How Better Web Design Helps Increase Conversion Rates

Website design is considered both a science and an art. This term is typically used to define the whole process involved in developing and designing a website by using several different tools and methods. Web design is not only what we see, but also represents the user interface, menu structure and overall layout of the website. This is done with the help of different images, typeface, colours and contrasts. A well designed website not only performs well on a visual and user experience level, it also has a genuine impact on the volume of online company sales generated. 

Importance of web design

In order to promote your business well, and to get in front of your competitors, you have to visually engage and delight your web traffic visitors. Your website creates an initial and lasting impression of your business, so it’s crucial that its quality reflects the professionalism of your company. Consumers and potential clients need to identify with your brand - who you are, what you offer and why they should believe that your product or service is superior to others.

Types of Web Design

There are many types of web design available, and what you choose depends on the purpose for creating it;

Static – A Static website is one which does not have either a database or interactive content and no any server side functionality. This type of design is used for smaller websites that do not require any complicated functions or features. The static design is cheaper, faster, and simpler to design as compared to other designs. 

Dynamic – Dynamic websites use server-side programming and database to stock and distribute the content. This kind of website enables web pages to carry out complicated functions along with displaying complicated data and collaborative content. Dynamic designs are appropriate for larger websites which require a large number of pages. However, this type of design needs more initial work as compared to static websites, therefore it’s typically not recommended for small websites.

Brochure Sites –best for small businesses and for those who are looking for a low budget option. These websites generally have one or two pages, following a basic format, including pages such as Home page, About Us, Services, Contact Us and links.

Content Management System (CMS) – CMS is the best options for those who update their services and products frequently. Even, this is also very effective for those who want complete control over their website. This allows you to add image, page, or content depending on your needs. 

E-commerce - E-commerce websites are preeminent for those who want to sell goods online. You can get e-commerce design according to your business needs by adding payment gateways like PayPal, SagePay, WorldPay, or Checkout by Amazon. E-commerce websites are database driven and dynamic that provides provision to clients to add product descriptions, images, new items and stock levels from a committed admin system. 

How to Increase Conversion rates

The theme, color, menu navigation, layout, graphics, usability and images all play a crucial role in persuading visitors to browse through a website, thereby helping to convert them into buyers. A successful website is one that provides an intuitive user experience – that is to say, one where specific words are made into clickable links that lead the user to where they would expect to go, having seen a particular product or image. 

Here are a few influential ways to help increase conversion rates;

Usability

• Speed - A crucial factor. If a website takes too long to load, you can very quickly lose your hard earned traffic to competitor websites whose load times are significantly quicker. Use GTMetrix.com to check for site speed issues. 
• Readability of the content - The content you create should be easy to read, meaningful, and unique. 
• Information hierarchy – Key information that you want web visitors to read should be placed at the top of the page. Organise your content as per your business goals.

Intuitive web design

• A website is the main means of communication between you and your customers. Imagine turning up in gym gear to a corporate board meeting – it’s not what would be expected. Don’t let clickable key words or phrases lead to a page that does not naturally follow on from what they have just read or seen – it will not help to engender trust, and will diminish the user experience.

• Directional Cues- These are hints via use of hyperlinks, or suggestions such as “If you like this product you may also like…”. These help shepherd user behavior towards specific goals, such as completing a form or making a purchase.

If you want to enhance the appearance, professionalism or intuitive feel of your website, it is important to understand the basics of webpage design. At FiveRivers, we ensure to embed all these elements via our web design services. We can accompany this with unique and fresh content for a fully customised digital marketing strategy.

Request a quote or a free consultation today, by calling 0203 397 7545.

4 Types of Visual Content for Marketing Campaigns

The internet is packed with content created by either brands or individuals. This indicates that everything you create has stiff competition. However, one thing you can do to stand out is to adopt a visual strategy. Many studies found that visual content is more powerful than text alone, as the human brain interprets images faster than it can process words. Here are some different examples of visual content you can be using in any online marketing campaign;

• Memes

Coined by Richard Dawkins in 1970, the word ‘meme’ originally refers to an idea or behavior that can be replicated many times over and shared between many people. A meme nowadays typically refers to an image with captions. It’s proven to be an effective and wonderful way to create a connection with consumers.

•  Videos

Videos have been identified as one of the strongest methods of reaching out to consumers. You can find many affordable and easy-to-use tools that help in creating videos to promote brand awareness. According to a recent study, videos on a landing page helps to increase conversions by up to 86%.  From customer testimonial videos, how-to videos, product descriptions or corporate animations, there are plenty of reasons and opportunities for you to use this medium.

