Web design is what creates the overall look and feel when you are using a website. It is the process of planning and building the elements of your website, from structure and layout to images, colours, fonts and graphics. Web design has numerous components that work together to create the finished experience of a website, including graphic design, user experience design, interface design, search engine optimization (SEO) and content creation. These elements determine how a website looks, feels and works on various devices.
Web design is different from web development, which is the actual coding that makes a website work. When you are building a website, you need both web design and web development. Although you can find web designers who are also web and UX developers, these are distinct skill sets. Web designers take your ideas and turn them into a mock-up that shows what your future website will look like. Web designers handle the creative part of designing a website.
When your audience visits your website, it gives them their first impression of your business. They will judge your business within seconds. In these first few seconds, you want to make a positive impact on your audience. If your website looks unappealing or outdated, your audience will immediately have a negative impression of your business.
They will not find your website appealing, which prevents them from your page. You will miss leads because they will leave your page for a competitor’s page. Web design is important because it affects how your audience perceives your brand. The impression you make on them can either get them to remain on your page and learn about your business or leave your page and turn to a competitor. A good web design helps you keep your leads on your page.
People do not trust poorly designed websites. If they see your poor design or the information looks outdated, they will not trust your site. They may view your site as shady because you do not have an updated web design. Think about a person looking to place a bulk order with a manufacturing company. They are spending a tremendous amount of money, which means if your manufacturing website design does not convey trust, they will find another business to fulfil their order. On the other hand, a professional site signals trust with your audience. They will trust your business and feel comfortable checking it out further. It is important to build trust with your audience so they remain on your site. When visitors remain on your site longer, you create more opportunities for your business to capture those leads.
Your competitors are already utilizing web design. If you want to remain in competition with them, you must use web design for your site. You want your website to stand out from the competition. If you have an old, outdated, and low-quality website, your competitor’s will outrank you. Their well-designed website will perform better than your website. This means you will lose leads to your competitors. They will attract more leads to their page because their page is more appealing. Your website’s design is an opportunity for you to set your business apart from the competition. When you are competing with other businesses, you generally have the same services and similar pricing. You need that one thing that will make your business stand out from the rest.
When you are trying to get new leads for your business, you want to build up your brand. You want your audience to get familiar with your brand so they choose you when they are ready to convert. Online web designs are important because they help create consistency across your page. You need to have the same fonts, styles, and layouts across every page on your website. If you have a different design on every page, this will make your site look unprofessional. It also makes it more challenging to build brand recognition because your audience will not know which colours to associate with your brand. If your website is not consistent, people will bounce from yours to one that looks more professional. By building consistency, you keep leads on your page longer and get them familiar with your business. You will earn more leads and conversions down the line when you redesign your site for this key element.
Nguyen, T., 2018. Design for design - design by community. MATEC Web of Conferences, 193, p.01015.
What is Web Design? (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/web-design