First Impressions: What Good Design Can Do for Your Business

Why website design matters

Creating a website design that resonates with users enhances their experience with your brand. Consider the following reasons why excellent website design matters in business: 

• Good website design makes a positive impression on consumers. According to a report from Top Design Firms, 50 percent of consumers believe a company’s website design influences their perception of that brand. And according to freelance graphic designer Adriana Marin, viewers quickly form an opinion based on what they’ve seen, so it pays to influence that opinion with a smart design.
• Good website design enhances brand credibility. A professionally designed website helps build trust and credibility with your audience. It demonstrates to visitors that your business is legitimate and trustworthy, helping to strengthen your brand’s reputation and authority in the market.
• Good website design leads to a higher SEO ranking. Google prioritizes the user experience when ranking web pages in search results. In fact, the search engine’s documentation center features page experience guidelines to ensure your website offers a good user experience. A well-designed website is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) than a website with poor design principles. By adhering to design best practices that enhance user experience, you can improve your website’s SEO performance and attract more organic traffic.
• Good website design boosts conversion rates. A well-designed website enhances the overall user experience. Visitors can more easily navigate the site, find the information they need, and complete desired actions, such as purchasing or completing contact forms. Prioritizing intuitive navigation and responsive design means reducing friction in the user journey, which can lead to higher engagement and, ultimately, increased sales.

What to consider when designing a website

We spoke to several experts who provided advice for businesses creating websites. Here are key factors to consider when designing your site to effectively represent your business: 

1. Aim to inspire confidence with your website design. 

Marin noted that multiple design elements, including overall website design and individual details like your corporate logo, contribute to your perceived professionalism and brand authority. “People have [feelings] about your company based on the experiences that they have had with a brand,” Marin explained. “A well-designed logo and website inspire confidence because [they] look professional.”

Your overall website design is a reflection of your company, so do everything you can to appear professional. “If a company is willing to focus on creating a clean and functional design that is easy to use, then that could be an indicator of what using their product might be like,” Marin noted.

2. Understand that your website must create a great first impression.

According to Lilian Crooks, creative director at Harcum College, your website design is the quickest and most direct way to communicate with your target customers. 

“Good design helps to communicate your message, pulls weight to cut through the marketing chatter, and arranges information most effectively for the precise market you’re trying to reach,” Crooks explained. “Effective design and messaging work in tandem to convey the value of your business legibly and, most importantly, memorably.”

3. Prioritize your SEO strategy when designing your website. 

Ramon Khan, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Alloy, and a freelance marketing consultant, emphasized that Google’s ranking algorithm now includes Core Web Vitals. Businesses that focus on these key elements — such as page-load speed and a mobile-friendly design — can improve their search rankings. These factors are as crucial as your content strategy for effective search engine optimization.

“The on-page content you’re utilizing and the keywords you want to rank for in SEO are significant factors to consider,” agreed Andrei Kurtuy, co-founder and CCO of Novoresume. “Prior to creating a website, conduct keyword research and organize your content such that each page caters to a single long-tail keyword.”

4. Focus on website design and brand design consistency.

Your website is a crucial element of your brand identity, along with your logo, social media presence, marketing materials and more. Brand consistency across all these elements is essential. 

“When it comes to the design and aesthetic of a business, this is a prime example of the importance of first impressions,” observed Annie Everill, digital marketing executive at Imaginaire. “Creating a strong, recognizable, and original brand identity is key in the success of a business — not only linking all your accounts together, but also forming a community feel for your team and audience. This brand identity can be present through a logo, website, layout, packaging, social media and graphics.” 

5. Remember that simplicity speaks volumes in web design.

Your website landing page should set the tone for your company and provide vital information, making it easy for your audience to understand your business’s products or services.

“Figure out what the most important information is that you need users [or] customers to take away from that page, and make it extremely easy to find and understand,” advised Christina Coviello, manager of user experience research at Noom Inc. “Then identify the most important action you’d need users to take on that page and make it prominent and easily accessible.”

Coviello suggests adding a clear call to action (CTA) to your landing page, such as a purchase link or an email marketing list contact form. Your CTA should more deeply engage your audience with your services or products. 

6. Include eye-catching visuals in your website design. 

You might have a great story to tell, but no one will want to read your About page or explore your social media posts if you don’t immediately engage your audience. According to Cole Sletten, vice president of digital experience at Major League Soccer, enticing visual elements are essential for customer engagement.

“An image can communicate even complex messages quickly, concisely and memorably,” Sletten explained. “It’s this same drive for fast consumption that has evolved the internet from its text-centric roots into an image- and increasingly video-centric [medium].”

Marin agreed that eye-catching visuals will set your brand apart from competitors but noted that your imagery should be relevant to your brand and engage your target audience. When in doubt, keep things direct and simple.

However, Crooks cautioned businesses not to overuse stock photography, which can give a website a generic feel. Instead, consider supporting local artists and designers to create unique, innovative imagery.

7. Check out competitors’ websites. 

According to Chelsea Cohen, co-founder of SoStocked, monitoring competitors’ websites is a great way to identify trending design strategies. “An outdated website gives customers the impression that you either have an inactive online presence or aren’t interested in creating more convenient opportunities for them,” Cohen explained. “Your competition will have insight into what attracts similar customers, especially if they’ve had a long-standing digital presence.”

Cohen emphasized that while researching competitors can yield valuable insights, don’t copy their site architecture or color scheme. Instead, use their sites as a reference to identify effective elements and find ways to incorporate them organically into your own website. 

8. Focus on readability and usability when designing your website. 

When building a business website, easy navigation should be a top priority. Limiting elements and options will streamline your visitors’ experiences. 

“The fewer options you offer per page, the easier it will be for visitors to choose and convert into customers,” Cohen advised. “I recommend following the rule of three throughout your website. One element may be too few and lack enough detail to compel your reader to take action. But listing three elements at once is enough to create a balance and instill interest. Anything more risks overwhelming your audience and losing them altogether.”

According to Cohen, examples of the rule of three could include shortening bulleted lists or designing a less complicated, three-tiered pricing model.

9. Design your website for mobile viewing.

We touched on the importance of designing your website for easy mobile viewing to strengthen your SEO strategy. However, it bears repeating because mobile accessibility is also critical for user engagement. With nearly 61 percent of all internet traffic coming from mobile devices, ensuring your website is readable and navigable on mobile devices is a smart design choice. 

“Many users today browse the internet using their mobile phones,” noted Jeff Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Fig Loans. “With a limited real estate view, you need to make sure that visitors can easily navigate throughout your sites and find the information that they’re looking for. Just like how it functions on a web browser, your website should also function well on mobile devices.” 

Compelling, unique website design

When deciding what your online brand presence should look like, remember that consistency is essential — but consistency doesn’t mean repetition.

“The best brands … feel more like real, multifaceted personalities than collections of graphical elements,” Sletten explained. “Think about the qualities that are unique to your business and that could attractively represent your brand. Then let those qualities drive your logo and website, Instagram feed and even your storefront, packaging and customer service.”

Shayna Waltower and Jennifer Post contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.