You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Who hasn't heard this saying? Whether in the online or offline world, good looks are extremely important. But please don't get me wrong, good looks aren't everything, not by a long shot. Steve Jobs and others have set the perfect example and changed and shaped an entire generation. He ‘trained’ people that it is not just about pure appearance, but that design must also make ‘sense’. Precisely for this reason, good design is no longer optional, it is essential to survive in order to be successful. People form a first impression of each other within a few seconds, mostly unconsciously. Maybe you'll still say, ‘Oh, it's all just a matter of taste!’ Well, I and many others disagree. Good web design is more than just a personal impression. Here are some important points:
We've all been there: you're surfing the web looking for something specific. You're willing to spend money on what you're looking for. Then you find exactly one product that solves all your problems. But immediately you notice that the website somehow doesn't seem very reputable. It lacks an overview, the content is mixed up, there is no clear structure and colourful dogs are flying around :). Somehow, it just doesn't inspire your trust and you wonder whether you should leave your money there. I think that's one of the most important points. Good design is unobtrusive and builds respectability and trust. Good websites have to be like good mothers, they have to make you feel safe and secure. Because only then are you willing to leave your hard-earned money behind.
A nice, cosy, warm and inviting restaurant is more likely to be visited and provides more comfort than a cold, dingy restaurant in the middle of the motorway. And just as in the real world, so it is in the virtual world.
The power of curiosity should not be underestimated. In today's world, where we are inundated with advertising and advertising messages, you have to try to arouse the visitor's curiosity. A modern and well-designed website arouses my interest and makes me curious about more. It has often happened to me that I have come across a website and just thought: ‘Wow, fancy design. What do they actually do? Ah, that's what they do! Remember that!’
Very well-designed websites get a lot of traffic, i.e. visitors. Whether word-of-mouth or viral marketing via social networks, beautiful websites are more often passed on, shared and spread. I also think that a not insignificant part of backlinks, i.e. links from external sites to your site, can come about if you do good web design. If your website just looks damn cool, other blogs and websites will link to it. In addition, good design leads to a higher conversion rate, i.e. the conversion of visitors. Whether it's advertising, newsletter subscriptions, more likes on Facebook or more followers on Twitter, good design can lead visitors to the desired action. Well-designed products generally attract more attention. Nowadays, you have very little time to inspire visitors and turn them into customers. Good web design helps you do that.
Good design not only builds respectability and trust, but also radiates quality, attention to detail, modernity, competence, technical progress and much more. These and other factors ultimately form the actual brand, the branding. In addition, good web design can also be a nice additional competitive advantage. To stand out from the competition. Experienced internal users have an eye for web design and can judge the quality of the product or the entire company by it. This is how fresh companies in particular can stand out and create an illusion of size right from the start.
Good design is simple. But what does that mean exactly? Good web design draws attention to the essentials, is understandable and clear. Nowadays, everything is fast-paced and everyone is short of time. That's why it's important that you can quickly grasp what the website is about and what advantages it will bring me if I buy the product or service, for example. In addition, clarity, simple navigation and a good site structure are extremely important so that you can quickly find your way around and be guided through the website to the next sales step. An often-underestimated point is loading times. These should be under 3 seconds, otherwise users will abort and prefer to look elsewhere. This was the result of a study by the company strangeloop. Technically, a website has only one goal, to display text. Good readability and texts that arouse interest are therefore of great importance. A study by Jakob Nielsen showed that text is not read immediately, but only skimmed. If the headline and subheadings arouse interest, then (and only then!) will the complete text be read.
Finally, good design can even evoke feelings. Especially when you work with a lot of colours and many images, web design can evoke or trigger feelings in people. Different colours trigger different feelings in different cultural groups.
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