Did you know that around 46% of people state that website design is one of their top criteria for deciding if a company is credible?
Credibility is a must if people are to buy from your website, so it’s worth paying attention to how your design strategies can enhance your reputation as well as the overall user experience.
If you already sell high-quality products or services that customers want to buy, then you can boost your conversions with some well-executed design components. Here are some tips on how:
#1. Minimize the number of choices
At every stage you reach on a website, there are choices to make. Do you click here or there? Which pathway should you take? Which of the product options looks like the best match?
You’d think choices would be a good thing, right? Well, research shows that’s not always the case. Humans like to have choices, but there’s such a thing as too many. When that happens, we often feel overwhelmed by the options: also known as analysis paralysis.
If you’ve ever passed a child a bowl of mixed Halloween candy and told them to pick two items, you’ll see this in action. The chances are the kid will spend a long time going back and forth, changing their mind several times. They’ve got so many choices, and it’s just hard to narrow them down!
This mirrors Hick’s Law, a psychological theory that says the time it takes for a person to make a decision is directly proportional to the number of choices they have. When applied to website design, Hick’s Law can be accounted for by reducing the number of choices a user has to make.
How do you do this? By prioritizing the goal actions you want people to take. You can create a sort of hierarchy if you prioritize, ensuring that the things you want people to do are front and center.
On your WooCommerce site, this might mean simplifying menus so that choices are easy to make. You at least want people to easily navigate to the items they are most interested in buying. Once there, rather than having 25 variations of the same t-shirt, you might cut back choices to a handful of popular types or colors, so that people make a quicker decision.
It’s comparable to the difference between shopping in a big box store and a small, locally-owned shop. The big box store can seem overwhelming to navigate, while the local shop has a simpler and more personal atmosphere.
#2. Use negative space
The white space around the elements of your web pages is referred to as “negative space” in web design. Negative space has an important role to play – without it, your website would be very difficult for people to read or interpret.
Negative space should be used in all areas on your website to keep it organized, legible and scannable. A common mistake is to try to cram too many elements in, forgoing the negative space. This just looks cluttered and confusing.
Consider how you’ll make the most important elements – things like headlines and product images – stand out. Trying to squash too many things in takes away from your message and makes it unclear what people should do next.
Be aware that if you’re using smaller fonts, you need more space between letters to make sure words are legible. Kerning is the term for the space between letters in words, and it’s another thing you want to get exactly right. Poor kerning can completely change the appearance of words, sometimes even the interpretation!
Additionally, if you have large blocks of text, break them up into smaller paragraphs to make them easier for people to skim. Readers are often put off if they’re greeted with a wall of text.
This is one of the more family-friendly examples of what bad kerning can do! (Google it)
#3. Understand the impacts of color choice
Color has a huge impact upon how people perceive your website. It can convey a mood, a brand image and an overall meaning. Color is known for evoking emotions and can either help or hinder people taking action on your site.
The bottom line is that you should choose a color scheme that will evoke the emotions you are hoping to convey to customers. If you sell luxury products, lurid neons aren’t going to do it for you.
Another important consideration with color is the use of contrast. This helps to make the key elements on your site (such as buttons) stand out. Consider what makes it easy for people to read, too. For example a light colored text on a light background may be virtually impossible for many people to make out.
#4. Follow the rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is a design principle that originates with paintings and photography, but has been adopted as a best practice in website design.
How does the rule of thirds work? First of all, you divide your page up into thirds, both horizontally and vertically so that there are nine even squares. Rule of thirds suggests that the four corners of the middle section are the points at which to place images or design elements so that they will be most impactful.
For example, you will often find call to action (CTA) buttons going through one of those corners. Hero images are also usually placed using the rule of thirds. It makes for a pleasing composition for viewers, which keeps them focused on the main objectives of the site.
Besides placing your CTA buttons by following the rule of thirds, make sure they stand out. They should be a contrasting color to the rest of your website, which is why you often see reds, oranges and greens.
Additionally, make sure that the language of your CTAs is clear and entices your customers to take action. Why should they click (or whatever action it is you want them to take)? It’s helpful if you define what your goals are first. Sometimes you’ve got several goals for a website so choosing one to highlight can help to make it clear for customers.
#6. Choose imagery that helps the customer
The images you choose are critical for improving conversions. Low-quality images are still a relatively common mistake that create a poor impression of your website. Every image you use should be of high quality or it’s not worth using at all.
Your images should be used to help tell the story of your brand. They should convey your values, culture and the impression you want to give. Product images should be professional-looking and show different angles, making it easier for customers to envision picking it up and turning it over to look at it.
There are several things that people often try to go cheap on with a website, but your graphics and photographs shouldn’t be among them. Remember that humans are very visual creatures and if anything, they’ll look at the images before reading any text. If the images are poor, then their image of your company is too.
Final thoughts
As a final thought from us, don’t skimp on web design, especially if you want successful conversions! It is absolutely worth the investment in the long run to spend time getting your design optimized so that it creates a better customer experience.
The overall aim is to make it easy for customers to navigate your website and ultimately, decide to buy. It should be obvious to them where they should go and what they need to do. All elements should work cohesively to tell the story of your brand.
So, take these six tips and use them to assess your current design. Could you make some adjustments?
