Getting clients is hard. Don’t make it even harder by having an unattractive website that makes prospective clients cringe.
Here’s a sad scenario.
A prospective and interested client is referred to you by a friend, family or colleague.
Before the client contacts you – they visit your website. It is quite natural as they want to know more about you and your business.
But then, silence. They don’t email you. They don’t call for an appointment. Nothing.
Suddenly your warm lead just turned cold. Your website scared them away. Yes, you read that right!
Instead of giving them the confidence that you can help them with their requirement, your website did just the opposite. It gives a feeling of uneasiness, uncertainty, and doubt about you and your company.
Your bad website can totally ruin your business, and you can lose your potential customers to your competitors that offer inferior services to yours but has a better website than you.
Getting clients is already very hard. Don’t make it even harder by having an outdated website that repels prospective clients.
Examples of bad web design elements that will cause visitors to abandon a site are:
- No visual appeal. An ugly site misses out on the opportunity to gain instant trust and credibility.
- Design does not cater to mobile users. Mobile optimization is no longer a trend, but a way of life. Go mobile-friendly today.
- Too much clutter. “We’ve all seen sites that are chock full of text and graphics. They’re distracting, and you end up retaining very little, if any, information. That’s the opposite of your website’s purpose…”
- Bad quality photos. Graphics and images add a lot of value to websites – for one, it helps visitors get a quick visual idea of what your content is saying. Images that are pixilated or blurry will make the site look amateurish.
- Bad user experiences. Confusing navigation makes it hard for visitors to find the information they need. No one wants to try to “figure out how to use your website” when they get there. Plus, all pages need to be within 2-3 clicks from the home page.
- Too many colors and fonts. Your website is not an I Spy book. Don’t confuse visitors with a myriad of colors and fonts, giving them a migraine as they try to find the ‘about us’ page.
How Does Bad Design Affect Your Business?
We’ve just outlines 6 bad design elements that affect your website, but what is the actual impact on your bottom line? It can be difficult to measure but, in general, consequences include…
- Damages your credibility: You may be the best at what you do, but if your website isn’t up to standard, your credibility and qualifications are going to take a nose-dive.
- Makes you look out of touch or not ‘with it’: A dated website tells your customers you are behind the times, or worse that you don’t care enough to keep it updated. Visitors could assume you’re out of touch with advancements in your industry and without validation, your unappealing website will fall short in its efforts to convince prospects you’re the most qualified for the job.
- Costs you customers: Every time a customer navigates away in frustration – because of broken links, clutter, or confusing navigation – it is unlikely you will see them again. If your competitor offers the same services in an intuitive website design, your loss is their gain.
- People may think you don’t care: When your website looks like a fad gone awry or looks old, it’s conveying the message you don’t care about what your customers want. They may also think you’re neglecting other areas of your business. True or not, people do think this.
- Out of business: Your outdated, unattractive website is the equivalent of putting a ‘closed for business’ sign in your window. Clients may wonder if you’re still in business if things are years out of date – both design and content wise.
Bottom Line
An important part of getting consumers to trust you is having a well designed website. Having an attractive website design isn’t the be all and end all in having a successful website. However, with 75% of consumers admitting they judge a business’ credibility based on their site’s design, it can make a real difference in making sure your site ranks well, and your users convert.
Want to improve the look of your website?
Take a look at our website projects – if you like what you see request a quote from TimestWeb.’
Feel free to contact TimestWeb on related issues.
We’re a Web Design Firm And Digital Agency; with capabilities across web design & development, SEO, marketing and branding Contact details: +234.813.587.7642, 0708.437 .8245, start@timestweb.net, Website: www.timestweb.net
