89% of customers search the web before making a purchasing decision (Digital Influence Index).  In many cases, your website is the prospect’s first impression of your company and its offerings.  The look and feel of the website are the primary drivers of those first impressions.

It may not be surprising that website aesthetics are a decisive factor for engaging users online.  What is surprising is how quickly these users decide whether they like a site or not.  In fact, it takes no more than a split second (50 to 500 milliseconds) for users to form an opinion about your website (Harvard).

Consider these Statistics

• First impressions are 94% design-related (content matters a lot but is powerless when embedded in poor design)
• 75% of users admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility based on their website design (Stanford Web Credibility Research)
• Websites that are perceived as great looking are also perceived as usable and trustworthy (Harvard).

7 Components of Visually Appealing Web Design

• Colors:
  The site’s colors should convey your company’s personality or brand.  Colors have a big emotional factor so it’s important to choose colors your audience will love.
• Fonts:
  The site’s fonts should also be based on the company’s brand and the feeling you want to convey to customers.  The fonts need to be easy to read.
• Pictures & Graphics:
  Choose pictures and graphics that display your company and products in the best light possible.  Hire a professional photographer if possible.  Images speak volumes about your company and play a key role in your website’s look and feel.
• Complexity:
  Strive for simplicity in your design.  Keep it simple, yet not so simple that it lacks appeal.
• Usability:
  Make sure the website’s design is user-friendly.  The navigation needs to be straightforward and the design needs to be created based on how users will interact with the site.
• Clarity:
  Make sure all images and graphics on the site are sharp.
• Consistency:
  Keep the design of the site (colors, fonts, button styles, heading sizes, etc.) consistent throughout the site.

Examples of Good Website Design vs Bad:

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Zimmerman Metals

Before

After

Results

“Sales increased 40% after the new website was created and launched!”

– Bruce Pearson, Zimmerman Metals, Roll Form Division

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Eastside Heating & Air Conditioning

Before

After

Results

“In the first month, I received 5-6 leads from the new website. With the old website, I may have received 3 in 5 years.”

– Boe Kampbell, Eastside Heating & Air Conditioning

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AVocation Systems

Before

After

Results

“Our old site was very rudimentary and aesthetically unappealing.  Navigation to important sections wasn’t nearly as intuitive as it should have been. Our new website encompasses everything we had hoped when we started out this process.  It’s visually appealing, and all of the information is presented in a way that’s easy to find and understand.”

– Trent Mulligan, AVocation Systems