Shopping online has become an integral part of many of our lives. It is something that appeals to a lot of people for a lot of reasons, including the convenience and ease of it. Having access to countless goods and services at our fingertips is invaluable.
This has some implications for those of us trying to operate virtual shops, though. To say that the market is saturated is probably an understatement. This makes it difficult to get our name out there and set ourselves apart from our competitors in one way or another.
What are some strategies that we can utilize to accomplish this? There are several, as you have probably guessed already, but I will be homing in on one in particular today. Website design is arguably one of the most critical parts of operating an organization in this day and age. Let us delve into it.
What is it?
Naturally, before we get into some of the reasons as to why it matters, we should start with an overview and basic definition. You can find some of that in this blog, though its length and contents might seem intimidating at first. Because of the scope of this field, it can be a challenge to encapsulate it all in one article.
Let us clear the air first and foremost, though: when we discuss web design, we are specifically referring to the ways in which customers and consumers interact with and visit the page. So, that means that it is not really about the coding or the “behind the scenes” part of running a site, but instead the aesthetics and user experience.
Sure, obviously a domain will require some coding to operate properly. However, a lot more must go into the process to make it appealing to visitors. No one wants to spend time having to figure out how to navigate or add things to their shopping cart, and it can even make the difference between landing a sale or losing out.
What the Designer Brings to the Table
This is where some people get hung up, admittedly. At first glance, the duties appear to be some that anyone can do. However, they spend a long time honing their craft and must have a good understanding of visual design and appeal. This is why some organizations opt to bring in outside help from somewhere else, such as Leeds web design services – particularly in the United Kingdom, with some of the spelling differences between the forms of English.
Certainly, some of these cultural differences are easy to overlook – at least, for many of us. For the trained eye, though, that will be something that they consider. What else is a part of visual design, though, and why does it matter so much?
In essence, it can be boiled down what is visually appealing for visitors to the website. So, that could be the font used, the colors of both the text and the surroundings, and more. It does take a trained eye to create the optimal user experience in most cases. There is a reason that it is a skill to be trained versus something we can pick up on a complete whim.
Layout is the first big aspect of this. All of the tabs and options on your website should be easily accessible and properly labelled for any consumers who are browsing. This allows them to find what they are looking for quickly, as well as enhancing their overall experience by not making them jump through annoying hoops. That can be a real turn-off for customers trying to make a purchase, after all, and with all of competitors it is not a risk that we should take.
As far as things that are easily overlooked go, I think that color theory is one of the largest ones. It is hard to imagine creating an appealing color palette without having at least some sort of handle on this – even if it is subconsciously. In the way that we perceive colors, certain ones are more complementary than others. So, that is something that professionals will take into account, as you can see here: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory.
Finally, there is the matter of understanding how interactive pages should operate. As I said before, that does not mean the coding part of it (though that can help, of course), but rather the way that humans tend to click on certain buttons or more appealing banners. Thus, designers consider this as they create the layout and select the colors! It all works in tandem.
Is Hiring a Website Designer Worth it?
There is some contention around this question and the ensuing discussions around it, I will admit. However, I think that to some extent that is unjustified. Sure, someone who is not educated in the field can waltz in at any time and create a web page using one of the design software options available online. However, there is a good chance that it will not be up to par with something created by a professional who specializes in this.
Think about it like this: the end goal of having a website in the first place is to enhance the imaging and branding surrounding your company as well as making sales or convincing consumers to sign up for a service. What you offer needs to be compelling and informative, as well as easy to navigate, or this likely will not happen. Taking shortcuts is probably not the best strategy for success.
Most businesses have created virtual spaces for customers to interact with them. One of the first things that many of us do when we consider visiting somewhere new, even when it comes to physical store locations, is look them up online. Seeing an unattractive landing page and little valuable information about the goals and intent of the organization is not very compelling or persuading in terms of visiting the establishment and patronizing it with sales.