When you are first learning how to make a website that will truly convey the value of your products and services there are some essential design elements that you must consider. We have covered some of these elements on our blog recently so we wanted to give you an overview of the 10 essential design elements that really sell.
1. A unique domain name.
You can have the greatest product or service in the world but if nobody knows you exist you’ll never make a single sale. Your domain name is your unique address on the web. A domain name is necessary to get good ranking on search engines like Google. Use something short that is easy to spell and if possible try to get a .com.
2. Fast loading pages
Studies show the average person will only wait up to 7 seconds for a web page to load before moving on. There are billions of web pages on the Internet when someone stumbles on yours you want to minimize the chances of them clicking the back button. Resize your images before you upload them to the appropriate size for your page and avoid flash at all costs.
3. A concise headline.
We just learned the average person surfing the web will wait less than 7 seconds for a page to resolve. Now that you have a real person looking at your page it’s critically important you let them know they’ve come to the right place. If you don’t have a clear and obvious headline that reflects what your page is about then you are begging for the site visitor to click the dreaded back button.
4. A place to gather contact information.
A new study shows the average website visitor must return to your website 7 times before they buy a product or service from your company. To be successful selling things online you must get contact information from as many of your site visitors as possible.
5. A clear call to action.
Once you have people on your website and they know they’re on the right site they’ll need to know what to do next. Don’t make it a guessing game for your prospect. Tell them exactly what to do next. This is called a “call to action”. If you’re giving your prospect something in exchange for their contact information your call to action could be the submission of a form. The call to action in that scenario would be a big ‘Continue’ button just below the form fields. The top of the form filed should be labeled something like ‘Complete the form below to get ____.”
6. Readable text.
When some comes to your website they’re most likely going to have to read. From the time we’re very young we’re taught to read from left to right starting in the upper left hand corner of a page. Black on white background is easiest to read and fonts where the characters look totally unique are the best. Fancy fonts are difficult to read and can clutter your pages. People read on average about 20% of what is on the page so keep it short and use bold and highlights sparingly.
7. Endorsements and familiarity.
Studies show people are hesitant to buy from a company who they’ve never done business with before. Having familiar icons and endorsements on your page will help them trust you. This can be as simple as a “Like” button from facebook or as extravagant as banners from other websites that have complimentary and well known services.
8. Testimonials.
Success stories and the like go a long way in helping your site visitors grasp what you are all about and that you are legitimate. Gather as many testimonials from past and current clients and place them on an appropriate section of your website.
9. A compelling reason to give contact information.
Just having a way to gather contact information is not enough. You will need to compel your site visitors to complete your form or send in their information. Offering something free or a discount in return for an email address is a great way to get more sign ups or email leads.
10. A way to contact your organization.
You absolutely must, and I mean absolutely, have a way to contact you on your website if you wish to be successful online. Your visitors may not even contact you immediately, but they will feel good knowing that they know how. Even if it is an email address and not a phone number, this says you are a real person and can be reached. A phone number is the fastest and easiest way to get in touch so that is definitely recommended. You will want to have this contact information in an obvious place and on every page of your website. Phone number in the top right is usually best.
That is how to make a website that will really sell. Using these design elements may seem like you do not have much creative control in the placement of your information. It may feel like it has been done before. That is because it has and it will continue to be until the most successful websites on the internet are no longer make money. As the old adage goes, “if it ain’t broke…”
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