How Does Web Design Impact Customer Experience?

A successful business website is undoubtedly one of the greatest weapons in any company’s arsenal. And while you may define success in many different ways, it’s imperative that every decision is made with the customer experience in mind. After all, it’s their opinions that will determine whether you generate sales or not. So, how does web design impact customer experience, and why does it matter? Here’s all you need to know.

IMAGE: PEXELS

The Importance Of Customer Experience

Before looking at how web design elements can influence the customer experience, it’s vital to consider the importance of getting this right. If nothing else, it provides the motivation that will make you WANT to focus on web design. Some of the key facts that can help you appreciate the importance of web design, as well as it’s UX and CX, include but are not limited to;

86% of customers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.
49% of people are open to making impulse purchases due to a good CX.
88% of users are less likely to return to a website with a poor experience.
72% of consumers will tell friends about a positive experience.
Investments in website UX and CX can yield 9,900%

How Does Web Design Impact The Customer Experience?

When building your website, there are several key elements to consider. The quality of your written content, for example, will play a big role. As such, you should always aim to perfect your grammar and editing. Nonetheless, the design elements are arguably the most important feature to get right. Here are just six reasons why web design can have a telling influence on the overall customer experience.

1. Boost Visibility & Professionalism

Even before a user has visited your site, they may have been influenced by its web design. A good design supported by strong navigation elements and SEO strategies will fire your site up the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Increased visibility will yield more clicks. In fact, it is the number one source of traffic for most companies. Moreover, most users will instantly associate the top-performing websites with being professional and trustworthy.

Working with a small business web design company that specializes in creating sites that impress search engines and human users will take your site to a new level. As such, the CX will be off to a great start before you’ve even started – not least because websites that rank well on Google will have fast load times and other key components.

2. Create A Great First Impression

It certainly helps to establish a positive vibe before a user has even visited the site. However, we can all appreciate the value of a great first impression. With this in mind, the first few seconds on your site are perhaps the most valuable.

They might not guarantee conversion, but a poor experience could see users leave forever. For example, over half of users abandon a site that takes over 3 seconds to load. Designers must take this into account, utilizing ideas like image compression.

The first impressions will also be formed by the first images, headlines, and bullet-point text that they see. As well as a well-designed website, it will be necessary to create multiple landing pages. When a person lands on a webpage that delivers concise and engaging details in an eye-catching fashion due to a clear layout and pleasing visuals, success is assured.

3. Enhance The Functionality

An eye-catching design doesn’t only add visual pleasure. It will also allow the website to achieve more. Functionality can include everything from text and images to product ordering, search fields, blogs, event calendars, video libraries, contact forms, and more. When the site is presented well, all of those attributes are easy to see and use. This improves the UX to deliver a far better overall CX for the user while they are on your site.

A top designer will appreciate the fact that over half of web traffic comes from mobile devices. As such, the website must be optimized for mobile browsing experiences as well as desktop browsing. Otherwise, it will negatively impact the customer experience levels for over half of your audience.

4. Improve The Path To Conversion

A good website will provide users with every bit of information that they require. A great website will do this in a bite-size and manageable fashion. This prevents users from becoming distracted or overwhelmed, especially when dealing with non-native English speakers. Having fewer assets on any given page will aid the load times too.

Content can be distributed via a blog, which helps show brand personality and establish your authority in the industry. Meanwhile, when static and dynamic pages are supported by the right navigation properties, it can lead users on the path to conversion.

CTAs can include links to email sign-up forms that introduce email marketing campaigns, too. If your web design encourages users to follow your intended path, the customer experience will be far more convenient and free from confusion. In turn, your conversion rates will soar.

5. Adding Clarity

Ultimately, you want customers to convert. However, before this can happen, they must feel 100% confident with the interactions with the brand. When the web design elements like navigation and content distribution are under control, the user will have a more positive experience.

Given that online shopping should be a positive experience, knowing that the site provides clarity is great news for the consumer and the company alike. Familiarity certainly helps, which is why many web designers opt for WordPress.

When thinking about clarity, the web design needs to find a balance between reflecting the brand and satisfying the user’s needs. Cramming too much into a small space can be problematic while you must also consider whether certain color schemes could cause users to strain their eyes. When the user can view and process info well, the website will perform better.

6. Create An Emotional Connection

Given the absence of face-to-face interactions, it would be easy to assume that your website can’t really create an emotional connection. On the contrary, a smart web design can do this. For starters, adding photos of your key staff will help customers put a face to the brand.

Similarly, adding profile pictures for live chat advisors can put users in a more trusting and comfortable position. This will inevitably give them a better and more personal customer experience and interaction with the brand.

Faces build that connection, but it is also important for web owners to provide instant communication. After all, consumers expect immediate answers to their problems. Further steps may include displaying logos of any memberships you hold, especially in relation to ethical practices and supporting worthy causes.