10 min read
The Power of Web Design: Essential Statistics and Insights
If you have a well-designed website, you can expect an improvement in consumer time spent on site up to 84% and year-over-year online revenue by 132%, as experienced by Swiss Gear.
First impressions matter, and consumers highly value a well-designed and seamless website experience. If you want to keep people on your site, you need to have a functional site that makes people want to stay. After all, users will form an opinion on your brand in 0.05 seconds based on your website. Think about the images, colours and videos you are using. What do they say about your brand?
Of course, you want to be deemed as a reputable and trusted brand but if you don’t invest in your web design, you are at risk of appearing untrustworthy. Not only will you lose sales, but you will lose consumer trust. Make sure your website is reflective of your brand. High-quality websites that are secure and functional will keep your customers browsing longer.
50% of consumers find that website design is the foundation of a business’s brand. As a web design agency, we know this. You might think ‘how do you choose a Web Design Agency?’ We’ve seen first-hand what a well-designed website can do for brands. Not only does it impact customer engagement, brand perception, and revenue growth, but it is an asset that can help businesses to stand out in the crowded online marketplace. You can claim an identity. Take a look at Shape’s branding projects: before and after.
There are many different elements that make up your web design. Research looks at the visual elements to consider in your website design – photos/images, colour and videos. The findings show that 40% of consumers care about photos and images over colour and videos. 39% of consumers appreciate the colour scheme and 21% care about the videos on websites. This highlights the importance of visual elements for website design. One study found that 4 out of 5 users will abandon a site if videos do not play or take ages to load. There’s no point in filling your site with visual elements if they have functionality issues. This is where investing in a website design agency to ensure a smooth, seamless design process might be your best bet.
The role of a Web Designer is to make your site stand out in the digital world… among MANY other things. Having an old-school website design can seriously turn people off and make them bounce from your site. You need to think about creating a sustainable website. It's not just about looks but also about whether your site works smoothly on phones and is secure from online threats. Keep your website fresh and up to date to avoid scaring off potential customers. You might just need a few simple steps to improve your existing website without redesign. By regularly refreshing your website's appearance, functionality, and security features, you can showcase your expertise whilst maintaining a positive user experience for your clients.
In May 2023, mobile devices were considered to be the most popular in generating website traffic, compared to desktops or tablets. What does this mean? Well you better make sure your site works well across all devices. You might have a beautifully designed site that is only optimised for desktop use, which will only drive those mobile users away. You might want to consider offering a mobile app to consumers for convenience.
How can not having a mobile-friendly site hurt your business? In today’s digital age, there’s no room to stay in the past. Mobile is the most popular form of website traffic, which is evident since 72% of consumers expect a mobile site. Not only do you need a mobile website design, you need one that is optimised to work across all devices. This sounds simple, but so many people struggle with this.
In order for your users to be satisfied, you need to prioritise making sure you build an accessible site. This will help with retaining those customers and you will naturally see more sales flowing in. The importance of having a mobile-friendly website is emphasised further since 50% of mobile users are more likely to use a company’s mobile site instead of an app. An app requires more effort since they have to download it. There’s a huge demand for all businesses to be offering this seamless mobile browsing experience. If you haven’t yet, you might as well start now.
What’s the point in having a website if it’s hard to navigate, confusing, or doesn’t work well across all social platforms? Not only will you have a negative impact on your customer’s journey, but you risk losing them entirely to competitors. The process behind building a website can be hard for beginners.
You need to make user experience a priority. Make it easy for customers to purchase or find information from you on your site. You want to add value to those interacting with your brand by giving them a seamless customer experience. Sites with good user experience can have 400% higher conversion rates so it’s a no-brainer to invest in the user experience.
This can be dangerous for brands, with 44% of consumers saying they would share their negative user experience with friends and family. This is the type of word-of-mouth you want to avoid as brands. Your company could suffer.
You’ve heard the phrase – ‘a need for speed’. Well, this applies to websites too. If you have to wait ages for a site to load, you’re probably going to swerve and go elsewhere. It can force consumers to abandon sites. Google’s user performance data shows that even the slightest fraction of a second in page loading times can impact customer focus and engagement. Over 50% of all mobile site visits are abandoned if the page doesn’t load within 3 seconds. That’s a lot of potential sales you could be losing just from not investing in a high quality, functional website.
We’re not lying about the importance of ensuring the online user experience is seamless. Poor functionality could be the reason why your customer has abandoned their basket, instead of completing the sale. There can be a lot of missed opportunities for brands if their site challenges its customers. 39% of users stop interacting with a page if the images fail to load.
