There’s much more to web design these days than keywords, SEO or even mobile-responsiveness. In order to tap into the psychological drivers of your market and influence their behaviour you need to design your website with a few simple aspects in mind. While it’s not overly difficult to achieve it is imperative that you take it all into consideration before giving your web designer the go ahead.
Building the trust
There are two quite simple ways to quickly build trust with your website visitor:
- Provide a layout and design elements that they are already familiar with – this is achieved with a header as expected and a navigation bar right where they are used to finding it.
- Make the purpose of your website immediately clear – if you provide electrical services, tell them; if you sell clothes, show them. Don’t have them guessing or they will simply leave.
Put yourself in their shoes
You need to make your website quickly and easily understood. Don’t make them have to think too much. Why not? Large amounts of information that requires focused thinking increases cognitive load and that is one of the most common reasons people click off. And, of course, you must have a mobile-responsive site so that your target audience can view your website wherever and on whichever device they choose.
Create simple reading patterns
The majority of people read and view information in a ‘Z’ pattern so it’s best if you craft your site to take advantage of this. Pop your logo in the top left hand corner and then following the ‘Z’ for the next most important information, and then the next, and so forth.
Give the content value
Design the website to appeal to a visual hierarchy in order to guide your visitors to view the information that you want them to see first. Don’t overcrowd the pages; give the content the space to make in impact.
Choose your colours
A lot has been written about the psychology of colour – how certain colours make consumers view a brand or a product, how colours make them feel, and how colours influence their behaviour. You can find lots of information about this topic, such as cooler colours are viewed as professional and relaxed, while warmer colours are more creative.
Written in the words
Another aspect that needs to be understood when creating a website is the choice of typography. It might not seem that important, but different fonts and type incite different feelings. And it’s not just the typeface that you need to think about – look at the leading and the kerning too. The best idea is to take a look at other sites and determine the typography that works best for the image of your brand AND will appeal to your target audience. Have your website designer mock up the typography you choose with the exact wording you will be using as it’s the only way to ‘see’ exactly how it will appeal on your site and if it looks right.
If you need a new website or a revamp of your old site in order to correctly appeal to the psychological drivers of your target audience just contact the team at Website Design Centre today.
