if your website is already up-to-par. However, the single most effective way to drastically improve sales is by having a good website design. We’ve seen too often, digital campaigns connected to websites that are dated and unsophisticated. How many times have you bounced within ten seconds of landing on a page because the site you were visiting lacked sophistication?

Strap in folks, because this is a long one. Let’s dig into how your website’s design drives sales and conversions.

Web design directly establishes your company’s credibility with visitors

Nowadays, good design is simply the default expectation. Our business thrives on thoughtful design and UX. We would be dead in the water without it.

There’s been a major shift to selling through digital channels. So having a website that isn’t up-to-par is a conversion killer. In fact, a site that has a low conversion despite steady traffic is almost always a sign of poor design. Because when new visitors are unfamiliar with your brand, they are not sure what to expect.

However, visitors will apply value and get the impression that your site is worth touring if you have strong aesthetics and high-quality visual assets. So if your site doesn’t seem engaging from the second that your visitor loads the page, you’ve already lost them. For example, Hubspot has found that nearly 40% of people will immediately stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. Losing online visitors is totally preventable.

Good website design = trust. Trust = conversion. And conversions = more sales.

It’s plain and simple. Design is the largest determining factor in whether potential customers think your business is reputable or not. You don’t have to take that from us — Stanford studies have shown that 75% of consumers say they determine a company’s credibility based on their website design.

So when a company shows that it cares about its digital appearance, customers can safely assume the following: the company is invested, and are passionate about what they do. And that establishes a feeling of security. Having a thoughtful strategy and design also lets your visitors know that you value their time. A website will rarely convert if the design doesn’t inspire that confidence — that’s why 94% of people say bad design is the main reason why they wouldn’t trust a website. And fewer conversions mean you’re losing sales and sustainability.

How exactly does web design have an impact on sales? Ultimately, the most direct result is through driving conversion — which is when a customer on your website completes a desired action. The most straightforward example of a conversion would be a customer purchasing from your website. They visit, they like what they see, and buy or subscribe to your service.
Websites that are old or outdated give the impression that the company doesn’t care, or has been abandoned. Both are surefire ways to make potential customers say, “No thank you”.

People have better things to do than browse bad websites.

Nowadays, there is a surplus of options to choose from. A simple Google search will yield tons of results customers can sift through. With so many options at their disposal, it just doesn’t make sense for them to spend time on a site that isn’t visually interesting. Users will just close the site and forget because the next site might inspire more of their trust.

On the web, we will always judge a book by its cover — it’s just how we operate!

A whopping 94% of negative website feedback is design related. Worse still, 88% of online consumers are much less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. First impressions matter, so don’t lose visitors to your competition. A creative agency can help you develop a strategy that involves branding, design, and thoughtful UX — a strategy to keep people on your site longer.

Design levels the playing field

We mentioned before that people love to choose the option that brings them comfort and security. For example, we’re sure you know someone who always suggests going to the same restaurant. You may even be this person! There’s nothing wrong with it — we feel comfortable dining there because we already know what kind of experience to expect.

This is the same type of feeling the biggest players in your market inspire. The scale of their business and reputation makes people feel, “I’m sure I will get what I’m paying for”, so the trust factor is already there. But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to compete with them. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. An excellent web presence can level the playing field. Perception is everything, whether you are big or small. We like to say “We build websites that compete on a national level” so you can too. Maybe the size of your organization doesn’t matter as much as we first thought.

And if you’re a brick-and-mortar store that relies on in-person visits — there’s also great news for you if you invest in good website design. According to SEOexpert, 50% of ‘near me’ Google searches will result in a store visit. That is, of course, if you can manage to convince them to stay on your site long enough for more details.

Web Design enables a better UX, which results in better SEO and more conversions

When it comes to first impressions, the look and feel of a site will always beat out usability. But, what happens after that? If your site is beautiful but is a pain to navigate, then the only thing your visitor is going to click on is the “X” button to leave. This is why website design isn’t just about the looks, it’s also about the experience.

Beautiful design will grab your visitor’s interest. But a well-designed user experience will keep it, and turn it into a conversion.

