If you run an Internet-based company, especially an e-commerce site, you’ve probably already spent a lot of time optimizing the design of your website. Optimized web design, fast loading speeds, and attractive graphics are all among the factors that attract customers.
But have you ever considered taking it a step further and making web design an integral part of your branding efforts?
Of course, when most people think about website branding, they focus on visuals, whether it’s the prominent company logo or the choice of colors. Indeed, they are an integral part of the brand.
But that’s not all. Because branding is all about public perception, any interaction between an online business and a customer is really a branding opportunity.
This means that the overall design of your website is more important than you might think.
Website design aesthetics and your brand
As mentioned above, the first thing people think of when it comes to brands is visuals such as logos, graphics, colors and fonts.
Not coincidentally, visuals are also an integral part of web design. Statistics show that it only takes a visitor 0.05 seconds to give an opinion about your site. This means that opinions are primarily based on sight. After all, 0.05 seconds doesn’t give you much time to navigate the page and see what it has to offer.
Creating an aesthetically pleasing website
Therefore, creating an aesthetically pleasing website should be at the top of your priority list in order to minimize your bounce rate.
You should also maximize your branding within your website design. Include your logo on each page. The most commonly used location is the upper left corner. Leverage your brand’s color palette and incorporate your brand’s fonts, graphics, and images.
All in all, imagine your website as the actual home your brand lives in. It should reflect and amplify your brand, both aesthetically and visually, and be truly at the forefront of your branding efforts.
Related: Designing for Startups: Web App Aesthetics in 6 Questions
Website optimization and customer service
How your website loads and behaves is another important factor that determines the overall quality of your design.
Again, users give their opinions on the sites they visit in a surprisingly short period of time. So if it takes him more than 0.05 seconds to load a website, he’s more likely to bounce off of it quickly.
Reduce load times with image optimization
Optimize your site, images, and layout to reduce load times and increase the likelihood that your first visitors will actually land on your site. A well-maintained site that respects the visitor’s time will, for its own benefit, bring a little extra shine to your brand’s reputation.
At the same time, it’s not just load times that provide a real customer service experience. Make sure to include all important and relevant information in your layout, such as contact information and product listings. Make navigation easy to understand and easy to use. Let your website do what it’s supposed to do and your brand will reap the benefits.
Web design techniques and their impact on branding
One of the most important factors for many new brands is how “cutting edge” the brand is perceived. Ease of use and technological innovation, especially for Internet-intensive e-commerce type sites, not only help retain existing customers, but also attract new ones.
This means that keeping your site up-to-date and up-to-date with relevant technology will greatly improve your brand.
Keep your site up to date with relevant content and optimized for mobile
This means more than just maintaining the site and including fresh, relevant, actionable, and entertaining content on a regular basis. It also means optimizing your site for different platforms such as laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets.
Designing for a wide variety of platforms is what allows brands to reach the widest range of consumers. Recall that 40% of online transactions last year were made on mobile devices. The number of mobile and laptop users continues to grow.
At this point, 50% of websites are using responsive design. In other words, a lagging site can have a huge impact on brand perception.
Related: New web development and design techniques
Web Design — The New Branding Trend
It will continue to gain more and more importance as web design gets more and more attention. And since your website is the “home” of your brand, it makes sense that your web design will directly affect your perception of your brand.
With attention to beneficial use of new technologies, aesthetics, and overall UX, web design can become more than your company’s home. It could be the face of your brand as a whole.
Image credit: RODNAE Productions; pexel; thank you
