Web design essentials for a more profitable website

Web design is a complex process but the end goal is actually very simple; you invest in a website to grow your business and make more money.


So, behind all the design wizardry and clever code, a profitable website excels at generating high quality leads that turn into sales. And while there’s too much to cover in just one blog post, you’ll be off to a great start if you nail these three essentials.

It All Starts With Visual Design

At least it does for everyone that visits your website for the first time. The truth is, no matter how pretty your website may be, the love affair soon ends if it doesn’t have enough substance to keep visitors on the page. But that doesn’t make the visual design stage any less important – get it wrong and it could be an instant deal breaker. The first impression people get of your website (and maybe your entire business) is the first few seconds they spend on your site – so make them count with a design that speaks volumes about your brand. Web users expect quality firms to have a quality website and anything less could damage your online reputation and hurt your bottom line.

User Experience Takes The Lead

After the initial few seconds on your website user experience quickly takes the lead and (generally speaking) makes the difference between visitors and paying customers. UX covers every aspect of your website – from site structure and navigation, to online forms and loading time. You can’t afford to underestimate the value of a strong user experience or the cost of getting it wrong.
The most common thing people do after they land on a website for the first time is hit the back button and return to search results. Every time this happens you lose a potential sale and they could end up in the hands of your competition. A strong user experience starts by reducing this number; it keeps people on the page for longer and eases them along the buying process.
If you want to see the best and worst of user experience all you have to do is pick up your smartphone. Visit a website that isn’t optimised for mobile and see how long it takes to get sick of zooming and hitting the wrong links. Then visit one of their competitors, with a well-optimised site, and ask yourself who you’d rather spend your money with.

Calls To Action Seal The Deal

Profitable websites are all about this thing called conversions and we’ll be talking about these a lot in future blog posts. Whether it’s email sign ups, solid leads or direct sales these are the user actions that determine your online profits. Naturally, you want as many conversions as possible and sometimes people need a gentle nudge to take the action you’re looking for.
For example, a strategically placed ‘sign me up’ button can do wonders for your email subscriptions. And any time you need visitors to take some kind of next step you have to spell it out to them with a call to action.
Make a list of every action you want people to make on your website – from newsletter sign ups to product buys – and you should have a call to action at every stop. Never assume people know what to do next and always give them a reason to stay involved with your brand.

We’ll Be Back With More Profitable Posts Soon

Here at Auburn we love nothing more than a profitable website, but sadly there’s too much to cover in one article alone. So we’ll be back very soon to take a more detailed look at how to boost your online profits. And, of course, you can join our mailing list for all our latest info directly to your inbox!