The importance of web design in today’s business world cannot be overstated. Not only does web design affect search engine rankings, it also provides potential customers with a first impression of your business. Poor design and confusing navigation can cause your business to be lost in the back pages of Google and turn away customers in a matter of seconds. Investing in high-quality web design is the single most important thing you can do to ensure success and compete in a crowded market.
Web Design and Search Engine Rankings
Many people are under the impression that search engine optimization is all about keywords, but it is a much more nuanced and complicated process. Not only do major search engines, like Google and Bing, reward websites for publishing relevant and well-written content, they also boost rankings for websites that are well-designed and easy to navigate. Search engines will crawl your site and look for a logical site map, along with internal links and clear calls to action. All of these details will help you achieve first page rankings and drive organic traffic to your website. A haphazard and poorly planned site will negatively affect your ability to connect with customers.
Website Visitors are Quick to Move On
You might be surprised to learn that approximately 55% of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on your website. Today’s consumers are used to quickly clicking through sites and search results. If they don’t immediately like what they see, they will move on to the next option.
That means that you have just second to make a strong first impression and provide relevant and well-organized information that motivates them to stay and continue to browse through your site. Here are just a couple reasons why customers might leave your site in just seconds:
- They have trouble finding what they are looking for. Readers are used to a certain organization that follows a logical path. If they are looking for a phone number to call, they know to go to the header menu and find the “Contact Us” tab. When these signposts are in place and the site is difficult to navigate, they will move on to the next option.
- The site is difficult to read. Poor font choices, colors that contrast too sharply and crowded text and images can not only make the site appear unprofessional, it can also make it hard to read. Expert web design services will avoid these problems and provide a clean and attractive website.
If you have an existing site that isn’t performing well, it may be time to consider a makeover. Your website design and organization may actually be preventing you from meeting your goals and being successful. Partnering with the right web design experts can help you improve your search engine rankings and make a great first impression so that visitors stay on your site longer and become customers.
