In this digital world, a business’s success is usually measured by how well its website is performing. After all, consumers are increasingly heading online to find the products and services they need, and it’s up to your website to encourage them to buy from you rather than one of your rivals. If your site is unable to provide visitors with a great experience, your sales are likely to suffer as a result.
Of course, the competition for user attention is increasing every day, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic began and businesses were forced to strengthen their online activities. As such, it’s vital that your website is able to stand out from the crowd. Your website should be unique, engaging, and informative if you want people to come to you for the goods or services they need. Read on to find out how to make your website design stand out in a competitive marketplace.
Hire an innovative web designer
Since your web design plays such an important role in attracting and keeping visitors on your site, it makes sense to hire a web designer who can demonstrate innovation in their designs. This will help you to ensure that your finished website is fresh, unique, and offers people something different. Some web designers use templates and pre-designed themes. However, whilst they’re convenient, they’re harder to customise and less original. Instead, you should look for a designer who is full of ideas and can turn your vision into reality. They should be prepared to tailor your site to your requirements. London web design agency Creative Brand Design comes highly recommended – take a look at their portfolio to see some of their past projects.
Update your website regularly
Although keeping your website updated with fresh content might seem obvious, it’s amazing how many sites out there have been left on auto-pilot. The content they offer is often outdated and irrelevant. Visitors don’t want to read outdated information since they’re only interested in what is important to them right now. So, to keep people interested and spending more time on your site, it’s vital to keep your content fresh and updated. If they know they can rely on your site for up to date information, they’ll keep coming back.
Add unique images and videos
Don’t underestimate the importance of great images and videos on your website. Humans handle visual data much better than other types of data. Incredibly, the brain processes visual content around 60,000 times quicker than text. 90% of the information sent to the brain is visual. This means that people tend to prefer websites with lots of images. They can consume this type of content better and are left more satisfied. Of course, most website owners know this, and so it’s important to think outside the box if you want your site to be unique and stand out from the crowd. Rather than using stock photos, you could take your own. Another option is to use infographics or hire an illustrator to create original graphics for your site.
Make your website interactive
Website interactivity has become increasingly important over the years. Interactive content maximises user engagement by ensuring they’re not just visually engaged but physically engaged too. Incorporating elements that can be actively engaged by users, it provides a more personalised and ultimately better user experience. Interactive content can include quizzes, polls, surveys, capturing product reviews, comments on articles or even simply encouraging sharing with others. Interactive websites generally perform better, with users tending to spend more time on a page engaging with the content.
Micro animations
Whilst micro-animations might not catch your eye at first, they can have a huge impact on user experience. They’ve been around for many years, but it’s only recently that they’ve become recognised as an important part of the UX. They improve the browsing experience, guiding visitors through your website effortlessly. Since users are able to navigate their way through your site more intuitively, they’re likely to come back again.
A good choice of colours
Aesthetics are important when trying to stand out from the crowd. So, don’t underestimate their importance when designing your business website. Not only should you consider your company branding and ensure there’s a coherent look throughout the site, but you should also acquaint yourself with the basics of colour psychology. Colour associations are powerful and are something we develop at a very young age. These associations are instinctive and usually subconscious. For example, we might associate green with growth or nature, blue with peace or tranquillity, or black with power or sophistication. Therefore, it’s vital that you choose colours that fit your brand. You might think that they’re only colours, but choosing the right ones for your website’s design can be crucial for your online success.
Produce quality content
Search engines love fresh content on websites. They view it as a measure of how relevant a site is. Therefore, it’s important to keep producing fresh, quality content regularly to maintain a high search engine ranking. Plus, adding new content consistently will encourage your visitors to return time and time again to your site. People want engaging and informative information and prefer those sites that they know can offer it. Take some time to create interesting blogs which your visitors will enjoy reading.
With between 1.6 and 1.9 billion websites on the web, it’s become more important than ever for businesses to ensure their web design is unique and appealing to their target audience. Hiring a skilled web designer with plenty of fresh and exciting ideas should be your first step when it comes to creating a website that stands out from the crowd.