Key Takeaways:
Understand why good website design is essential for your business.
Know what elements to consider when doing a midyear website audit.
The midyear mark of summer is a great time to pause and reflect on your business’s goals, as well as the channels you use to achieve them. One of the main channels for boosting your customer engagement and conversions is your website. A well-designed website can make all the difference when it comes to a customer’s decision to stay on your website or “bounce” onto a competitor’s.
This summer, we encourage you to take a moment to review your website so it aligns with your 2024 goals and meets user expectations. Discover which web design elements are crucial for excellent UX and learn some criteria to guide your website audit.
The Importance of Website Design
Like a first date, first impressions are vital when it comes to your first interaction with customers and encouraging a long-term relationship with them. And your website is often the first point of contact consumers have with your brand.
Poor web design can lead to high bounce rates and lost potential customers. According to data from GoodFirm, 38.5% of users judge a business by how its website looks at first glance. And 38% of people will stop interacting with a poorly designed site, per an Adobe survey. When your website is professional, attractive, and easy to use, you build trust and credibility with consumers.
“For an eCommerce business, it’s important to remember that it’s not about you. Aim to craft a customer experience that’s as good online as it is in-store. 38.5% of users judge a business by how its website looks at first glance.”
– GoodFirm
Consistent Branding and Conversions
One often overlooked ingredient to healthy conversion rates is consistent branding. According to the 2021 Brand Consistency Report from Marq, consistent branding can increase website conversions by 33%. Consistent branding takes the form of using the same colors, fonts, logo, and messaging across your entire website. Customers will appreciate the cohesive and streamlined feel your website has as a result. Your website will be more visually appealing, smoother to navigate, and more enjoyable to browse, encouraging them to stay on your site and return to it when they’re ready to purchase a product.
The Necessity of Mobile-Friendly Design
While many small businesses already have mobile-friendly sites, some haven’t modernized their site in this way. But having a mobile-friendly and responsive site is a must given the prevalence of mobile shopping in the eCommerce environment. More than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile, according to Think with Google. 57% of users won’t recommend a company with poor mobile web design, as Zippia confirms. Don’t let having an outdated website harm your customers’ UX, leading to decreased recommendations and referrals.
“It’s easy to think of white space as wasted space. But it enhances readability and focus, contributing to a balanced and inviting design.”
– Technology Therapy® Group
A Mid-Year Website Audit Checklist
By conducting a thorough mid-year website audit, you can align your website’s design and functionality with current trends and best practices to step up your site’s UX. Here are some essential areas to focus on during your audit:
1. Evaluate for Consistency
It’s vital that your website reflects a consistent brand identity. This means having uniform logo placement, consistent use of brand colors and fonts, and maintaining a coherent tone and style in messaging across all pages. And consider the type of images you use. Authentic photos can provide a more personal touch compared to stock photos. We also suggest using a brand style guide and regularly updating your branding elements to reflect any changes in your brand.
2. Leverage Modern Aesthetics and White Space
Review your website for visual appeal and the presence of white space. 84.6% of web designers report that crowded web design is the most common web design mistake that SMBs make, according to GoodFirms’ recent web design survey.
Modern web design favors minimalism, which helps keep the user’s focus on the most important content. Incorporate high-quality images and clean, simple layouts to make your website aesthetically pleasing and professional. And use white space strategically. It’s easy to think of white space as wasted space. But it enhances readability and focus, contributing to a balanced and inviting design.
3. Consider How You Can Effectively Use Color Theory
Color choice is pivotal as it can significantly affect user perception and behavior. Choose colors that align with your brand identity and resonate with your target audience. Employ complementary colors to highlight key elements and make sure there is sufficient contrast for readability, enhancing the user experience and guiding user behavior.
4. Review Your Navigation
Aim for a clear and intuitive website navigation with a clean menu layout. Ideally, stick to a maximum of six menu items to avoid clutter. Enhance usability by ensuring easy access to key pages. Incorporate features like breadcrumbs and search functionality to improve the overall user experience.
5. Remove Unnecessary Content and Highlight Key Info
Performing a content audit allows you to identify and eliminate outdated or irrelevant content. Streamlining your site’s content not only clarifies and engages but also reduces the cognitive load on visitors, which can improve site performance and focus on core messages. We also recommend formatting content with skim-readers in mind. For instance, consider putting essential information in bullet point form, so it’s highly visible for those quickly browsing your site. You can also experiment with more creative icons in bullet lists.
6. Ensure Your Site is Mobile Friendly and Responsive
With the dominance of mobile usage, having a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes is crucial. Check how your site appears on various devices and browsers. Pages should load quickly and media must be optimized for mobile users so they have an optimal mobile experience.
7. Perform Page Speed Checks
Regularly evaluate your website’s loading times and overall speed. Use analytics tools to identify slow-loading elements and implement optimization techniques such as compressing images, minimizing code, and leveraging browser caching to enhance site performance.
8. Sync with Social Media
Ensure that social media icons are easily visible and accessible from all key pages of your website, ideally in the header, footer, or sidebar. Provide clear calls-to-action that encourage users to follow or share your profiles and keep links updated to lead to active social accounts.
9. Incorporate Strong and Visible CTAs
Your call-to-action (CTA) should be prominently placed and designed to catch the eye. Use contrasting colors to make your CTAs stand out and employ clear, concise wording that directs users towards desired actions such as signing up, contacting, or buying.
Shifting Perspective:
The Organic Nature of Websites
Your midyear website audit might reveal quite a few weak spots in your web design. Don’t let these discourage you. Websites are always evolving. As we say to TTG clients, your website is never done. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need professional help giving your site the summer refresh it deserves.
Time for a Website Upgrade
Is your current site out of alignment with your business goals or current focus? Browse our web portfolio to inspire your website transformation!