Simplifying checkout experiences can reduce cart abandonment rates, as 21% of abandonments result from lengthy or complex checkout experiences. Make it easy for your customer to check out and purchase from you.
Despite the increasing importance of eCommerce, 23% of small retail businesses still lack websites due to a lack of technical expertise. Research from Statista shows that revenue from eCommerce websites in the United States amounted to $431.6 billion in 2020 and expects an increase to $563.4 billion by 2025. Businesses, small or big, can’t afford to not be online. You will be missing out on revenue. There’s no doubt that eCommerce is becoming the future of retail. You can target a large global audience online unlike physical stores.
It's a really competitive online world out there. As a web design agency, we're on our toes, constantly innovating and staying updated with the latest design trends to help our clients stand out and shine in this digital space.
Covid-19 accelerated the trend for online shopping, driving businesses to take action and get themselves online. Website demand. More people accessing the internet. Having a user-friendly website has become an essential revenue stream for businesses.
There are many web design agencies in the UK that vary in size. The figure – 1,981 has seen an increase of 3.3% from 2022. With 1,981 web design services businesses operating in 2023, the digital market is filled with creative energy. At Shape, we take pride in our unique, fresh approach that sets our work and clients apart from the competition. Our dedicated team is committed to crafting websites that not only look stunning but also deliver exceptional user experiences to help businesses thrive. If you are looking for an agency to help, you should know there are differences between small and large Web Design Agencies.
Website trends come and go all the time.
Social proof leads to more conversions. When customers engage in sharing positive customer experiences online, readers are 58% more likely to make a purchase because of this influence. Research shows that 92% of consumers read online reviews or testimonials before making a purchase. Customer reviews are more authentic and honest than any promotional material shared by brands. Think of when your friends make recommendations, you trust them right. Well, a survey has revealed that 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as those personal recommendations.
You want to be known as a credible brand? Make this social proof known by adding those testimonials to your site. It’s a no-brainer since 72% of consumers value customer reviews as being the main source of showing brand credibility. Incorporate them in your design. If you need some inspo, look at how we’ve done it.
In 2019, retail sales via mobile device were £50.36 billion. A prediction for 2024 is that the revenue from m-commerce will see major growth to £105.28 billion. It makes sense considering the use of mobile phones continues to increase every year in the UK, reaching 94% in 2023. The age groups of 24 to 34 and 35 to 54 exhibited the highest rates of smartphone adoption.
This is why there’s such a high demand for brands to have mobile optimisation. You need to make sure your site functions across all devices. We take our phones with us everywhere we go, you don’t want to be losing customers or sales in the process because they can’t access a user-friendly website.
Not only did it attract the most new users, it also secured the highest rate of returning visitors, with 74%. This should be a prompt for all businesses to prioritise mobile optimisation in their strategies. With the increasing reliance on smartphones for various online activities, including shopping, communication, and entertainment, it has become increasingly imperative for companies to ensure a seamless and user-friendly mobile experience to effectively engage and retain their audiences. As the mobile landscape continues to evolve, businesses are expected to continue investing in mobile-responsive designs and applications to cater to the needs and expectations of their consumers.
The future of web design appears to be deeply intertwined with the user experience and the evolving digital landscape. Effective website design has shown significant potential in boosting your website performance, including consumer engagement and bolstering online revenue. Given that first impressions heavily influence consumer perceptions, brands are increasingly prioritising well-designed, visually appealing, and functional websites to establish credibility and trust among their audience. With an emphasis on visual elements such as images, colour schemes, and videos, the seamless integration of these features has become crucial to retaining user interest and minimising site abandonment.
As mobile devices continue to dominate website traffic, businesses are recognising the need for comprehensive mobile optimisation, ensuring that their websites offer a seamless and accessible experience across various devices. The incorporation of user-generated content (UGC), such as customer reviews and testimonials, serves as a vital tool for building brand credibility and influencing consumer purchasing decisions. With the rising influence of m-commerce and the increasing reliance on smartphones for online activities, businesses are expected to continue investing in mobile-responsive designs and applications to cater to the evolving needs and preferences of their consumers.
The digital market, characterised by intense competition and rapid innovation, demands web design agencies to remain agile, proactive, and well-versed in the latest design trends to help their clients stand out and excel in the ever-expanding online space.
I'm Kerry. Content Writer at Shape – if you don't find me at my desk, I'm probably on holiday again!
