5 Great Ways to Turn Site Visitors Into Customers

Web design is a combination of function, form, and beauty. A beautiful website that doesn’t work will chase away your visitors, as will a website loaded with garish or clashing colors. You can’t neglect content either. Great, effective website design pulls it all together and your customers will appreciate your effort.

In effect, your website is your company. You can’t just design a website that looks good, it has to be informative, well-laid out, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. Here are 5 ways to turn site visitors into customers.

1. Avoid Bad Design Trends

Website trends come and go, so it’s important to ensure your site design is built to benefit your company over the long haul.

Certain assumptions are dangerous, such as:

• Your site visitors are web savvy and will recognize icons (and know where to look for them).
• Your site visitors know who you are and what you do.
• Your beautiful photos will have more impact on visitors than words.

One of the most important elements of design is ease of navigation. Visitors who can’t find what they’re looking for will bounce in seconds.

2. Identify Yourself

When a user visits your site, they aren’t always sure they’re in the right place. Meta descriptions will help qualify before they click over to your business from search engine results—and when they arrive on your website, your home or landing page should be specific. Offer a value proposition statement that clearly defines exactly what you do.

For example, if you search Google for “food distributors,” you’ll find Gordon Food Services. The meta description is masterful. It describes exactly what they do, the areas they serve, and what to expect on the website.

Meta descriptions are short, but they can be incredibly informative. Identify your purpose and your value proposition on every page to attract the right visitors. Then deliver what you promise. Don’t make customers dig for information.

3. Plan the Look and Feel

Your brand colors and company logo must be consistent across your marketing materials and social media—and that includes your website. Color choice is a critical component of brand identity. Strategic planning includes establishing a color palette to be used across all channels.

Other design elements include font choices, spacing, and layout. Typography choices also improve (or ruin) readability, so be sure to keep the big picture in mind when planning the details.

4. Make It Mobile Friendly

Not sure if your site is mobile friendly? Use the free and easy Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool to find out. Now's the time to go mobile, but how? Check out this handy and comprehensive FREE guide to making your website mobile friendly.

There’s just no excuse for not adopting responsive design. Planning for mobile design from the start saves you from extensive (and expensive!) retooling later. Learn more about responsive design and other mobile-friendly design options by downloading this free mobile-friendly website guide.

5. Fill Your Website with Content

Content might prove your most difficult challenge. Know the difference between copy and content and always choose quality over quantity. You’ll be better off building an authoritative source slowly than filling your website with hastily written fluffy crud.

Web design means crafting a functional and attractive interface that guides your visitors where they want to go—and where you want them to go. Design strategy is identifying your website, sales and marketing goals, then setting a clear direction to tie together every aspect of layout, look, feel, and function to make it happen.

Plan well and your website will support your marketing strategy and increase your conversions. Searchers will know what to expect before they click your link and when they arrive at your page they’ll find what they were searching for right away. In-depth information and well placed CTAs will guide your visitors and encourage them to stay, explore, join, and tell their friends.