The Importance Of Website Design

Figure 1 http://www.itseeze-yor .co.u /

Intro!uction
As the realms of the internet are becoming ever more the focus of our search for answers, gifts, foods, clothes, music and even education, the need for effective virtual marketing is unprecedented. Where you shopped previously would be based on a shops logo, its window display, its general exterior; which brand you chose would be sold initially on its appearance. So today the same thing applies online. eople will !udge your website as soon as they get onto it, it is the packaging of your brand that sells you to them, and if they do not like it, they will not buy from you. "nce you have impressed users with your website design, the next step to reaching online success is making sure that you have a website that is well organised and user friendly. #f your website looks fantastic, but your potential customers cannot find their way around, there is a very little chance they will be staying on there long, or buying anything from you. With the dominance of $oogle in everything online, and even offline too, websites not only need to appeal to their user, they also need to appeal to search engines % of which $oogle is the &ing. #t is not rocket science that by being ranked on the first page of search you will get more traffic, because really, who bothers to go onto page ' when they search for (best online shoe shop)

"ontents
*ontents................................................................................................................ ' +sability................................................................................................................. , Search -ngine "ptimisation................................................................................... .

#esthetics

Figure $ http://www.f%ic r.com/photos/ab&!!'n/(&()*+1,')/

/he first thing you are showing your audience when they click onto your website is you as a brand, in website form. After 0, participants in an online study were asked to search the internet for health information, of the reasons for dismissing or mistrusting a website, 123 of them were design related, with the other 43 to do with the actual content. "f the survey results, it was said5 oor interface design was particularly associated with rapid re!ection and mistrust of a website. #n cases where the participants did not like some aspect of the design the site was often not explored further than the homepage and was not considered suitable for revisiting at a later date6 /he main reason that websites were rapidly re!ected was due to the design of the interface. 7esign issues affected first impressions and could lead to the mistrust of a website8 i #f you need any further convincing, # would suggest turning up to an important business meeting in mismatched shoes, oddly coloured trousers, a glaringly bright tie, and unkempt hair, and see who at this meeting takes you seriously. 9ust as you present yourself to make a good impression to be trusted, your website needs to do the same otherwise people will not take it, and therefore you, seriously.

-sabi%ity

Figure ( http://www.f%ic r.com/photos/cog!og/(',&+$'.'1/

:efore you go to transform your website into a state of the art, new age world, remember that you want people to be able to use it. ;ow your website is designed is also incredibly important, it determines how <uickly and easily your customers can find what they are looking for. Any hindrances on this, perhaps they cannot find a certain page, or they are not able to click to buy their product, and they will become frustrated and find another website which does allow them to fulfil their purchase. /ry this for yourself5 search the internet for something that you may need, click any of the links your search engine presents you with. =rom here, see how long it takes you to find the desired ob!ect, or sub!ect. /hink about this, did you encounter any problems) Were you confused at any points) *ould you make any improvements on this) /hen apply these thoughts to your own site. erhaps ask someone who is not involved in your site to try this test and give you their feedback.

A good website design will take your user on a smooth !ourney from the start, to explore your site, and then result in the end destination5 a conversion. #f they are !umping around the site, ending back on the homepage, forgetting which page meant what, they are likely to leave your site in favour of one that is easier to understand and use. #t is simple5 the more user friendly, the more chance of conversion.

/earch 0ngine Optimisation

Figure & http://!m an!roi!.!e1iantart.com/art/Doo!%e-&-2oog%e-$'1(-2oog%eIs-3ow-(,$11$((,

So now you have your website looking really smart and your users can fly through it with ease, you need to get some customers. >anking well in search, be it $oogle, :ing, or ?ahoo, delves into the realms of S-", Search -ngine "ptimisation. :y ranking higher you are guaranteed more traffic, and therefore you are likely to see more conversions. #n order to rank higher, however, you must let search engines know that your site contains what a user is looking for. An essential way to do this is through making your website easy to crawl by what are known as (spiders. /hese little things go from the top down on a website page, and report back to your search engine what this page is about. #f you have abstract headings, random paragraphs and thousands of pictures thrown about the place, they will not be able to see that actually your website is about shoes, or website design, or whatever it is actually about. *onforming to S-" practises will help you do this, which in turn will boost your rankings in search, and present you as an authority in what the user has searched for.

"onc%usion

Figure + http://www.f%ic r.com/photos/hamptonroa!spartnership/+(+$$$).$&/

So as you can see, the importance of having a website design that not only attracts users, but helps them find what they are looking for and guides them towards getting it, is integral in achieving online success. Websites must be easily accessible and presented to the user in response to their search in order to receive sufficient traffic. 7ue to the power of the internet, you do not have to be in the physical to get things done. ?ou are able to get web design in ?ork, *olchester, *ardiff, or wherever you wish, even if you are not located in the +&. /his allows you to work alongside a company that you feel understands what you are looking for the most. /he internet has opened up opportunities for business in many different ways, but it is vital that yours uses this to keep up with what is expected by your customers in order to succeed.

http5@@blog.craAyegg.com@BC00@0B@01@doesDwebDdesignDmatter@

Sources5 http5@@www.entrepreneur.com@article@4,BC2 http5@@blog.craAyegg.com@BC00@0B@01@doesDwebDdesignDmatter@ http5@@www.echoleaf.com@blog@whyDwebsiteDdesignDsoDimportant http5@@www.katalystsolutions.com@newsletter@issueD0@'.DwhyDyouDneedDaDgoodD website.html