• Presentations

You can revitalise your marketing strategy by trying new formats. Many marketers upload their content in the form of presentations using Issuu or Slideshare. These presentations must be formatted professionally – it’s common for companies to approach marketing companies to ensure this. Both text and memes can be used here.

• Infographics and Data Visualisations

Generally, users engage more with content based on solid facts from respected sources. In these instances, data visualisation methods can help your content be viewed with more credibility. Injecting graphs, charts and tables can make a post more easily digestible.

Video Content marketing is a highly popular and effective way to advertise your brand. If you want to try a new approach to your marketing efforts, or if what you are doing currently isn’t as effective as you would like, ask about video marketing campaigns from Five Rivers. Our Explainer Videos have already helped dozens of our clients gain significant online brand exposure. Contact us today on 0203 397 7545 for a quote.

4 Key Benefits of Creating a Video Marketing Strategy

Videos are widely considered to be the most effective means to engage and reach out to audiences. Whether it is just a thirty second commercial or a few minutes of promotion, a visual medium attracts buyers much more than any other form of marketing. Fortunately, not only has video marketing become effective, but affordable. 

Here are a few key reasons why you should look to integrate this strategy into your campaign;

• High Engagement – It’s well documented that people share and interact with video content much more versus text. The average consumer watches around 200 videos per month, and the figure is constantly growing.

• Webinars - For B2B enterprises, webinars can be an incredibly effective video marketing technique. A weekly webinar on different topics helps customers to access a free or inexpensive means on how to grow their business. This could in turn lead to someone employing your services directly.

•  Hangouts - Google Hangouts is a growing avenue for brands to promote their services and products by the means of online meet-ups. This is useful for businesses with a customer-centric brand, whose followers can use conferencing tools such as ‘Click Meeting’ to connect with their customers.

•  How-To and Demo Videos – Empower your audience with knowledge on how to resolve a problem. A video representation is infinitely easier to follow than a written step by step guide, which may not prove to be as thorough to a novice trying to do something for the first time. Watching someone in action will ensure you follow their methods exactly.

Whether or not someone reaches out to you directly as a result of your video marketing efforts is only part of the reason to adopt a vide approach to marketing. The links it will generate back to your website will increase your relevancy in the eyes of search engines, which ultimately will rise your website through the search results pages. 

With the potential for volumes of potential new customer to find you, especially if videos are posted to YouTube, video marketing is one marketing strategy that cannot afford to be overlooked.

4 Problems of Modern Web Design

Building an engaging, user friendly website can be a real challenge. Most web designers often forget that they are not creating a website for themselves, but for the user, so they allocate more importance to creativity, rather than usability and practicality.

However, when it comes to web designing, modern web designers have plenty of advanced tools to make a website look appealing to any web visitor. For example, ambient video, interactive animation and parallax scrolling, are but to name a few of the more interesting features available.

However, it’s important not to overdo it – too much, and it becomes overbearing, or too little, and the site can seem bland.

• Confusing Animation

Animation is being requested more and more by clients – many business owners understand that it keeps a user on their site for longer. However, using this tool as a way to explain everything can easily backfire – people need text as well as video, in order that if there’s something they haven’t understood, they can easily just re-read it. It saves on having to rewind the video to an approximate point where they thought this information could be found.

• Difficult navigation

Every website has mere seconds to grab a user’s attention. If navigation isn’t as intuitive as they would expect, they just simply leave, or “bounce”, from the website. There are plenty more companies who may have the right balance, therefore it’s crucial to consider a menu navigation that allows the user journey to continue, without them having to think too much about how they want to find what they’re looking for.

• Missing Call-to-Action

Every website should have a strong call-to-action on every page. If your website has no real call-to-action to encourage the user journey through your site, you’re not giving them enough reasons, or time, for them to find something that they do like.

• Speed and load-time

Many web designers forget to keep website speed and load time in mind.  Slow loading websites frustrate many of us, and, naturally, this becomes the main reason behind page abandonment. According to Kissmetrics, the majority of users will wait for up to 10 seconds. Even a 1 second extra delay can drop the conversion rate by approximately 7%. Major aspects are potentially responsible for slow speeds, but many of these are too technical to go into here. It’s best to visit a site like GT Metrix, which will analyse your page for you, then pass the results over to your web development company to look into the issues for you.

A modernised web design can be relied upon to maintain your professionalism, and also shows that you are still operating and wish to compete against the best. An outdated website suggests that the light is on, but no-one is home, and web traffic will skirt around your site to find one that looks well maintained and recently updated.

Five Rivers can help you to compete with even your biggest competitors. From web design services, to Video marketing and customised digital marketing campaigns, we offer a complete package. Call us today on 0203 397 7545 for a free consultation.