7 Reasons Why Web Design is Business-Critical and 7 Tips to Make the Grade

The rise of the Internet

The Internet has been expanding at a breakneck pace. According to DataReportal, the number of Internet users in Jan 2022 was 4.95 billion, rising by 192 million, or 4%, over twelve months. The phenomenon is global, with some countries in Asia and Africa boasting of even more awe-inspiring figures. By Feb 2022, India had 658 million users with an annual growth of 5.4%. What fuels this explosive trend? A steady fall in smartphone prices is a significant factor. The expansion of mobile networks and the availability of affordable high-speed data plans have contributed to increasing Internet penetration, even among rural, hitherto unconnected populations.

Why are people going online?

What’s more exciting — and relevant from a business standpoint — is to understand how people use the Internet. The DataReportal study says 61% of the people use it to find information, 45.8% research a brand or a company, and 30.8% conduct business-related research. Industry-specific web traffic figures, such as for education (42.3%), travel (37.6%), and healthcare (35.8%), are noteworthy. These numbers signify why it’s crucial for organizations to have an online presence. Regardless of the segment or size of the business, it’s time to evolve a sound web strategy – or, if you already have one, to check if it’s paying dividends. Why has the world wide web become integral to our lives? Ignoring personal and social networking needs for a moment and focusing on the business aspects, the reasons are not hard to find:

• • It’s the first place customers think of when they need information. And it knows everything (or so users believe).
  • It can be accessed from (almost) everywhere.
  • You don’t need expensive machines or special skills; if you can use a smartphone, you’re good to go.
  • Most of the information is free.
  • It’s the easiest, fastest, and most economical medium for interactions between customers and companies.

What does all this mean for businesses?

For businesses, a website is primarily an essential marketing tool. It lets the world know who you are and what you offer. It establishes your organization as a trustworthy entity that deserves your customer’s time and business. It helps you engage with them, converting their visits into tangible revenue streams. From the customer’s viewpoint, they expect a website to solve a problem for them, offer them options to explore, and provide a means to register their interest in a product or seek more information — all this in a hassle-free, enjoyable manner. Websites must be designed to fulfill the needs of both organizations and users. This requires a comprehensive grasp of not just the business challenges and opportunities but also insightful knowledge of the customer’s aspirations. A common characteristic of the world’s best website design agencies is their ability to innovate — to whip up impressions that reflect their creativity and reinforce their ideas with scientifically proven techniques.

The objectives websites strive to achieve

Let’s understand how modern websites benefit organizations in the real world. This will help us appreciate how website design companies accomplish their goal and the key elements they include in their approach. With a professionally crafted website, you can fulfill several business-critical needs:

• • Offer customers an impressive first experience In all likelihood, a website is where customers have their first interaction with a company. A study by Stanford University indicates that 75% of visitors form an opinion about an organization’s credibility through its website. What’s more critical is that 38% of users may never give you another chance if they don’t find the design appealing. On the other hand, if your site excites them, they’ll be more inclined to stay with your company for a long time.
  • Boost your brand A website offers unmatched advantages as a platform for brand promotion. Being a powerful visual medium, it can fortify your organizational identity with thoughtfully designed graphics and imagery. It boosts your credibility, influencing visitors to associate your brand with the products you offer and the values they represent.
  • Showcase your products, services, and capabilities
    There’s nothing better than a website to bring the world up to speed on your products and services and reassert why your company is the buyer’s best bet. You can list the range of offerings, explain their features and benefits, and make it easy for customers to express their interest. Highlight your organizational strengths and achievements, and substantiate them with customer testimonials.
  • Create opportunities, develop leads, and convert them A website lets you widen your market reach and identify newer prospects. It enables you to find exciting avenues to promote your offerings and acquire qualified leads. A well-designed site increases customer stickiness and multiplies the conversion ratio.
  • Engage with customers better With an interactive site, you can establish a closer, enduring relationship with users. Modern websites incorporate powerful tools to handle pre-sales queries and offer post-sales support. They can even personalize the content for a particular user or a group. Enhanced user experience directly translates into rewarding opportunities for the company.
  • Support digital marketing Digital marketing is a business imperative today. Organizations need to adopt innovative methods to succeed in an increasingly connected world. Your website is at the core of digital marketing activities, and it sets the direction for your initiatives. Its design underpins your online marketing plans and complements social media interactions, email marketing, and display advertising campaigns.
  • Be the industry leader
    Chances are, your competitor already has an attractive website – and it’s helping them enhance their business. A prudent web strategy is essential to acquire a headstart in the industry. A modern, attractive website distinguishes you from others in an increasingly competitive market. It gives your business a much-needed, crucial edge.

