In the current era of the internet, your website is usually the first impression of your business. Many of us search online for information, services, and products before actually setting foot in a storefront. Technology continues to evolve every day, and in order to impress potential clients you need to make sure your website design keeps up with the times. Your website communicates many things about your business to a visitor, so it is important to make it a top priority in your marketing strategy. Our staff here at Charley Grey knows that simply having a website is not enough, so we compiled this guide of six reasons to invest in a new website design.
6 Reasons You Need a New Website Design
1. Social Proof
Today’s society is highly affected by social media. When visiting your business’s website, many potential clients are looking to see what other people think about your products and services. Our buying decisions are often influenced by what other people say online about a company, so displaying testimonials, reviews, and customer experiences can be highly persuasive to potential customers. Your website is the perfect place to demonstrate a connection with patrons on platforms such as Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, and Google. By displaying positive social media responses to your business on your website, you can prove to visitors that your company is valuable to your current clients. New website designs strategically display this social proof throughout the website.
2. Click Conversion
The goal of your website should be to convince visitors to spend their money on your products and services. With every business decision you consider, its contribution to your bottom line is part of the equation, and your website should be no different. There is a difference between website designs that are essentially just online business cards and website designs that actually contribute to your company.
Use your website to show visitors that you care about your business, your products, and your clients. Your website should help draw in potential customers and give them confidence that your business is trustworthy. This is called click conversion. A customized web design is always going to generate greater click conversion, leading to a better return on investment and helping your business grow over time.
3. Unattractive, Outdated Design
A study from Northumbria University instructed participants to search the web for relevant health information so that researchers could determine what factors influenced the trust of one site over another. Of all the factors reported to influence subjects’ trust or mistrust in a website, 94% were directly related to the website’s design. An unattractive web design can make your business seem unprofessional, immediately turning off potential clients. If your website looks older than a competitor’s, potential customers may gravitate toward your competition. As previously discussed, your website is most people’s first impression of your business, and if the design isn’t up-to-date and appealing, visitors may quickly exit your site. Investing in an attractive and fresh website design is more likely to gain visitors’ trust, doing wonders for your business.
4. Competition
With the number of people searching for information about products and services online, you will not be able to keep up with your competitors unless you have an attractive, easy-to-use website. If your website is not appealing or is not functional, you will lose sales to your competition with more accessible websites. On the other hand, investing in a new web design will allow you to win out over your competition, whose websites may not be as accessible or appealing. Without a quality website, you will miss out on opportunities to grow your business.
5. Mobile Optimization
Part of staying up to date with changes in technology is making sure your website is optimized for use on mobile devices, allowing your business to remain relevant and searchable. If people visit your website on their phone and just get a miniaturized version of it, they will be forced to zoom in, scroll, and pinch the screen in order to learn about your business.
In today’s age of mobile website optimization, this cumbersome process will turn away mobile visitors instantly. A 2014 Salesforce study found that 83% of mobile users say that a seamless experience across all devices is integral to their decision to purchase a company’s services or products; people want to get information the way that is fastest and easiest for them, making mobile responsiveness crucial in online marketing.
Google’s search engine algorithm will even penalize your website if it is not mobile-responsive, making it more difficult for potential clients to find your site. With the incredible amount of people doing research on their mobile devices, you would be doing your business a disservice if you didn’t invest in a new website design that is optimized for mobile use.
6. Produce Leads
The number one goal of your website is to bring in more business, and the only way to do that is with a fresh, up-to-date, attractive website design. No matter what your business does, if your website isn’t in tip-top shape, you will miss out on a huge chunk of business. Investing in quality web design will show off your products and services, increasing your profits. A new website design will attract search engine traffic, answer any potential questions, and convince visitors to become qualified leads. Your website can be an amazing marketing tool when you use brand-driven language in forms, questionnaires, and surveys to produce leads. Your website also allows you to get indirect feedback from visitors; seeing how potential clients respond to your website allows you to improve your online business strategy, turning more of those visitors into leads.
Let Charley Grey Design Your New Website!
Looking for a new website that acts as the ultimate marketing tool for your business? Look no further than Charley Grey. Our website designers have years of experience crafting websites that get the job done and put your business in the best possible light. Contact us today to get started!