All business owners understand that having a website is essential. Websites help give your potential customers information about your business, develop trust, and convert into leads. However, many businesses today still do not have an updated website or a website with a modern experience. But why is a modern well-designed website important? 88% of visitors are less likely to return to a website due to a bad user experience. That is nearly 9 out of 10 people never returning to your website because of its design, even if you offer the services they need. Furthermore, nearly 75% of consumers admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility based on their web design. This means that the appearance, usability, and functionality of your website can either make or break your business’s ability to attract and retain customers. Moreover, a well-designed website is a powerful tool for lead generation as well. Businesses that have a well-optimized website experience generate 126% more leads than those without a modern website. Website elements like clear calls to action, navigation, and high-quality images all play a vital role in optimizing your funnel. In this blog, we’ll explore the seven must-have elements for your business website. By incorporating these web design elements, you can create a modern web layout that not only attracts visitors but also converts them into loyal customers. Let’s dive in and see what makes a website truly effective in today’s competitive digital landscape.
7 Must-Have Website Elements for Your Business
To ensure your business website is both visually appealing and highly functional, it’s essential to incorporate certain key elements. Here are the seven must-have components that every business website should include:
- Responsive Design
- Clear Navigation
- Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)
- High-Quality Images
- Sign Up/Contact Forms
- Fast Loading Speed
- Secure and Reliable Hosting
Each of these elements plays a crucial role in creating a website that attracts visitors and converts them into loyal customers. Let’s take a closer look at each of these essential web design elements.
1. Responsive Design
60% of all website traffic today comes from mobile devices. Hence, websites that are not responsive are likely to have a very high bounce rate. Responsive web design is when your website adapts to different screen sizes and gives visitors a seamless experience. Websites that have larger CTA buttons, readable text, and easy navigation, all contribute to a better user experience. The goal is to create a website that looks and functions well on any device, from desktops to smartphones.
So, how do you make your website responsive? Start by evaluating your current web design elements and identifying areas that need adjustment. Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to pinpoint specific issues. Consider adopting a mobile-first design approach, where you design the mobile version of your site first before scaling up to larger screens. Implement responsive frameworks such as Bootstrap or Foundation, which offer pre-designed responsive components. Finally, ensure continuous testing across different devices and screen sizes to maintain a smooth and consistent user experience. By prioritizing a responsive design, you can significantly enhance user satisfaction and improve your website’s overall performance.
2. Clear Navigation
For effective web design, clear navigation is pivotal and plays a significant role in ensuring a positive user experience. Clear navigation on your website allows visitors to find information quickly and easily. Hence, well-structured navigation can severely reduce bounce rates and encourage users to explore more than your landing page. This ultimately increases the chances for conversions. Clear navigation is a cornerstone of effective web design and plays a pivotal role in ensuring a positive user experience. When visitors land on your website, they should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. A well-structured navigation system helps reduce bounce rates and encourages users to explore more pages, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversion. 94% of consumers say easy navigation is the most important website feature and if visitors are not able to navigate through the website, they are likely to leave immediately.
Usually, navigation lies at the top of the page (also known as the menu). Adding useful links to important pages like home, about, blog, services, etc are all ways to have a clear navigation. But navigation varies depending on your business and your website. For instance, a doctor’s website could include a portal that lets patients sign in while a plumbing website would link to requesting a quote. Your navigation should also include a breadcrumb tail which can help users keep track of their location on the website. By prioritizing clear navigation, you can create a modern web layout that guides visitors effortlessly through your site, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
3. Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)
Websites help businesses do two things: build credibility and convert visitors into leads. One important website element that helps with conversions is Calls to Action (CTAs). CTA guides website visitors towards desired actions, for example making purchases, signing up for your newsletter, or calling your business. However, for CTAs to be effective, you need personalized CTAs that are strategically positioned. Compelling calls to action (CTAs) are vital for guiding your website visitors toward desired actions, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting your business. A well-crafted CTA can significantly enhance user engagement and drive conversions, making it a crucial web design element. According to Hubspot, personalized CTAs convert 202% better than generic ones. Impactful CTAs often have strong, action-oriented language that prompts an immediate response. For example, instead of using a generic CTA like Submit, you can use Get a Free Quote, Start Your Free Trial, or Download Now. Moreover, incorporating urgency such as Limited Time Offer or Join Now – Limited Spots Left are all CTAs that motivate users to take action.
