There are so many variables that go into building a highly effective website that it can be very difficult trying to master them all. You may have done all of your homework in regards to SEO and how to create content that the search engines will love but what about all of the other parts of a successful website? Do you have a good web host that enables fast performance for your website? Are you using attractive features that impress your website visitors so much that they are compelled to contact you? Is your content set out in the best possible way so that people can easily find your most important content?
The layout of your website has a major impact on conversion rates, so getting this aspect right is worthwhile investing time in. Getting that balance right between overloading your landing page but getting enough content to promote your services or products isn’t that easy. However, there are some principles that you can follow that should help you to get your website layout optimised for more sales.
First of all, make sure your website looks nice. Research shows that 38% of people leave a website if they do not like the look of it. Sticking with brand colours is important to enhance the brand but don’t overdo it if the colours are not making for good website colour theme. It’s better to then only use them sparingly.
Another big problem is using inappropriate or bad quality images. So many people seem to think that adding an image to fill white space is a good idea, even if the image doesn’t add anything. Make sure that images are relevant to the content and try to keep the same style for images. i.e. if you are using animated images, stick with the same style throughout your website.
The ‘above the fold’ section of your website is really critical. This is the space that will determine whether a user wants to stay on your website and whether it is likely to provide them with something that they need. However, stuffing loads of text in this area will not provide a nice experience for the user, even if that text provides loads of information about your company. You need to catch their attention in this space, using well-chosen graphics to complement your text and emphasise your key selling points.
Your Call to Action needs to ideally be in the top section of your website so that it is grabbing people’s attention and encouraging them to click through/call/email etc.. If your CTA is hidden down at the bottom of the page then you have a much lower chance of the user scrolling down and clicking. So always put a clear CTA somewhere at the top.
Also in that top space you should have your logo and any business strapline that will emphasise what services you provide. If you don’t have a strapline, you might want to come up with one just for your website as this will add strength to the reason that they select your business over the competition.
You really need to have a very simple navigation menu that is easy to find and stands out. It should go without saying that any text you have should have a good contrast to the background so that it is easy for visitors to read.
Your contact details need to be easy to find as if your visitors cannot find your details quickly, they will probably get frustrated and head to another website before they give yours a proper chance.
