Websites are crucial for creating a lasting impression on your audience. It makes your business more accessible and helps to build strong connections with your customers.
There are over 400 billion active websites, and over 5.7 billion Google searches done every day. Given the fierce competition, an excellent website design that engages your customer is non-negotiable.
Research shows that 48% of customers feel that the website design determines the credibility of a business. In fact, 38% of visitors will stop engaging with your business immediately if they don’t like the official website.
If you are wondering what elements you must consider for creating an eye-catching and user-friendly website, we have you covered:
1 – Layout
There is no substitute for a clean and appealing design of a website. It enhances the usability of your website. In fact, according to a survey, 73% of companies invest in design for an edge over their competitors.
Using a template for designing your website is an excellent idea as it provides a lot of room for customizations. It serves as a visual aid to help you understand how the final website will appear. Built-in functionality features in templates also simplify the process of website management.
So opt for a highly-customizable template that can be personalized to address your needs and provide an intuitive experience to the user.
2 – Hosting
Opting for a cloud hosting plan on platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud is a fantastic idea, especially for large websites such as an e-commerce platform. It enhances your website’s speed and allows it to handle a surge in traffic as several servers work together to carry out different functions and balance the load. It also makes the website more secure since the data is stored in different servers in multiple locations across the globe and is governed by different server protocols.
3- Speed
If your website does not load in three seconds, the chances are that 40% of visitors will straightaway abandon the visit. Even a one-second delay in loading can result in a 7% loss in conversions.
Your website should load at lightning speed to increase customer retention and user experience. Evaluate the current speed of your website using the Google PageSpeed plugin.
The Content Delivery Network (CDN) plays a vital role in determining the speed of your website. CDN has several servers located across the globe. The user can get faster delivery through the closest CDN server. When choosing CDN, make sure that it is faster than your origin to increase the loading speed.
4 – Security
Implementing security measures to protect data from hackers helps to instill confidence in the users. Use SSL encryption to protect sensitive personal information entered by the user. Not adding SSL certification can affect the ranking of your website on Google.
Using a secure hosting service also matters. In the case of Google Cloud and AWS, all data that is exchanged is encrypted by default. Additionally, Google Cloud Identity and Access Management and AWS Identity and Access Management restrict unwanted access to data.
5- Framework
Frameworks provide the foundation for designing an excellent website. Using frameworks such as Django or WordPress saves the trouble of reinventing the wheel. These frameworks are customizable, cheaper, secure, and have a scalable architecture, allowing you to develop a website you can be proud of.
Conclusion
If you want to appear as someone worth doing business with, it is time to evaluate your current website design. Don’t hesitate to make the necessary tweaks to your website so that you can offer a more functional and engaging platform for your visitors.