This is why we always stress the importance of good User Experience (UX) in web design. Specifically, ease of use is critical to your customer’s experience on your website. A study by HubSpot showed that an overwhelming 76% of consumers agree that ease-of-use is the most important factor of a website’s design. A website that converts is clear, concise, and easy to navigate.

The reason is that, unlike a physical location, people are goal-oriented when they browse the web. When visiting a brick-and-mortar, people may get distracted by the in-person shopping experience. We’ve all been there — going to the grocery store with the intention of just buying some milk and eggs, only to end up with $100 worth of purchases.

However, on the web, this is incredibly less likely to happen. Users will almost always have a specific goal in mind when they search the web. So when they open your site, they will make a judgment in seconds on whether you have what they need or not. We believe in designing intuitive navigation that leads the customer in a direction we want them to follow. Also, making it easy for them to navigate their own journey.

How exactly does web design have an impact on sales? Ultimately, the most direct result is through driving conversion — which is when a customer on your website completes a desired action. The most straightforward example of a conversion would be a customer purchasing from your website. They visit, they like what they see, and buy or subscribe to your service.
Remember — users are goal-oriented on the web. The easier your site gets them to what they need, the more likely they are to trust you and spend money on your business.

Strategic CTAs guide your visitors and increase conversions

Users don’t like being overwhelmed with choices. That said, a well-designed site will still offer a guiding hand with the goal of getting the user to convert. This is where CTAs come into play. Strategic CTAs (Call-To-Actions), are crucial to guiding the user along your sales funnel. A CTA is quite literally what the name implies — it’s an image or text that calls the user to complete an action. When placed strategically, these are powerful tools for increasing conversions. And a well-designed website will always include CTAs. Most of the time, they’re best placed after you’ve given visitors the information they need. Think of them as a way of closing the deal after you’ve laid out the benefits.

Here’s a quick example: A user is navigating your site for information on your company’s services. After scrolling through your services page, they decide that you’re a good fit for them. This is a perfect place for a Call-To-Action, which enables them to contact you directly for a quote.

Strategically placing the CTA on the page enables the experience to be frictionless — which comes back to ease of use. Your user doesn’t need to think about where to go next, because the option is already there for them. In a split test run by Content Verve, they found that moving their CTA to the bottom of the page added a 304% lift to conversions.

For CTAs, placement matters! Remember, your website is your dedicated online salesman that works 24 hours a day. Having well-designed CTAs will ensure they can do their job as efficiently as possible.

Sales from your website are always closing because your website is online 24/7
Well-designed websites will ensure you “always are closing”. After all, they’re your best salesman — they contain everything there is to know about your business, and they’re able to advertise for you 24/7. So it’s a no-brainer to have them look as sharp as possible!

Good UX helps with SEO

As we’ve previously mentioned, we have a surplus of options today because of Google searches. Fortunately, having a good website design will help you out with SEO. Google’s ranking algorithms recognize a good UX (User Experience) — when a site has quick load times, is filled with meaningful content, and has a powerful internal linking strategy, you’re that much more likely to be organically placed towards the top.

Higher placement means more people visiting your site… and more eyeballs never hurt. So the more traffic you can generate to your website, the more chances at conversions and sales you’ll have.

A well-design website will also have built-in SEO capabilities, so it’ll be ready for your next digital advertising campaign when you are.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, design is the powerhouse behind the perception of your business. Especially on the web, where people are mostly visually oriented. After all, it’s not like we can smell or touch products through our screens! At least, not yet…

But we know this is a lot to take in, and that web design is extremely tricky. And that figuring out what the right web design chosen for your business needs can be a headache. That’s why we always suggest hiring a creative agency to get the job done right the first time. They will also help guide you through the branding process to ensure you maintain visual and messaging consistency. As always, feel free to reach out to us if you find yourself in need of a great website that will take your business to the next level. Mighty Fine is here to help — it’s what we love doing!

Author

John Hawley
John is the lead designer at Mighty Fine and has been crafting visual solutions for clients for over a decade. Hailing previously from Boston, John graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Outside of work, he enjoys drawing, writing music, and playing video games.

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