Every business owner knows a company website is an integral part of a company’s success. However, what you might not know is that web design elements are more powerful than site content in establishing a trusting relationship with the viewer.
In a study conducted to better understand what makes audiences trust websites, researchers asked viewers to pinpoint where their mistrust stemmed from. Roughly 94% of the feedback they received pointed to design elements instead of content.
So what elements are necessary for a winning website?
We’ll cover them all here. Let’s get into it!
Web Design Elements for the Win
There are a number of elements vital in designing your website, and each one can create a first impression that either establishes a positive reaction or leads quickly to the exit button.
1. Color
You may have heard the urban myth that color influences emotion, but some studies do support this notion.
In fact, research conducted by Satyendra Singh of the University of Winnipeg determined that 62% to 90% of a viewer’s initial impression of a product is derived from its color alone.
To find the right color, business owners and website designers need to understand their audience. Step into their minds. What is their frame of mind when coming across your page and how do you want them to feel about your company?
Cultures may have different emotional responses to colors, so it is vital that a company thoroughly understands its target audiences. However, below are some general sensations most people feel when presented with a particular color:
- Green sparks creativity.
- Red provides a short burst of energy but reduces analytical thinking.
- Blue is the most accepted color.
- Yellow is the least favored color.
- Orange indicates low prices and good value.
- Pink calms people.
- White has a modern appeal, but in large quantities, it may cause boredom.
When mixing colors, make sure they complement each other and are not overbearing. Take a look at this company website for an excellent example of how colors can work together to create a unique sensation.
2. Space
Avoid cluttering your site. It should have plenty of white space, but not so much it takes up most of the site.
Samantha Coates of Western Kentucky University believes white space is the most important element of website design. She states, “Whitespace is important to visual appeal in many ways. This includes readability, viewer perception of brand image, drawing focus, and creating harmony.”
White space makes up the “empty” parts of your website. The ideal website utilizes this space to make the eye think the content is natural rather than mathematically placed.
To maintain balance, images should have an equal visual weight with the white space or repeat symmetrically. Keep in mind white space “weighs” heavier than normal images.
3. Company Logo and Images
Your goal in a logo is to make it memorable and to inspire trust, loyalty, and admiration from your website viewers.
While your logo is most likely decided upon by the time you create a website, how you implement it online can affect viewer responses.
While you might be tempted to put the company logo in the center or on the right in a bold stand against the traditional top-left placement, think twice. Research indicates that a logo in the top left increases brand recall. Users are 89% more likely to remember that logo.
Additionally, because most Americans read from left to right, it increases feelings of readability and organization.
Image placement is just as important. Photos should not make the page feel cluttered, and they should relate to the content. To avoid making your image too weighty, balance it with your white space and consider textures that will enhance the feelings associated with it.
4. Font
Fonts should be easy to read and large enough all audiences can avoid squinting.
Fonts should also reflect company personality and values. A recent study by Venngage examined the impact of fonts on television show choices. Their findings indicated certain fonts evoked emotional responses in viewers:
- Decorative fonts suggest quirkiness and fun.
- Retro themes create a feeling of nostalgia and positive, offbeat emotions.
- Headline fonts are bold and imply drama is to come.
- Handwritten fonts imply playfulness and a personal touch.
- Modern fonts instill feelings of efficiency and forward thinking.
Choose a font that reflects your company and creates the emotions you want to inspire.
5. Accessibility
Ensure your website is fully accessible. That means it is accessible to disabled individuals who may not be able to read or hear, as well as to consumers on the go.
Approximately 20% of US citizens are disabled. Of those, over 8 million have difficulty seeing or are blind. In 2018, over half of all global website traffic was conducted over a mobile phone.
If you fail to reach out to these customers, you’re losing a lot of profit.
6. Share Buttons
We can’t forget about the social media craze that has taken over the country. Adding share buttons for the basic social media sites is an easy way to market.
Social media buttons can earn you more inbound links, increase traffic and visibility and provide a better chance of your data going viral. However, these buttons shouldn’t clutter up your website.
Make them subtle to avoid appearing as if you’re over-promoting your company, and implement only what you need.
7. SEO Optimization
Utilize SEO optimization tools within your website to increase ranking. Choose titles and headers carefully and implement keywords and phrases that are searched often.
Adding images, credible links and video to your site will also help increase your SEO.
8. Objections
As surprising as it may seem, adding objections within your content can be helpful in snagging more customers.
Anticipating common objections to your product or service and alleviating the anxieties associated with them shows forethought, increases customer trust and encourages sales. Turn the objection into a customer advantage.
Along with a discussion of objections, be sure to include a call to action.
9. Company Story
Don’t let your “About Us” page collect internet dust. It’s among the first three pages your visitors will look at, and it says everything about your company in a nutshell.
Be sure to add a personal touch; your clients and customers will want to know who you are, and by adding that small bit of glamor you’re metaphorically shaking their hands.
10. Load Time
Finally, we get to one last element of web design, and possibly the most important: load time.
Site speed impacts your Google ranking, but it also is a quick turnoff for customers if the webpage doesn’t load fast enough. In fact, a single second of lag time would cost Amazon $1.6 billion of sales per year.
Every one second you improve load time, your company will enjoy a 2% conversion rate.
Add Some Pizzazz
Now that you know 10 of the most important web design elements to consider when creating your company’s site, add some pizzazz to it. Have some fun.
That’s where we burst in. Find some free stock photos or unique textures to spice up your website today.
No one wants a bleak company website. Make it your own to enhance brand recall and make your company shine. (Literally, if you choose the right texture!)
