8 out of 10.
That’s the number of people who will form a first impression of your business after just 0.5 seconds on your website. Even if your products or services are fantastic, a negative first impression will prevent them from patronizing you.
Unfortunately, many small and medium-sized businesses miss out on potential sales and leads because their outdated websites create a poor first impression on customers.
The solution is a modern website design focusing on user experience, mobile-first principles, and conversion optimization. This guide will clarify what a modern website design is, how to design one, and why such a website design can improve conversions.
What is a Modern Website Design?
Image by UX Indonesia on Unsplash
More than just a pretty face, a modern website design combines elements that reflect the unique desires of people and appeal to their sentiments. This suggests that user experience is central to modern web design.
According to Peter Morville, president of Semantic Studios and pioneer of information architecture and user experience, a great user experience requires seven principles.
These seven principles are desirability, accessibility, findability, usability, value impact, credibility, and usefulness.
How the Principles of UX Design Translate to a Modern Web Design
So how do you put these seven principles together to make a website design modern?
1. Desirability
A modern web design has visual and aesthetic elements that create a positive emotional connection with the user. This relates to the layout, colors, typography, use of high-quality visuals, white space, and subtle micro-interactions.
2. Accessibility
Everyone should be able to use the website regardless of their disabilities or impairments. Accessible websites have screen reader compatibility, alt text for images, keyboard navigation, adequate color contrast, adjustable font sizes, and more.
3. Findability
Users should be able to find the information they want easily and quickly on your website. Functionalities that ensure this include intuitive menus with logical categories, search bars, sitemaps, and good internal linking.
4. Usability
Design your web pages so it’s easy to understand and use. Keep it simple, intuitive, and without clutter. Follow familiar patterns and conventions across your pages and use a responsive web design that adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
5. Value Impact
A modern website should demonstrate the value users will get from interacting with the brand’s products and services. This can come in the form of unique selling propositions, personalized experiences, and high-quality content.
6. Credibility
A modern website design makes the user confident in doing business with your brand by incorporating trust elements like reviews, social proofs, and testimonials. Security features, an “About Us” page, and a privacy policy may also be necessary.
7. Usefulness
Though closely related to value impact, usefulness relates more to practical tools and resources to help the reader achieve specific things. Think of features like online calculators, an FAQ page, blogs and resources, and clear CTAs.
6 Ways Modern Website Designs Can Boost Conversions for Businesses
Whatever the action you want users to take on your website, having a modern website design can increase the likelihood. According to Intechnic, a well-designed user interface can increase website conversions by 200% while better UX design could boost conversions by up to 400%.
But how do modern web designs make this possible for small and medium-sized businesses?
1. Improving User Experience
A modern website focuses on intuitive navigation, clear layout and design, and mobile responsiveness. Together, this will guarantee a better user experience and reduce bounce rates. Such a user-friendly website will keep visitors on the website longer, increasing the likelihood of them converting.
2. Driving Engagement
Aside from a user-centric design and intuitive navigation, modern websites use high-quality visuals, dynamic content, interactive elements, and personalizations to drive user engagement. These also result in greater conversion. For example, websites with videos grow revenues 49% faster than those without videos.
3. Increasing Website Speed
For every second your website loads faster, one study found that the conversion rate improves by 17%. That means if you 6x your website speed, you can double your conversions.
4. Specific Call to Action
The best web designers incorporate Hick’s law into their designs by making their call to action (CTA) specific. These CTAs can be placed strategically at the top of the page (and sometimes towards the left) to encourage early action and reduce decision paralysis.
5. Improved Accessibility
People with disabilities represent a significant portion of the global population. Websites that exclude them effectively cut off a large customer base. However, by making the website accessible to everyone, modern web designs allow businesses to reach a wider audience, leading to greater conversions.
6. Building Trust and Credibility
A modern web design can build trust elements into your design. When users perceive your business as credible, legitimate, and trustworthy, they become more comfortable around your brand. This increases the likelihood of getting them to take action.
Bottom Line
Investing in a modern website design is not just about keeping up with the trends. Rather, it is about investing money in something that can boost your conversions and help you turn your web readers into loyal customers.
Don’t let an outdated website hold your business back anymore. Contact Edens Digital Agency today and let us discuss how we can partner with you to create a website that converts.
