Is Your Web Design Killing Your Marketing?

Your most valuable digital business asset is your website. The ROI of your online marketing strategy depends on the quality of your visitor experience.

The bottom line of every marketing strategy is conversion. When a visitor lands on your website, you want him to take action: sign up for your email list, learn something that will aid a buying decision, click through to your advertisers, buy, donate, or join.

Web design can either help or hinder your efforts. Here are the most common ways web design might be killing your marketing.

1. Your Website Isn’t Mobile Friendly

Decision-makers are researching buying decisions online—and if your website isn’t mobile friendly, they not even going to find you on search. If they do run across your website and it’s not mobile friendly, frustration will send 61% of your visitors racing to your competitors. A mobile-friendly responsive design improves your search rank and increases time spent on your site.

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.

2. Your Color Choices are Inconsistent…or just plain wrong

Color is more important in buying decisions than you might imagine. Color influences how customers perceive and react to your brand. If your colors are sending the wrong message or if they’re different on every page of your website, you’re losing visitors and worse, damaging your brand.

3. Your Images are Boring

Everybody uses stock images, but they don’t have to look like a bad day in a cubicle farm.

Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Sienna Miller, Dave Franco, and June Diane Raphael in Unfinished Business (2015)

Spice things up! Choose colorful concept images that relate to your topic and draw attention. Images take up a lot of page real estate, so make them count.

4. You Have a Case of Font Madness

Pick a nice font and stick with it. Don’t get fancy and don’t go crazy with a lot of different fonts. Sans-serif fonts, like Arial and Calibri, are easier to read on a screen. Make it a readable size (16 pt minimum) and ensure your kerning and line heights are properly adjusted so your site offers up even, readable spacing between letters and lines.

5. Your Site Lacks Information

Few things annoy web visitors more than a mystery homepage that offers no clue as to what your business is about. You have literally seconds to grab a visitor’s attention. Use that first impression to spotlight your value proposition. What makes your business stand out?

6. You’ve Hidden the Navigation

Do your customers have to hover over a symbol or scroll to the bottom of the page to find website sections? Why would you want to make your prospects work to find what they’re looking for? Ensure your navigation is clear and easy to find.

7. Your Landing Pages are Random

When users click a compelling call to action (CTA), they expect to find exactly what you promised to deliver. Your link should take them directly to the information they seek.

8. You’re a One-Page Wonder

When a visitor hits your site, they want more than a brochure. You need plenty of informational content to engage and enlighten your visitors. Don’t skimp on your site content—and remember: it’s about quality, not quantity, so ensure you have helpful, relevant, and well-written information.

9. You Cheaped Out

There are a lot of DIY point-and-click websites on the market. If you don’t have a budget and it’s your best option, go for it. If, on the other hand, you’re a thriving business just looking to save money on something you think “anybody” could just throw together, strongly consider how your website affects your long-term sales and marketing strategy.

Your website is an investment in your business—and it’s worth it. It’s the only front door to your business some consumers will ever see. To support your marketing efforts and earn those important conversions, ensure your website is complete, attractive, and easy to navigate on any device.

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