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Web Design Month – Summary
This month we tackled the importance of web design and how it facilitates business growth. We’ve discussed how to gauge website performance, as well as how marketing functionalies can support web design. We’ve even delved into how web design facilitates the branding process. The last piece of the puzzle is in discussing how web design works like Sales, supporting and being supported by branding and a strong marketing strategy.
In our blog post on branding through web design, we describe web design as akin to an online salesperson. A cheap website gives off a bad first impression, so even if your product is amazing, it won’t get the recognition it deserves. A well-designed website not only looks good, but works well. You wouldn’t buy from a sleazy salesman, and you wouldn’t be sold on a salesperson that has nothing to back up their points.
So, what can we learn about Web Design from Sales?
The Value of the First Impression
A good website is a proper medium for your marketing and, ultimately, your Brand. Marketing gets your visitors through the door, and the first thing they see is your website. They say that good salespeople are decided within the first 7 seconds of a meeting – it’s all in the appearance. The way you look, speak, smile, shake, are all dealmakers within the first few seconds of meeting a client.
Web Design works by optimizing the pleasing effect of a website, like how a tailor hand-crafts the suit of a salesman. Responsive design, Parallax, and other custom web design elements are proof that you’re not dealing with a rag tag guy who purchased a boxy-looking suit; you’re working with the real deal. Here are 3 tips your site needs to follow to create a good first impression:
- Immediate Value Proposition – Your website clearly provides some value to your visitor. Don’t place your value proposition at the end of your message! Let your visitors hear exactly what they want to know, at the very beginning of their session. No-one likes a long-winded salesman.
- Direct Attention – Don’t place too many messages on the screen at once. Guide the visitor naturally from the top left-hand corner of the page, to the header at the top of the page, then naturally to the opening statement that will draw their attention to your product.
- Clever Use of Branding – Your brand naturally lies in the background of all your content. Keep your language closely in line with your brand, use your branded keywords, and create a pleasant user experience in order to build the branding associations that will ultimate foster the customer-business relationship.
The Importance of Usability
We’ve mentioned before that if your Brand is who you are, Marketing is what you say and Web Design is how you act. Smooth usability on a site is like the salesperson that is attentive, witty, and overall pleasing to work with. Having a great first impression won’t work well in your favour if you can’t walk the walk! Smooth functionality on all website functions is essential if you’re trying to prove that your product is the perfect choice for your customers.
After all, why would I buy from a business if they won’t even spend the effort to make sure I’m happy at the very beginning? Here are 5 indicators of usability to check with your website:
- Reasonable/Fast load time
- Easy-to-read font and spacing
- Clear message being driven from image placement and taglines
- Message is understood within the first 7 seconds
- Naturally-placed call-to-action (CTA)
Website usability is what makes or breaks a website, much like how a good product presentation makes or breaks a salesperson. Web design best practices such as proper alt tags, H1 and H2 headers keep Google’s crawlers happy, helping your site reach the top page of search results.
Using the Correct Tone of Voice
There’s a common image of a salesperson as sleazy, deceitful or desperate. But let me ask you this: have you ever worked with a wonderful salesperson? A good salesman doesn’t force. A good salesperson isn’t desperate. A good salesman is a friend, looking to help you in any way they can, and willing to back off if they’re unwanted.
Good web design caters to the target audience and is reflective of a strong marketing strategy. The images, language and tone of voice immediately impress the visitor as soon as they visit the site. If you’re looking for martial arts apparel inspired by comics, your marketing content should not use sophisticated language. Your tone of voice should be as your customers: excited, down-to-earth, and ready to roll!
Do your research. Your site isn’t there to promote a brand that doesn’t resonate. Your site is there so that customers can identify with you, listen to you, and forge a relationship with you. Forging an emotional connection with your customers. That’s what branding is all about!
Closing Thoughts on Conversion
It’s pretty easy to understand that a good salesperson makes all the difference. You can have thousands of people come to your store each day, but unless they’re sold on your product then those visits are essentially useless. Just like how you can track the amount of sales made in a day by each sales person, you can track the amount of conversions made through your website. If you’re getting the traffic but not making the revenue you’re expecting to, take a look at your website! A good salesperson can really save the day.
Your website should reflect your brand and give form to your marketing strategy. A good website can make all the difference, just like how a good salesperson can make all the difference to a business. So next time someone says “Cool Website!” you can take it as a compliment in more ways than one. Your loyal online salesperson is working hard.
Want to talk more about how proper web design can help you drive sales? Contact our marketing agency in downtown Vancouver! We always have chocolate.