A well-designed website is key for brand growth. And it doesn’t matter if your target audience’s first brand interaction happens online or offline. According to research, web design quality directly impacts brand reputation. Moreover, it affects consumers’ purchase intent as well.
So, if you’re looking to improve business results, investing in your website’s appearance could be the key to reaching your goals.
This article covers the top ways web design drives growth, along with effective tips on using it to drive more conversions. Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
Building Positive First Impressions
In today’s competitive digital landscape, first impressions are everything. They directly shape the overall customer experience. They determine how your target audience perceives your business — whether they see you as competent and credible. Plus, they define buyers’ potential to become loyal customers (or cause them to buy from one of your competitors).
But the thing is, web users form first impressions within a blink of an eye.
So, what can you do to encourage them to form a positive perception of your business (and maximize their chances of turning into loyal customers)? Well, you must try to impress them with your digital presence.
Overall, this doesn’t have to be complicated. There’s no best design direction that you must adopt to see growth. However, it’s always a good idea to prioritize the following three elements of web design:
- Aesthetic appeal.
- Usability.
- Visual branding.
Aesthetic Appeal
People prefer beautifully designed content over its plain counterparts. So, if you want to drive conversions, try to elevate your site’s visual attractiveness.
The great news is that this doesn’t necessitate a complex or overly original design process. Research suggests that people prefer web design that isn’t too complicated and is relatively predictable.
So, don’t hesitate to go in a visual direction that’s widespread in your niche. Following conventions (with your brand’s unique twist, of course) can be hugely beneficial, as it can allow web visitors to know what they need to do to get the answers/solutions they’re after.
For instance, the Fazeek homepage is an excellent example of a minimal and sleek homepage that emphasizes the visual appeal of the brand’s products. The “Shop Now” CTA at the bottom of the hero section works well to nudge web visitors toward the lower stages of the sales funnel. Moreover, the variety of featured products does a solid job of emphasizing the versatility of the products the brand offers without creating an overwhelmingly sales-oriented webpage.
Source: fazeek.com.au
Usability
Today’s consumers have little patience for websites with poor UX design.
According to Google, solid user experience design can lift conversions by as much as 200%. And even more importantly, 88% of web users won’t return to a website after a bad user experience.
So, what can you do to ensure your online presence hits the mark? Well, there are a few easy hacks you can implement:
- Try to optimize page load times. Fast load speeds can significantly reduce bounce rates. And checking your site’s performance is as easy as using one of Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tools.
- Prioritize mobile responsiveness. In Q4 of 2024, more than 62% of all global traffic came from mobile devices. That’s why ensuring your pages look good on smaller screens (and are usable) can be a great method to leave a positive impression on your target audience.
- Do your best to make website navigation as simple as possible. In addition to including a sticky navigation menu at the top of your pages — like Somewhere did — and including multiple CTAs positioned in logical spots throughout your homepage are excellent tricks to encourage your audience to interact with your web content and (hopefully) take action.
Source: somewhere.com
Visual Branding
Finally, if you want to leave a positive first impression on your web visitors and ensure they continue to interact with your website in the future, make sure they remember your brand. And the best way to do this is with a strong visual brand identity.
Scientific research has found that brand familiarity elevates purchase intent. So, create a recognizable visual identity that your audience will remember. That way, you can effectively increase their chances of recognizing and opting for your solutions once they’re at the right stage of the buyer’s journey.
For instance, the bright pink color that Deux uses for its online presence — especially combined with the quirky typography — is so memorable that it’s almost impossible for web visitors not to recognize the brand once they come across it at a future date.
Source: eatdeux.com
Establishing Brand Credibility
How do people choose what brands to buy from? According to Edelman’s research, 89% of people consider brand trustworthiness a deciding purchase-influencing factor.
So, if you’re looking for ways to employ web design to drive brand growth, why not use your online presence to position your business as an industry authority led by experts your target audience can trust and rely on?
What’s great about using design to highlight expertise and elevate brand trust is that you can do it in so many different ways. And none of them are too complex.
