Most businesses know that having a website is important. After all, your online presence can make or break your business. But is it enough to have any website, or do you need more than that?

For small businesses, if you’re faced with cost challenges or limited technical skills, investing in a well-designed, professional website may seem daunting. Or if you already have a working (but outdated) site, you may doubt the value of a redesign.

Evidence and studies repeatedly point to the fact that good design is important, and your business’s website design impacts your customer experience, lead generation and ultimately, your bottom line.

Why Web Design Is Important

Your website is your virtual home. When it comes to your website, studies have shown again and again that users quickly judge your business based on visuals alone, and will often stop using your site if it’s poorly designed. When a visitor lands on your site, they will immediately begin forming opinions about whether or not your site is trustworthy.

Here are a few eye-opening facts about why website design is important:

75% of users make judgments about a company’s credibility based on visual design alone

When you come across an outdated-looking website, You may doubt their legitimacy, question their products or services, or even look at a competitor’s website for a better answer.

94% of users’ first impressions of healthcare websites were design-related 

First impressions are powerful, and what your website looks like can create a good impression or drive visitors away. While this study focused on healthcare websites specifically, the same is true for other industries.

It only takes visitors 50 milliseconds to form a first impression of your website 

According to a study from Google, it only takes 50 milliseconds. users don’t have a chance to read your site or click on anything. That fast first impression depends on visual design.

38% of people will stop engaging with your website if your content and layout is unattractive

The poor design doesn’t only hurt your credibility, it can also drive away potential customers. 

Elements of a Well-Designed Website

Fortunately, having a professional website isn’t that difficult. But, you need to have certain elements in place.

Clear and Cohesive Branding:

Your brand will encompass a lot. It includes logo, to your font and color choice, to the language you use. The best way to a cohesive brand is to keep things simple. 

High-Quality Content:

First, your content needs to be relevant to your visitors. It needs to be useful, in-depth, informative, and solve your visitor’s problems. And that’s just talking about your blog posts and content strategy.

Easy Navigation:

Your navigation bar only needs to link out to a few important pages. With too many navigation options you’re making it incredibly difficult for your visitors to find what they’re looking for.

About and Contact Info:

For a physical storefront that you’re trying to drive traffic to, then make sure you prominently display your phone number and physical location.

If you don’t have an offline business, then you’ll need to make your email address and other contact information easy to find. Finally, your  About Us page needs to build an emotional bond with your readers and show them that you’re the best person to solve their problems. When writing your about page, view it through the lens of speaking to your visitors.

Social Proof and Trust Factors:

 If you have sizeable social media followings, you can add these into your site’s design.

Another common way to build up social proof is by showcasing testimonials from past clients, customers, subscribers, or even known figures within your niche. A solid testimonial can go a long way towards convincing new visitors that you know what you’re talking about.

Website Building Approaches :

Website Builder:

If you want to build your website online in the shortest amount of time possible, then you can use a website builder to create a simple website. Website builders give you the advantage of speed and simplicity.

You will get RVSiteBuilder for FREE on all Linux based Hosting Plans from MyResellerHome.com

Content Management System(CMS)

Content Management Systems allow you to build out content-heavy websites with ease. All you have to do is install the CMS on your site choose your theme, and start customizing your website.

WordPress amongst the most popular CMS and will probably be the best option if you decide to take this approach.

Professional Web Design service:

This approach allows you to focus on your business, or spend time creating excellent content, while a professional design team builds you the site of your dreams.

Most of the hosting companies like MyResellerHome provide web design services as well.

Conclusion:

By now you should be a little bit more certain about the approach you’re going to take to build your website. Overall, the route you choose depends on how much time you want to devote to building your website and the type of site you’re building.