Does web design change customer behaviour?
Since the internet became more or less the most important thing in the world, buyer’s habits have changed substantially. It’s opened the door to an entirely new problem for brands, as websites speak louder than stores- the entire world has its eyes on your brand, and this expanded market tends to be a lot pickier as they can go to any other store on the planet.
If someone is on your site, they’re most likely already looking for something they had in mind. If you have it, then great! That isn’t a promise that they’re going to stay though. You don’t have long to show a user how you can help them, and first impressions are massive because of this.
This means getting and retaining their interest is a must. After that, clearly directing them towards where they want to be without confusion is the only sure-fire way to stop a customer from going elsewhere.
Spoiler alert: captivating design does increase your conversion rate. Don’t leave yet though, as we’re going to explain how you can improve your own conversion rate with some quick tips. First, we need to make sure we’re on the same page.
Conversion Rate?
When we talk about conversion rate, we mean the ratio of people who visit your site and buy a product, compared to those who visit and leave empty-handed. The definition does differ depending on context (businesses who don’t explicitly sell products can judge conversion numbers by enquiries, donations, downloads or another metric), but we figured we should clarify what we mean whenever we use the term in this post.
A high conversion rate means you’re doing it right. People are flocking to your website, and a substantial portion of them want whatever it is you’re offering.
If your conversion rate is low, but you offer a great product/service (Google reviews can help you out on this), then your website’s design might be the thing that’s holding you back. Whether it’s a confusing landing page that people see and back out of, or whether the site doesn’t look professionally done and people think it’s a scam, there may well be a huge barrier of entry for your potential customers.
A good product gets customers to return, but a good site gets customers to buy for the first time.
What is wrong with my site?
There are a lot of answers to this because we can’t see your site, but here’s a couple of the most glaring ones failing companies need to improve on:
- Images and copy
This is the most obvious one. When someone clicks on your site, the images and copy text are the first things their eyes are drawn to, and most likely the first thing they’ll concentrate on. If they’re already reading the selling points of your product, you simply can’t afford to lose their interest by not having high-quality, informative and concise copy. This is the same for images, which should also give a good look at what the product is.
- Loading speed
According to research done by Kissmetrics, 47% of website visitors expect a page to load in less than 2 seconds, and 40% of visitors will leave the website if the loading process takes more than 3 seconds. The internet gives a wealth of information and convenience to the user, so people don’t tend to stick around on a slow site when they can find what they’re looking for somewhere else.
- Navigation
Easy navigation is unbelievably important for a website. If making their way around your site seems like a chore to someone, you shouldn’t expect them to buy anything from you. Your site should be smooth, clear with instructions and efficient to use. Like we said in the last point, you’re competing with a lot of people on the internet, and it’s usually the competitor who makes it easiest for the customer who wins.
How can I fix it?
- Cover USPs well
If you have a list of things that make your product or service worth buying, have it loud and clear in the middle of the page. Try not to pepper your copy with overused clichés and dilute what makes what you do special. Your product/service should speak for itself, and be easy to learn about. Web designers work with copywriters for this exact reason.
- Optimise for mobile
Around half of website visitors are on mobile, but some companies don’t seem to prioritise it as much as they should. Common practice now is to make sites for mobile first, then make sure it works on a computer, which goes to show just how important it is to cater to people on their phone. Having a smooth, fast and easy to use site is vital if you want to keep this huge portion of your potential audience. Buttons shouldn’t be a pain to press on mobile, and the layout should look perfect on all devices (you should probably get a web designer for this one).
- CTA!
A call to action refers to a button, email prompt, Messenger link or anything else which acts as the final push for a conversion. Things like the “DONATE NOW” button on a charity’s site. It isn’t an exact science yet, but there are things that you can do to help. Thinking “what would make me buy?” does tend to help, however.
- Hire a professional’s help!
This should be pretty high up on your list of priorities if you’re reading this. If your numbers are dwindling, and you have a feeling it’s because of some of the things mentioned above, getting someone in who knows exactly what they’re doing is an effective way to get rid of any of these issues. There’s a huge first impression to make, and thinking “it should be okay if I do it myself” is a bit of a risk. The customers that leave won’t be back to check on your site’s progress, so nipping any shortfalls in the bud early will save you a lot of business. There isn’t a better way to ensure this than to get in somebody suitably qualified.
Digital marketing teams exist to stop you from having to follow all of these steps, and we’ll gladly put ourselves forward as the ones that can help you. Contact us at the top of the page to learn more about how we can increase your conversion rate and give you reports every step of the way!