What Does Web Design and Internet Marketing Have in Common?
- September 21, 2023
- Zaktualizowano 31 Sierpnia 2023
Professional web design is more than a clean layout, expertly placed images or a purposefully chosen color palette. Here’s how web design can help you reach digital marketing goals.
When it comes to promoting a product or service online, web design and internet marketing are two essential pieces of the puzzle. Web design refers to the creation of websites that look good and are easy to use. Internet marketing – or digital marketing – involves promoting a business through online marketing channels using various techniques like search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email campaigns, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and more.
You can think of a website as a digital storefront representing your business and internet marketing as the charismatic salesperson who brings people into your store. Together, they work in unison to captivate, engage and ultimately convert mere visitors into loyal customers.
In essence, building a sustainable business online requires understanding how website design and internet marketing work together. However, knowledge alone isn’t enough. Being able to use this intelligence to achieve positive results is equally important.
So, let’s explore the interconnected relationship between web design and digital marketing and dig deep into how a professionally designed website can be an effective digital marketing tool that helps achieve business goals.
Key highlights
- A well-designed website sets the tone for your brand’s online presence and can improve the effectiveness of your digital marketing campaigns.
- A seamless user experience on a website can boost conversion, as visitors are more likely to stay engaged and take the desired action.
What role does web design play in digital marketing?
At the heart of businesses with a successful online presence lies a compelling web design. Why? Because the visual appeal and user-friendliness of your website can greatly impact the effectiveness of your digital marketing activities. Here’s a scenario to illustrate this better.
Imagine you’re about to attend a high-stakes business meeting. You’ve spent weeks crafting a compelling presentation and rehearsing your pitch. However, you walk into that meeting sporting dirty clothes and messy hair. Unfortunately, your effort and preparation might go unnoticed as the first impression takes center stage.
In the digital landscape, your website creates the first impression, and web design sets the tone for your brand’s online presence.
You could invest substantial resources into a brilliant marketing campaign that generates clicks and drives traffic to your website. However, if visitors enter an outdated, slow or difficult-to-navigate site, they are likely to exit almost as quickly as they arrive. The result? High bounce rates, poor conversions and a digital marketing plan that falls short.
How to leverage web design in your digital marketing strategy: 9 aspects to consider
Undeniably, your website can be a powerful promotional tool that gives a positive first impression and amplifies your digital marketing efforts. But how exactly can you use web design to your advantage? Let’s consider some practical ways an effective website design can unlock the full potential of your overall digital marketing strategy.
1. Brand recognition
Upon entering Pepsi’s website, two things stand out immediately: the brand logo and the signature blue color scheme. These branding elements ensure website visitors can distinguish their brand from that of, let’s say, Coca-Cola – Pepsi’s primary competitor.
Like Pepsi, you can make your brand identity easily recognizable by enforcing a consistent brand identity across all touchpoints, including your website. By consistently using such branding elements as your logo, color palette, typography and imagery, you can not only make a lasting impression but also establish a visual link that customers can associate with your products or services.
Remember, every interaction the audience has with your business is an opportunity to reinforce your brand, so your website should be a memorable ambassador of your business identity.
2. User experience
You’ve launched a marketing campaign that increases your website traffic. However, despite having more visitors, you aren’t making sales. Why? The problem might be related to poor user experience (UX).
Think about it. If your web visitors are having difficulties browsing your site, they will likely not convert. On the other hand, when visitors land on a site that is easy to navigate and provides relevant information in a clear and organized manner, they are more likely to stay engaged and convert.
So, while driving traffic is essential, ensuring that your visitors have a smooth and enjoyable experience on your landing pages is equally vital for achieving your business or ecommerce marketing goals.
3. Search engine optimization (SEO)
A well-designed website with a user-friendly interface keeps visitors engaged. As such, people staying longer on your website signals to search algorithms that your site is of high quality, which could lead to higher rankings in the search engine results pages (SERP).
The opposite is true for poorly designed websites. If people bounce off your site as soon as they enter, search engines might interpret this as a sign that your site isn’t helpful or relevant. Consequently, your search engine rankings could drop.
Your website also allows you to incorporate relevant keywords. Through keyword research, you can identify phrases that your target audience enters on search engines to discover businesses like yours. Incorporating these keywords throughout your content, including headings and metadata, also helps with search engine optimization.
4. Conversion rate optimization
Another benefit of a great web design is that it improves conversion rates. It is no secret that visitors need to trust a business before they can become paying customers.
Using this intelligence, you can plan for a thoughtful website design that features elements known to build trust and showcase social proof. That includes customer testimonials, well-known partner logos and security badges.
