The importance of an attractive and functional website

Your website is often the first impression many prospects will have of your business. It is reflecting your company, products, and services. If it is unattractive or poorly built, the user may instantly leave and search for services elsewhere. An attractive site is more likely to generate a positive impression and hold a visitor’s interest. For a website that converts browsers into clients, here are a few things to consider.

Appearance

Good use of color that appropriately sets the mood and tone of your business, as well as is easy on the reader’s eyes. Keep to a minimal amount of color as to not distract from the actual content.

Use font styles and colors that are easy to read. It won’t matter how great the content is if the audience cannot read it. Also include breaks in body copy. Long, unbroken bodies of text become difficult to read and lose a reader’s interest quickly. Most readers want the ability to quickly scan a site.

Content

Your audience is on your page looking for information. It should be informative, relavant, and compelling. If you do not catch the reader’s attention within 10-15 seconds, they will likely move on. Make sure and update your content regularly. This is not only good for SEO, but no one wants to read the same content over and over. Keep your readers coming back with fresh and interesting content.

Navigation and Usability

Keep your navigation clean and simple. The reader should be able to quickly identify how to get to various sections of your site. Make sure all areas of your site function properly including links, forms, videos, etc. Site layouts that are consistant is also important for usability. Use a consistant layout and repeat a few elements throughout the site.

Simplicity

Content, photos, animations, and videos are all valuable aspects to a website. However, they should be kept to a minimum on each page. Keep your site sleek and tasteful without overloading it. Keep scrolling to a minimum, especially on the first page. Don’t overload the reader here, but create links to additional information about a certain topic.

design, web design