Until roughly the 1990s, consumers primarily did their holiday shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. Many customers decided whether they wanted to enter the store based on the appeal of the window display. Fast forward a few decades, and an increasing number of people are relying on ecommerce sites to get their shopping done. Functional and appealing web design can be your digital “window display” in attracting potential customers.
When it comes to web development, first impressions matter. Graphic designers only have 50 milliseconds to make an initial impression on a consumer.[1] Therefore, the importance of compelling web design is paramount. How can you turn those website clicks into paying customers? With 76% of consumers planning to shop online this holiday season,[2] the potential is there. Read on for five important tips to get those conversions with custom web design this holiday season.
(rawpixel.com/Freepik)
Design
Don’t be afraid to have fun with design during the holiday season. Whether it’s small seasonal graphics, or tabs for special holiday deals, these design elements allow the customer an escape from the real world.
Switching out standard fonts and logos to include fun, seasonal elements gets the consumer excited about their experience and, hopefully, their purchase. Clean fonts, relevant colors, and functional design will ensure the potential customer a positive shopping experience.
- Homepage—No one expects you to change up your entire homepage. Your company’s branding should still be clearly recognizable, but just with some festive touches. Seasonally appropriate banners, cursors, or updated holiday promotion tabs are a great way to get in the spirit.
- White Space—Fight the urge to fill blank space with graphics and promotional materials. Doing so overwhelms the customer and is less likely to result in a sale. Intentional white space is a design element in and of itself and should be included in the graphic design plan.
- Proportions—Adjust the size of the important graphics or content to stand out compared to less relevant materials. This will draw the consumer’s eye and help them focus on what’s most important.
- Color—Avoid using too many colors or color combinations that are difficult to read. Choose a palette that relates to your holiday theme. Use these colors in a way that complements your graphics and images.
Functionality
While visually appealing design elements are important, the user’s experience navigating the site is a top indicator of whether they will purchase the product or become a repeat customer.
- Links—Don’t get so caught up in making your holiday updates flashy and new that you forget to check and ensure your navigation links work. Broken links ruin your credibility and the user experience.
- Graphics—Files should be high quality and load within seconds. Empty graphic boxes hurt the look of your web page and reflect negatively on your brand.
- Organization—Your layout should make sense. The customer should be able to easily navigate your website. Relevant information should be legible and visually appealing to the consumer. Festive fonts are only good for business if the customer can read them.
SEO
Your website design might draw the customer in, but your content will make them stay. Utilizing keywords is at the heart of your holiday promotion strategy. They can be used in promotions, coupon codes, banners, and social media advertising.
- Seasonally appropriate blog posts provide value to the customer and will help drive traffic from search engines to your website.
- Offering deals, discounts, bundles, trials, savings, rates, and packages increases the likelihood that you will be found in keyword searches online. Using relevant keywords in conjunction with seasons or holidays such as “Winter Sale” or “Christmas Deals” increases your searchability and helps customers find you.
Credibility
An impressive design might draw in a customer, but they won’t stick around long if your brand is not credible. Holiday coupon codes should work, promotional deals should be fairly advertised, and contact information should be updated and accurate.
Website design can help your business this holiday season if you let it. Understand your customers and use a design that will appeal to them. Contact our Salt Lake City website design agency for more tips.