4. High-Quality Images
Visual content is processed 60,000 times faster than text, and according to research content with high-quality images receives 94% more views than those without. Websites with customized high-quality images are more like to attract and engage visitors along with improving your website’s aesthetics.
When choosing images for your website you have a couple of options. You can hire a graphic design company to create custom images relevant to your brand or product to use throughout your website, or you can use platforms like Unsplash and Pexels. Both Unsplash and Pexels allow you to download free-to-use images. If you are a dentist, showcasing high-quality images of your location and your staff is helpful to build credibility and if you run an e-commerce website, showcase your products with clear, detailed images from multiple angles. Additionally, optimize images for fast loading speeds by compressing them without sacrificing quality. Tools like Photoshop or online services like TinyPNG can help reduce file sizes. By prioritizing high-quality images in your web design elements, you can create a visually engaging modern web layout that attracts and retains visitors.
5. Sign Up/Contact Forms
At the end of the day, you want your visitors to convert whether it is requesting a demo, call back, or signing up for your newsletter. In all cases, your website needs forms. 30% of businesses still do not use contact forms for lead generation, but website forms make it easy for visitors to take action, eventually leading to customers. Effective website forms are always short, simple, and straightforward. For instance, if you have a sign-up form, you need an email address. At most, the name. If it is a contact form, you may ask for a name, email, phone number (optional), and a tell us more field. Many times, businesses overdo the fields in a form. Usually, visitors who look at such overwhelming forms with more fields than necessary are likely to bounce. From a business point of view, you can also implement CAPTCHA (spam protection) to prevent unwanted form submissions. Form positioning is also crucial in ensuring visitors convert. If it is a contact form, you want to ensure, it is available on the contact page or the homepage.
Implementing spam protection measures, such as CAPTCHA, can prevent unwanted submissions and maintain the integrity of your leads. Position your contact form prominently on your website, such as on the homepage or a dedicated contact page, and consider using pop-up forms for added visibility. By optimizing your contact forms, you can enhance user experience and improve your website’s lead generation capabilities.
6. Fast Loading Speed
Though not a visible website element, website speed is an important element in improving user experience and conversions. 47% of visitors expect websites to load in under 2 seconds while 40% abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. With a slow website, expect higher bounce rates, lower search rankings (yes, Google doesn’t like it too), and decreased visitor satisfaction. Improving loading speed is critical to make sure your visitors are not waiting. Contributing to long load times are uncompressed images, CSS, and JavaScript files. You can improve your website speed by compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and leveraging browser caching. You can also rely on a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute your website’s content, enhancing speed. One thing you almost always want to be doing is monitoring your website’s performance with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. Google also provides recommendations so you are not left guessing.
7. Secure and Reliable Hosting
All websites are immune to a cyber-attack and data security concerns. According to a study by DataProt, 30,000 websites are hacked daily, making website security a top priority for businesses. This might sound technical but most hosting platforms do the heavy lifting for you. Finding the right one is important. Our personal favorite is Namecheap.
When it comes to finding the right hosting for your website, you want to be looking for SSL certificates, regular backups, and robust firewalls to safeguard your business. Based on your business growth, scalability is also important. If you are driving more traffic than anticipated, you might need a more powerful hosting plan. Good hosting is an investment you make to always have your website secured and maintain 100% uptime.
Conclusion
Small and mid-sized businesses rely heavily on word-of-mouth and referrals. And why not? They have been in business for decades without needing a website. Fair point. However, it is not only about generating business from traditional sources, it is about how many leads you are missing out on without a website. If you already have a website and are not updating it, you are likely missing out on leads ready to become customers but visitors did not find the information they were seeking. Can DVC help you? Yes! DVC helps customers from various industries design and develop modern websites with all of the above website elements included and more. From custom to WordPress websites, our team at DVC can help you look better than your competitors and be up and running in no time. Contact DVC today for more and schedule a consultation.