6 Website Design Elements You Can’t Overlook

In this age of digital transformation, many organizations feel the pressure to develop a digital marketing strategy that targets, reaches, and converts effectively. Sometimes this immense pressure to outshine competitors has even led to makeshift versions of digital frameworks. In these makeshift solutions, organizations cobble together a strategy with a whizz kid and a laptop, and hope that the promised spoils of digital marketing will come to them.

Your website is often the first point of contact consumers have with your brand. It’s the main place they learn about your company, your products or services, and what you stand for, and it’s the primary spot where they will be taking the next step from consumer to customer.

Your website is more than just the first touchpoint for your brand, though — it’s the critical touchpoint for conversions. Relationship building, establishing trust, and earning credibility as a business all begin with effective web design and development strategies that set your website up for success from the start.

But what are some web design and development best practices? And how can you create an identity that draws in consumers and keeps them coming back for more?

The first step is to learn what not to do.

The difference between these two approaches is establishing a solid, secure, and repeatable digital marketing infrastructure.

Businesses and brands without viable digital marketing strategy frameworks tend to focus heavily on the marketing modes and lead sources they already know well. Think of a company operating in an industry that has historically relied on in-person events as its major source of new and continued business. These companies put all their eggs in the trade show basket, such as healthcare companies, whose main outlets for promoting their services are in-person conferences and research events.

These single lead sources can cause unnecessary risk today because, as we well know, events can be canceled and in-person life can change overnight. As such, diversified marketing strategies and solid digital marketing infrastructure are essential to digital marketing risk management.

As we develop more ways to connect with leads, our need for a digital marketing strategy framework increases. We need complementary ways of supporting these channels, setting goals across different modes, and uniting diverse strategies under one umbrella. This is what digital marketing infrastructure is for, and it’s what a digital marketing strategy framework can help you achieve.

One of the most common mistakes we see brands make is poor user experience design. A negative UX can cause confusion and even result in visitors leaving the site before taking any action. Poor UX design can include elements such as slow load times, complicated navigation, and a lack of overall engagement for users.

Another element brands often overlook is web design best practices. Your website’s design is the first impression that visitors have of your brand. Outdated website design, broken links, and cluttered content can undermine your credibility and make your brand appear untrustworthy.

Additionally, with more people accessing the internet through their mobile devices than ever before, optimizing your website for mobile is a critical aspect of effective web design. A website that’s not mobile-friendly can be frustrating for visitors, which could drive them away rather than pull them in. To avoid this, ensure your website is responsive and optimized for all types of devices.

While each of these components plays an important role in overall user experience, the biggest mistake a brand can make is going through the web design process without their target audience in mind. By gaining a deep understanding of your audience’s preferences, pain points, and needs, you can create a website that delivers the value they are seeking. From visual design and user experience to messaging and content, an effective website will attract, resonate with, and engage your audience to drive results.

Taking the time to establish a brand identity, including color palettes, typography, imagery, graphics, overall style, and messaging, will have a long-term effect on the impact of your brand. While these might seem like small things to be strict about, the most successful brands understand the importance of staying consistent. Maintaining a cohesive style across all of your marketing materials, including your website, is one of the best ways to attract customers and leave a lasting, positive impression.

Before you can establish your identity, you need to understand your brand’s positioning in the market. This means identifying what makes your brand unique from your competitors. Once you’ve established your brand’s pillars, you can begin to define the personality and tone of your website. The end result will be a website that resonates with your target audience, communicates your brand’s message effectively, and reinforces your brand’s unique identity.

The key to an effective website is learning how to attract — and keep — people’s attention. The best way to get started is by regularly auditing your website. By leveraging your website’s data, user feedback, and your knowledge of industry best practices, you will be able to make strategic improvements and implement more creative ways to attract customers.

There are several website design elements that can help you attract and hold the attention of your visitors, most of which come down to one core piece: content. Every page on your website must have a purpose. If you want to maintain your audience’s attention, be sure to create each page considering their purpose of going to the page first rather than automatically creating through the lens of your business’s purpose.

1. The homepage is likely the first impression that visitors have of your business, so it should be engaging, visually appealing, and well-organized. There should also be a value proposition that clearly communicates what your brand does or how it can help visitors.

2. Product and service pages should provide detailed information about your offerings, including features, benefits, and pricing. Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to help visitors understand your products or services and how they can benefit from them.

3. The “About Us” page is an opportunity to provide visitors with information about your company’s history, mission, values, competitive advantage, and leadership team. It should answer the question of why someone should choose your company over competitors.

4. Resource and blog pages can help position your company as a thought leader in its industry. By providing educational content such as whitepapers, case studies, and blog posts, you can attract visitors at various stages of the funnel and build a competitive SEO profile.

5. The contact page should be easy to find and use, with clear and concise information about how to get in touch with your company. Provide multiple ways for visitors to reach out, such as email, phone, and chat.

6. Customer testimonial pages can provide proof that your products or services are effective and reliable. Showcase customer success stories and testimonials prominently on your website to build trust with potential customers.

By paying attention to these website design elements and using them effectively, you can capture the attention of your website visitors and drive visible, repeatable results.

At Intero Digital, we’re here to help you make sure your website is set up for success from the start.