Knowing that website design is important for a brand if it is to achieve its ambitions of online success, is one thing. But do you know what your own organisation actually requires in the design of its website, and how the right design will help it succeed in its aims?
It can be all too easy for many brands to think about ecommerce website design in terms of whatever the latest ‘in-fashion’ website style is. But the fact is, trends come and go, and when a certain web design ‘look’ becomes fashionable, it also tends to become ubiquitous. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’ trends also become obsolete eventually.
So, such ‘surface’ aspects of website design won’t help you much to achieve the right website design for your own ecommerce brand. After all, there are plenty of great-looking online stores out there that aren’t very good at converting visitors into paying customers.
Let’s take a look, then, at the three factors that will best guide you in your efforts to devise a high-converting design for your online store: audience, strategy, and content.
Audience
Of the three factors we’ve set out here, the audience for your website is definitely the first that you will need to consider. If you don’t know who your ideal customers even are, you won’t be able to properly appreciate what will appeal to them in an ecommerce site, and what will lead them to take the actions you want them to take.
So, it’s really important to get your audience well-defined. Imagine your store’s ideal customer, sat opposite you right now. What age are they, and what is their life story?
Knowing these things will then help you to get specific about the strategy and content that will maximise your chances of attracting sales and loyalty from such individuals.
Strategy
Of course, the main aim you will have with your ecommerce site, is to sell. But beyond that, you are likely to have certain ‘mini goals’, the achievement of which will form crucial parts of the visitor ‘journey’ as you seek to build their trust and loyalty and tempt them into actually buying from you.
When we say ‘mini goals’, think of such things as getting the visitor to sign up to a newsletter, request a free sample, follow your brand on social media, or ask for a free consultation.
Naturally, the exact ‘mini goals’ you set will depend on your organisation, and its particular products and industry. Nonetheless, the ones that you do have should greatly influence your website design.
So, to start devising your strategy for your website design, first come up with a list of actions that you want someone to take on your site. Then, for each page, decide which of those actions will be the priority, so that the design can reflect this.
Content
You will probably be familiar with the notion of a website design needing to be filled with content. But do you know, broadly speaking, what the content will be before the design process starts?
For all too many ecommerce business owners, the answer to that question is “no” – and that’s a shame. The fact is that the content you determine your site needs – based on the strategy we referenced above – will do so much to determine the layout you go with for each page.
Hopefully, by this point, you will know your e-tail brand’s audience, and what the strategy will be. This will help you and any designers you work with to make all the right choices on the design of the site, so that you end up with a compelling site that works in converting visitors into customers, rather than just a site that looks good.
To decide on the content your site needs, come up with a site map, setting out the pages your site will consist of, before considering the elements – such as the headlines, body texts, and ‘calls to action’ – that will be needed for your intended strategy.
Would you like to have a more detailed discussion about how you can get the best results out of your firm’s website design or redesign? If so, Piranha Designs – one of the leading website development, ecommerce web design, and bespoke system solution companies in Gibraltar, Spain and the UK – is ready and waiting to take your call.
