Designing Website Elements to Increase User Engagement

Design trends come and go, but business goals will always be top of mind. To remain competitive, it’s necessary to regularly assess whether or not a website is making the connections needed to remain effective for the goals of a company that requires growth and revenue. In the process of designing a website or redesigning an existing site, you can have all the bells and whistles of shiny new interactive and up-to-date features, but if it doesn’t align with the targeted user, the features become a roadblock on the path to conversion.

Whether it’s new functionality or outdated imagery, a range of seemingly small things can hurt user experience and site performance. While a well-designed website may be a fully functional platform, conversion strategies must be approached in a customized manner to the business and user set. Even a few tweaks to an existing design can increase conversions by up to 75% upon implementation.

Rethink Color

Color has a powerful influence on conversions. This is perhaps the most personal of all the design elements. The designer must determine the emotional cues being directed in any given section based on image and content. Not only should the color be complementary, but it must also reflect the feeling and align with the brand.

Make Information Available

The average user knows how to use a hidden (hamburger) menu, but particularly if you want customers to get in touch for a quote or more information, they need to know how to get in touch with you – and should be able to easily find this information. Display it prominently in the header or footer – keep it simple.

Optimize for Mobile

Creating a responsive website that can adapt to multiple screens is critical to capturing almost 50% of users who access sites via mobile. Put simply, if a site isn’t optimized for mobile, it’s losing conversions.

Focus on Imagery

Authentic imagery is always the way to go. Through the use of custom imagery and photography, a company can show the specifics of a product in use and express its core perspective. While well-curated stock photography is a solid route for a lower budget, you risk the possibility of another website or company using the same images.

Feature Calls-to-Action

Well-placed calls to action are conversion machines. They help users naturally flow through a process more easily, making the decision process almost seamless. Consider color and shape when determining the best route for a CTA. They almost always should be contained or used alongside an arrow or alternate font.

Organize Content

A content hierarchy, in addition to the well-organized top navigation, will lead customers through a guided journey directly to conversion. Alternately, it can take them to products or places that they may not have seen or are unaware the site offers. This not only informs of information, products and services that they may have missed but promotes brand awareness.