We don’t want to get caught in traffic, but in the field of digital business, website traffic means more visitors, and the more visitors you have, the more chances you get of attaining higher conversion rates. Digital marketers have formulated various ways to boost conversions ( SEO, social media, lead magnets, and the like).
Usually, they fail to realize that building an exceptional website might just be the key you need to open the door to better conversion rates. Just like in beauty pageants, the face value of your website is one of the criteria that you need to meet as it can be the deciding factor whether you win the crown or not. Stanford University’s research further reinforces the fact that your site’s design plays a crucial role in the credibility of your company.
The study results showed that 49.1% of the participants evaluated the credibility of websites based on their design. Furthermore, two-thirds of people would rather read something designed aesthetically than something plain and dull when given 15 minutes to browse content. Let’s face it. People won’t want to read your blog if your website is unappealing. So if you don’t want your visitors to leave just seconds after clicking your site, you’re in luck. We’re spilling some secrets just for you! Here is your guide to unlocking web design principles that will boost your conversion rates in just one click!
Hick’s Law simply states that the time it takes to decide increases with the number and complexity of choices. This law by William Edmund Hick is used by a number of individuals and is a popular reference point for most designers. This web design principle helps boost your conversions by minimizing the number of choices given to users. When your site’s visitors are flooded with tons of options and decisions to make, they might get overwhelmed and leave. Designers are encouraged to limit options in links, buttons, navigations, and lists when applying this law. Therefore, it is essential for you to figure out which actions are the most important and what your main objective is on every page of your site. And, of course, that means higher conversion rates.
This famous principle of photography also functions as a web design principle. The Rule of Thirds is a guideline that divides an image (or web page) into thirds (horizontally and vertically) so there are nine equal squares and four gridlines. By placing key elements to the four intersections, people’s attention is easily drawn to them. This rule can be a useful tool if you want your user’s focus on your call to action (CTA) rather than having them eye your site aimlessly. And when they respond to your CTA, that equates to bigger conversion numbers.
Scientific studies show that web users read the screen in an F-pattern, and these give us a glance of where the surfer’s eyes normally land on the screen. And when you know where and how your visitors view your web page, then you’ll get to design the layout of your website much more effectively. You can take advantage of the user’s F-reading pattern by positioning the important items and CTAs along the F-shape lines. If you can get them to follow the pattern you want, they are more likely to engage and react to your call to action.
When used effectively, colors can make your web design stand out. They don’t just simply add hues to your website but also convey tones and emotions and embody your brand. You can take advantage of Adobe’s Color Wheel to create a color scheme that you can use for your page. But how will you utilize colors to increase conversions? You can use contrast to make texts and buttons more noticeable and attention-grabbing. When users immediately see your call to action, then you have a higher chance of getting more conversions.
In web design, negative or whitespace is the empty space between the bigger (and even smaller) elements on your page. This can be the space between your header and text or the space between your letters or paragraphs. . Despite being called negative, it is actually a positive element in web design. When you consider all the negative space on your page, you can keep everything neat and legible and allow the users to easily scan your site without straining their eyes. This web design principle helps you boost your conversion rate by keeping your visitors’ focus on your main call to action.
How much time do you have to get your web visitors engaged in your content? The answer? 15 seconds. Yep, you read that right. A study shows that 55% of users spent fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page. That is synonymous with online users’ patience limit for your page to load and capture their interest. A mere one-second delay in page load time leads to lower conversions. Always check your site speed and resolve any issues you might encounter. Remember the golden web design principle---every second counts.
This effective (but not offensive) web design principle reminds you just to keep things simple. The simpler your design is, the more chances you boost your conversion rates. Avoid cramming too much information or elements since users will easily get confused, distracted, and overwhelmed. A flashy design might just scare your potential visitors away. Remember, there’s beauty in simplicity, so don’t forget to KISS---keep it simple, stupid.
Another timer that you don’t want to disregard is this 8-second rule. That’s pretty much the amount of time you have to grab your visitor’s attention because surprisingly, humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish. You have very little time and opportunity to engage your visitor when they first come across your page. So employ whatever strategy you can to capture their interest and translate it to higher conversion rates!
This principle illustrates how our brain and eyes group similar elements together. This similarity allows us to organize objects and recognize how they are related to each other and how they can be affected by their color, shape, size, and orientation. When used as a web design principle, it enables users to process information quickly and more efficiently. It provides a smoother, faster, and better user experience when you organize all the related elements on your page and separate them from the dissimilar ones. This will captivate your visitor’s attention within the 8-second timer.
What do you feel when you see a familiar face? You instantly establish a connection and empathize with that person. It’s the same for web page users. So when you design your page, make sure to include faces in your articles, testimonials, and even landing pages to boost your conversions. You can pose for a photo shoot if you are the face of your brand or hire models and use stock photos that will accurately represent your label so online users can get a sense of familiarity and relate to the face.
Research conducted by Bright Local indicates that 60% of consumers give more consideration to results that have images while 23% are much more likely to contact a business that has an image attached to its listing. This proves that the use of images can either boost or reduce your conversions. When you use high-quality images, your page exudes professionalism and competence. Low-quality images, on the other hand, show the opposite. So instead of using bland and lifeless stock photos, source high-quality and relevant ones that will provide positive and more personal connections to the users.
Now that you have unlocked this secret guide containing 11 web design principles, make sure to understand and utilize them well to enhance the face of your website. Start by reviewing your page and noting the areas that need improvements. Is there any web design principle that you missed or violated? What principle/s will help you increase your conversions? Regardless of whether or not you’re a web designer, you can’t afford to disregard these principles and just let your visitors leave your page---that’s a lot of lost leads! You can learn how to apply these web design principles on your own or better yet, look for a professional designer or agency that can help you transform your site and boost your conversion rates! At Locus Digital, you’ll never have to worry about losing your visitors or the decreasing number of your conversions.
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