For instance, check out the Business SMS page on DialMyCalls. It includes multiple trust-building design elements, all of which work equally well to establish the solution as one of the best choices for removing a specific pain point.
First of all, Dial My Calls points out that its software is used by 40,000+ organizations across America (including household names like Goodwill and Chrysler). Secondly, it highlights the overwhelmingly positive user reviews it has received on multiple platforms like Capterra and G2. It points out third-party awards that the solution has won in categories like highest-performing software in Winter 2024. Finally, it uses trust signals like the “no credit card needed” microcopy to remove any remaining conversion obstacles and get web visitors to sign up for a free trial.
Source: dialmycalls.com
Encourage Engagement With High-Value Content and Resources
A beautiful and highly usable website that emphasizes your brand’s credibility is a wonderful first step toward driving growth.
But the fact is, most consumers won’t go from first impression to purchase within a single brand touch. Instead, they need to have several enjoyable interactions with your business before they’re convinced you offer the best solutions to remove their pain points.
With this in mind, your website must encourage high engagement rates. On the one hand, this will ensure you have plenty of time to communicate your value propositions in a way that’s relevant to your prospects’ experience. On the other hand, focusing on elevating engagement rates can also be a great way to improve lead generation, giving you more options for nurturing potential buyers into loyal customers of your brand.
So, how can you use web design to elevate visitor engagement?
Well, it’s always a good idea to start with the content you use to capture and retain your visitors’ attention.
In addition to composing hyper-relevant value propositions that directly address your target audience’s wants and needs — like Soft Services‘ claim that it makes “high-performance formulas” — consider additional ways to get web visitors to consider the benefits of buying from your business.
Source: softservices.com
Explainer videos, for instance, are always a great choice. For one, they maximize product understanding. But it’s also important to note that they’re exceptionally powerful at elevating purchase intent.
Or, you could consider treating your website as a collection of high-value content that will aid your prospects in removing their pain points while naturally positioning your offer as the ideal solution to those consumer needs.
Buffer’s How to Schedule Instagram Posts (for Free) is a great example of such an approach. The article presents web visitors with tangible educational value; at the same time, it plays an active role in the sales funnel, thanks to well-placed CTAs.
Source: buffer.com
Finally, don’t hesitate to invest in interactive content and self-help resources that will allow your prospects to independently resolve their pain points. These types of resources are exceptionally effective at boosting website engagement rates. They’re a great way to establish your brand’s dedication to customer experience. And they can play an active role in the lead-generation process.
For instance, one of the RE Cost Seg primary objectives includes educating its audience on how much they could save by implementing cost segregation. That’s why it advertises its free tool in the most prominent part of its website, inviting prospects to calculate their savings and witness the benefits they could unlock by signing up for the brand’s services.
Source: recostseg.com
Setting, Meeting, and Exceeding Customer Experience Expectations
Finally, as you explore methods to use your website to drive growth, remember that today’s consumers expect exceptional (and personalized) customer experience from brands. And they’re even willing to pay extra if it means better service.
So, make sure you use your homepage to communicate CX benefits that will nudge your target audience closer to a conversion.
For instance, if you know that your ideal customers care about affordable or fast shipping, use web design elements that will tell them that you offer these benefits. Or, if they want convenience and savings, provide them with subscription options or bulk buying options like Wild One does.
Source: wildone.com
Furthermore, don’t underestimate the importance of post-purchase support in driving conversions. Sometimes, web design elements as elementary as an always online chatbot — like the one on the Papier homepage — and easily discoverable contact options can play a major role in showing consumers that they can rely on your business to care about their needs and to help them get the best value for their money.
Source: papier.com
Final Thoughts
Web design can play a major role in allowing your brand to grow — especially if you supplement your digital calling card with strategic marketing activities and a consistent online image.
Of course, the best way to encourage conversions is to make incremental changes based on real-life data. So, don’t hesitate to implement the tips from this guide. But also, see if you can look at your site’s analytics and identify any areas for improvement. That way, you won’t just put your resources where they offer the highest ROI. You’ll also avoid messing with the conversion-driving aspects of your site that were working more than fine in the first place.
James is the head of marketing at Tamoco