The components of impactful web designs

The rate at which websites are being churned out is truly mind-boggling. In fact, a few thousand sites are going live this very second, jostling with a billion others to catch user’s attention. Today, you don’t need programming or engineering skills to build a website. An enormous selection of apps and Content Management Systems (CMS) is available to do the heavy lifting. The real challenge lies elsewhere. You need to conquer the battle for eyeballs and mindshare. You need to identify the factors that make an appealing website and put them to beneficial use by applying creative thinking. A few techniques are vital to achieving this goal. These are the hallmarks of the best website design agencies in the world, and it’s pertinent to review them here.

• • SEO and SEM According to a report published by BrightEdge, 53.3% of the web traffic is driven by organic search – by users typing in a word or phrase on Google or another search engine. Paid search accounts for 15%. In other words, more than two-thirds of site visits are from search results. Leading website design companies employ SEO specialists to improve the site’s search engine ranking performance.
  • Aesthetics A Google study says you have only five-hundredths of a second to create an impression on visitors. Visual appeal is of paramount importance. Establishing a fine balance among the copy, images, and white space is essential. A refreshingly distinctive experience inspires users, but it’s necessary to maintain consistency across pages and with corporate marketing policies.
  • Content If you imagine a website to be a living entity, the content could be called the soul. All design tasks are, in reality, attempts to add visual attributes that add emphasis to the content. Visitor’s interest will wane if the copy doesn’t offer something of value. Even the best website design agencies in the world will find it impossible to revitalize dull, lazily written text. Simple, relevant, and cliché-free copy enhances readability, and it’s also essential to keep it current with regular updates.
  • Navigation You may pack your site with extensive details, but do users have difficulty accessing them? Planning a sitemap with a logical organization of content is vital for trouble-free navigation. Structured menus and cross-linking pages allow the user to explore the site quickly and intuitively.
  • Compatibility Globally, over 60% of users access the Internet on smartphones. It’s even higher in countries like India (67%) and across Asia and Africa. Unless the site is mobile-friendly, the experience will drive away a large section of users. Websites created by the best web design companies are responsive, and they natively support mobiles, tablets, and regular PCs. Ensuring compatibility with all popular browsers is also recommended to cater to diverse user expectations.
  • Call-to-Action The principal goal of a website is to kindle user’s interest and inspire them to stay engaged. You must facilitate their interaction with thoughtfully designed Call-to-Action (CTA) elements. The label for CTA buttons or clickable links must be clear,  with eye-catching colors or graphics, to create the required persuasive effect.
  • Performance The website’s loading time is a critical factor that impacts its usability. No user likes a sluggish site, and when their patience runs out, they go elsewhere. A web project cannot be considered fulfilled unless the site is responsive enough. Website design companies must employ performance-optimized templates and plug-ins to handle the expected traffic. Image compression techniques and eliminating inefficient or unproductive code can further improve the site’s speed.

Looking for top-notch web design ideas that deliver? Talk to us. Ours is a young UI/UX design studio driven by a passion for excellence. We love building new-age design strategies for businesses keen to benefit from futuristic thinking. With our customer-focused approach, agility, and positive attitude, we fulfill the exacting needs of global organizations. Our services span the entire UX spectrum, addressing the unique challenges and expectations of startups, mid-size companies, and enterprises.