Whether you’re just launching your first business, rebranding your existing one, or searching for another way to gain more exposure, you want to outsource this task to professionals. While you may attend networking groups, conferences, and other business-oriented events on a regular basis, it’s your website design that is more likely to increase your brand awareness and customer base. This is just one of the ways in which a professional web design company can make a difference.
The Importance of a Quality Website Design
Many people form opinions about a company’s credibility based on its website design. A recent survey showed that this was the main criterion for 46% of the participants. While opinions do vary, the time it takes for a site to load does make a difference for a large number of Internet users. When a site takes over three seconds to load, about 40% of these users will move on to another site.
Approximately half, or 47% of a site’s visitors, will search for a company’s products and services first. After this, they’ll look at the site’s other sections. The layout and content of these also make a difference. So, too, does having contact information. The survey showed that about 44% of a website’s visitors will leave when they aren’t able to locate a phone number or other types of contact information. This includes company emails, “contact us” forms, live chats, as well as other obvious opportunities to engage with company personnel.
Once visitors have entered a site, the content and layout will also make a difference in whether or not they remain engaged. This is another area where a professional graphic designer can make a significant difference. If the content and images don’t have an attractive layout, 38% of a site’s visitors will leave.
Since so many people that use the Internet access it from their mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Forbes, for example, found that when it’s hard to navigate a site on a mobile device, or when visitors thought the navigation was “terrible,” 44% of these users would leave the site.
Some Basic Design Principals to Keep in Mind
Whether you’re having a logo, business card, or website designed, there are some important principals to keep in mind. The same applies to a professional PowerPoint presentation. How many colors do you use, for example? According to a recent University of Loyola study, color does make a difference with reinforcing brand recognition. The results showed that using color had the ability to increase a brand’s recognition by as much as 80%.
It is important, however, to consider how and where color will be used and to give this serious thought. Another study investigated the number of colors used by the world’s top-100 brand logos. Just two colors were used in 95% of the logos examined during the study, and only five percent of these brands used more than two colors. Two of the more common colors were blue and red, with 33% using the former and 29% the latter.
You’ve probably noticed that some logos only use text and may not even include the brand or company name. The top-100 brand study found that roughly 41% only used text in their logos. Nine percent of these logos didn’t feature the company’s name.
Another important design principal is to keep it simple. In other words, you don’t want your design to appear cluttered or otherwise have too much going on. Forbes also addressed the importance of having sufficient negative space. You may be interested to know that this has been proven to increase comprehension, which is a definite plus. In fact, Forbes reported that viewers’ comprehension could be increased by as much as 20% when designs were surrounded with enough negative space.
Contact a Professional Design Firm for a Consultation
Are you searching for a graphic designer to create your business logo and business cards? Or perhaps your website would benefit from having a professional graphic designer’s touch. Since you want to enhance your brand’s awareness and provide a positive customer experience, a professional graphic designer can assist you with accomplishing these goals.
