Your website is likely to be the first point of contact with a potential customer or lead. It also acts as a very public profile for your business and a way to nurture existing customers and create a community around your organisation. In short, it’s a crucial marketing tool but also one that many businesses don’t make proper use of. It’s not enough that your website looks good, it should also be optimised to work for your business and created with user experience in mind.

Creating an Engaging Website

Rule 1: Focus on the design

Aesthetics are not the only essential for an engaging website but there is no doubt that the visuals are important. 75% of users make judgments about the credibility of a business based on website design. Influences here could be anything, from poor quality images through to spelling mistakes in the text, overcrowded pages or a bad colours and graphics choices. Use colours and imagery that reflect your business and core brand values so that your website feels like a consistent part of your branding. Focus on a design that instantly delivers information about what your business does, what you offer and why users should stick around and explore your website. Keep it simple and clean – and don’t be afraid to stand out.

Rule 2: Focus on the content

You have just a matter of seconds – perhaps even milliseconds – to engage a visitor who lands on your website and it’s the content you use that will achieve this. If your website is populated by large chunks of text with no headings or images then, not only will your website look very out of date, but visitors are likely to bounce pretty quickly. An engaging website is clear, concise and easy to understand. This means breaking up text and using a range of media, from images to video, to get your point across. You might also want to consider an “F” structure, which essentially adds your content to the page in an F shape, as this is how the reader’s eye will naturally explore the page. Remember that the content also needs to work for search engines – optimise text and images and consider the value of a regularly updated blog…

Rule 3: Focus on user experience

Slow page loading, confusing menu structures, a website that isn’t optimised for mobile – all of these elements will make your website less engaging and result in a loss of traffic and opportunity. Make sure your website design feels intuitive and enjoyable to the user – test this out with someone who doesn’t know your website and see if they get stuck with your drop-down menus or trying to find the blog. Remember that, increasingly, we are accessing websites via smartphones – and consumers are not that forgiving of a bad mobile experience (52% of consumers are less likely to re-engage with you if that happens). That means not only ensuring the website is optimised for mobile but also has a layout that will work on a small screen.

Your website is a key tool and can be crucial to business success. For more key insights from Iconic Digital, check out their blog page.