5 Website Design Tips to Engage Users

12.31.20

The success of your marketing strategy isn’t limited to the ad spend, technical SEO efforts, and the word choices you make to describe your business. One of the most important (and foundational) factors that encourage user engagement, interaction, and ultimately conversation, is the usability of your website. In fact, did you know that your website has about five seconds to capture user attention? That’s not much time! But how can you optimize your website design to keep customers?

Sage Digi will discuss 5 key areas of UX and design that brands should consider when designing their landing pages, product pages, blog articles, and more.

1. Choose Colors Strategically

Color is a big influence when it comes to evoking emotions on a website. Studies have shown the influence of color on psychological decisions, ranging from trustworthiness, comprehension, and conversions. Not only does color help customers associate brands, but it also supports brand messaging, calls to action (CTAs), and user feelings when navigating a website.

While color influences user experience, it’s important to remember that no single color will help users convert at a higher rate across all boards. What you can do, however, is A/B test if you color options on website pages and see which performs best. What’s A/B testing, you ask? Simply put, it’s having two variations of the same design and comparing which one performs best. Swapping CTA colors is a common test to track conversion performance and Hefner data about how users navigate, interpret, and take action on a web page.

2. Consider Symmetry and The Rule of Thirds

Most people appreciate organization and order, especially on websites. As you design and modify your website, it’s important to leverage the principle of symmetry and the rule of thirds to help your audience comprehend information and understand each section of a specific webpage.

To start off, use a simple layout for your webpages. Depending on the aesthetic and design you’re going for, the placement of pictures, products, and call to actions may change. However, things should be designed in a balanced manner that considers symmetry.

As an example, if you’re listing CTAs that encourage customers to do something, listing three options that are centered on the page is ideal. Examples may be:

  • Call for an appointment
  • Send us an email
  • Subscribe

Competing to grab the attention of website visitors is something you’ll always need to keep in mind when updating marketing strategies, including websites.

3. Avoid Chunks of Copy

Making your page copy scannable and easy to read is super important when it comes to keeping user attention. Because really, who wants to read through chunky blocks of paragraphs that aren’t visually appealing? If readers aren’t seeing anything that interests them within those 5 seconds, they’ll likely leave your page.

To keep engagement, avoid large paragraphs on your pages. To do this, add headings to create the look and feel of sections, all while giving organization and topic scannability at first glance. Adding bulleted or numbered lists is another way to break up content, too!

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of optimized copy vs. not-so-optimized copy:

4. Include Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

What makes readers take action on a webpage? CTAs! Including CTAs are a great way to break up copy, add visuals, and provide ways for users to learn more about your product or business. Here are some key characteristics of CTAs to help users convert:

  • Clear and easy to find
  • Action-oriented
  • Personalized to your audience
  • Create a sense of urgency
  • Use a contrasting color

Here’s an Example of a CTA to Contact Us!

5. Provide Internal Links

Coming up with an internal linking strategy is a great way to move users through your website. A portion of this strategy should include a content funnel, which is a system that takes users through a step-by-step content flow and converts them into actual customers who make a purchase, submit a contact form, etc. from a landing page (this is important for paid ad landing pages!).

For example, it’s important to get people on one blog post to check out other parts of your website, such as related blog posts, a specific product/service page, or contact page.

Are you ready to talk website design, user experience, and how to further convert users once they reach a langing page?
Give us a shout for a free consultation!

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