More than three quarters of all adults in the UK are now on the web, and 64% use it to purchase goods or services. You know the value of the internet, and as such your company no doubt has a web presence, but is the actual web design still good enough to attract and retain customers' precious eyeball time?
Good web design is hard to come by. It requires a careful balance between stunning visual design and appropriate technical architecture. Some designers are so concerned with the image that they jeopardise usability, making it difficult for the end customer who, let’s face it, can delete you from their lives in a press of the Back button. Equally, if you get the technical structure wrong (think too many JavaScript files, multiple stylesheets or lots of content that increases the number of HTTP requests your site makes) you could cause it to run too slowly and lose customers to boot.
Well rounded strategy
Alchemy Interactive, a web design agency based in London are experts in great web design and will tell you that a site’s success depends on a well rounded internet strategy.
Designed correctly a site should capture the visitors imagination from the second it flashes up and be easy to navigate. If you expect to click on something and get transported there, you should be. Surfers want instant gratification and if they can’t find what they want, quickly and easily, they’ll go elsewhere – at the click of the mouse.
So be empathetic when thinking about web design. Obviously a website needs to be attractive enough to capture attention in the first place, but the usability of the site is the key to its success. It is easy to get caught up in your commercial requirements but try to imagine surfing your sited in your customers’ shoes. Consider the tasks visitors may wish to achieve on a site, how they can do so and how easy that will be for them. While it can be tempting to incorporate a complicated design, adhering to commonly used fields such as accessible search boxes, ‘start shopping’ routers etc can still be preferable for the end user.
When it comes to great web design, why not take advantage of advice from the experts. Alchemy Interactive have been designing stunning, intuitive websites and intranets for over 12 years. They are passionate about creating hard working, dynamic, digital experiences that really work to engage your customers and essentially produce a high level of consumer interest. You can talk to us anytime, or dip in to our knowledge base from here. Check out our Top 10 Web Design Tips, as well as our insight into Common Web Design Mistakes.
Getting your web design and style right is not something you can take a chance on. It influences how people think about your company and whether they decide to use you above your competitors. Visitors can be fickle and if they haven’t seen what they want first time around, they’re unlikely to give you a second glance. You wouldn’t take that chance in the commercial marketplace – why take it online?