Why the look & feel of your site matters more than you might think

When it comes to your site, the user experience is everything. And if you’re not yet thinking about how users will feel when they interact with your website and what that means for conversion rates and branding, now is the time to start! Here’s why the look and feel of your site matter more than you might think.

1. The user experience (UX) is everything

You know this, but do you realize how much the user experience matters? Every little bit of your site, from graphics to copy to where things are placed, affects users’ feelings about your brand. Our brains make judgments very quickly based on subtle cues — if something doesn’t look appealing or fit our expectations, we’ll feel negative about the site before anything has even loaded. This is why it’s essential to make sure your site truly reflects your brand in every way.

2. Negative emotions = Reduced trust and credibility

People make a lot of their decisions based on emotions. And negative emotions reduce trust and credibility, ultimately reducing conversion. If you’re using a stock template or not giving much thought to the design of your site, chances are good that it feels generic—and users will associate your brand with “generic.” If visitors feel like they don’t like your site, they’ll be less likely to engage with it (let alone buy from you).

3. It affects brand recognition

Your site’s appearance affects how people feel about your brand when they see it somewhere else online. For example, if you like the clean aesthetic of an e-commerce website, you’ll likely be more receptive to seeing their products advertised in other places. Even if you don’t notice all the little details that make up an effective site, you’ll still connect the look and feel with your brand.

4. It affects traffic

It should be obvious that if people are turned off by your site when they first visit, they probably won’t stick around to explore further or click through to another page. Decide which details are most important if you want to drive traffic to your site.

5. It affects conversions

If you want your site to convert visitors into paying customers, they must find your site easy and pleasant to use. Everything about your business web design from the copy to the layout should be carefully considered. With so many sites competing for attention, try to stand out by making it easy and enjoyable for people to use your site.

It takes about 50 milliseconds for people to form an opinion about your website. If it doesn’t look professional or feel trustworthy, you lose. Make sure your business web design looks great and functions even better to win customers over. Call us today so we can get you there!