No longer are business websites just about logos and contact information. It is where people interact the most with your business. Your website design should be able to meet the needs of your visitors, whether they are looking for information about your business, making a purchase, or reading a blog post.
If the site’s navigation is difficult or its layout is chaotic, your copy may be wasted. A well-designed website with a great user experience can generate marketing leads for you without much effort.
These are seven essential website design principles that will help you inbound market and improve your online presence.
1. An earlier appearance in the buying cycle
Buyers today don’t need to know what they are looking for before they go into a shop. They do their research online to find out what products and services are available, as well as the deals that they can get.
When they visit your site, they may already know what they want and have compared sellers’ options. Your website should be inbound-focused. This lets you help customers throughout the buying process.
Content affects user experience. It explains to customers why they should choose your products and allows them to contact you via email, phone, or chat. This will set you apart from companies with only a “Contact Us” page.
2. Dynamic personalization
Inbound marketing uses dynamic personalization. Dynamic personalization uses demographic and behavioral data to customize site content. Dynamic personalization helps web designers decide which website elements to use.
Personalization should happen in the background and follow the user’s browsing flow. Banners that display recently viewed items or previous blogs can be personalized dynamically as visitors browse your blog or product catalog.
3. Implement site page essentials
It is common to include many of these essential elements on a website.
To communicate the main message of the page, a short and easy-to-read headline will grab the attention of visitors.
The hero visual provides context for your headline and impresses the visitor upon their arrival on your page.
The navigation bar is an important site-wide element. It guides visitors through pages to learn more about the company and its offerings.
4. There are clear calls to action
Inbound marketing efforts should include calls-to-action (CTAs). CTAs will help drive conversions and increase the number of site visitors.
CTAs should be clear and appealing with concise text. They should also be prominently placed on the website, preferably higher so that visitors don’t have to scroll down.
5. A content optimization system
Today’s website design is more than just a pretty layout and catchy “About Us” copy. Integrating with your inbound marketing efforts, a content optimization system (COS), can allow you to personalize your website content based on the type of visitor visiting your site.
6. Performance metrics
It is important to have a platform that allows you to monitor the most relevant metrics to your business and make changes to your website quickly if necessary. Inbound marketing metrics include bounce rate, search engine traffic, and referral traffic from email and social media.
7. Return on investment: Costs that are worth it
Businesses are reluctant to spend on professional website design for inbound marketing. Instead, they prefer to have periodic, more aesthetic redesigns. This leaves out lead generation and conversion, and the website remains stagnant between redesigns.
Better to invest incrementally in website creation and development changes based on reports about how each aspect of the site is performing.