Additionally, don’t forget about the effectiveness of clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons that guide visitors to the desired outcome. And what about incorporating a subscription form to acquire more customers through email marketing? Or promotional pop-ups highlighting discounts and time-sensitive sales (e.g., Black Friday promotions)? If placed correctly, those could double the conversion rate.
5. User journey
Designing a website isn’t just about arranging elements on web pages. It’s about orchestrating a seamless user journey that leads visitors toward desired actions. Once you’ve identified your target audience’s needs and their motivations, your website’s content and design elements should form a path that leads visitors to a desired outcome.
For example, at the awareness stage, you can attract potential customers by implementing strategic content marketing. Through content creation that addresses pain points and establishes your expertise, you can help potential customers understand your offering better. In the consideration phase, showcasing the benefits and features of your offerings can help visitors understand the value you provide.
Finally, when it comes to the decision-making stage – whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or contacting you – your website can include CTAs that grab attention and drive action.
6. Accessibility
For many businesses, the whole point of having a website is to increase exposure and acquire new customers. By making your website accessible, you ensure everyone, including people with disabilities, can use it easily and conveniently.
Of course, ensuring your website is inclusive to everyone is, first and foremost, the right thing to do from a moral standpoint. At the same time, doing so can expand your customer base and generate revenue. Especially when you consider that nearly 1.85 billion people with a spending power of $1.9 trillion are living with disabilities.
Besides, an accessible website gives you an edge in the marketplace over competitors who aren’t as accommodating. To make your site accessible, you must find a professional web designer who can adhere to web accessibility standards, such as those outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
7. Responsiveness
A responsive website automatically adjusts elements such as text, images and navigation to fit the screen size. In a digital era where users seamlessly switch between devices like mobile phones, tablets and laptops, having a responsive website design is non-negotiable.
This design approach ensures that your marketing efforts aren’t limited to large-screen devices but that you can maximize your reach and impact among mobile users.
A responsive design also contributes to SEO, as search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in the search results pages. So, to leverage responsiveness in your digital marketing web design strategy, you should design with a mobile-first approach. The idea is to create a mobile version of your site that works seamlessly on small screens and then expand them for larger devices.
By providing an optimal viewing experience on mobile devices, you can improve user experience by eliminating the need for constant scrolling, zooming or resizing.
8. Loading times
In a digital age with many distractions, the attention span of online audiences has grown short. If visitors experience extended wait times while navigating your site, they are likely to become impatient and exit your site to seek a faster alternative. Undoubtedly, this can lead to underwhelming outcomes from your marketing endeavors. For this reason, a great web design that loads fast is crucial to an effective digital marketing strategy.
Start by choosing a reliable hosting provider that offers fast server response times. Additionally, compress the file size of your website images without sacrificing quality to improve site speed. A website that loads quickly will positively impact user engagement on your website and overall conversions.
9. Visual appeal
Visual content reigns supreme in the online space. To highlight the importance of visuals, consider that 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and 65% of people are visual learners.
Our vivid preference for visuals highlights the importance of a visually appealing website design. While digital marketing services work to drive traffic, a visually captivating website is the welcoming doorway that beckons visitors to engage with your business.
Don’t forget that your website serves as a digital storefront where potential customers form their first impression of your brand. Investing in an attractive design is a strategic move that reinforces your marketing efforts.
Unfortunately, when it comes to quality web design, many small business owners with limited resources may struggle to afford the hefty price quote of a professional web designer. Fortunately, free web design services that offer custom-made, user-friendly and high-quality websites exist.
Can free web design services support digital marketing efforts?
At WAcademy, we recognize the importance of a well-designed website as the backbone of a successful digital marketing strategy. We understand the hours you invest, the goals you chase and the impact you seek to make. And we’re here to support your vision with a professional small business website designed for free.
How do we manage free web design services? Our web design internship program trains beginner web designers passionate about launching careers in UX, web and graphic design. As our intern web designers hone their skills, they collaborate with small business owners like you to create websites that reflect your brand essence. It’s a win-win initiative that blends your pursuit of a high-quality website with our commitment to nurturing emerging talent.
By choosing WAcademy’s free web design services, you’re not just getting a website – you’re partnering with a community that shares your aspirations.
So, while you’re busy fueling your digital marketing strategies, we’re here to ensure that your website is more than a virtual storefront. We can scale your ecommerce or business website and help turn it into a sales force that drives business growth.
Interested in what a trained beginner web designer can help you achieve? Click the link below and reserve your spot.
