Conversion Focused Web Design Still Proving Critical For eCommerce Businesses

Any ecommerce business owner will tell you how important good web design is to their success. That said, good web design includes many different elements. For example good web design should be aesthetically appealing for the users as well as easy to use. These kinds of elements attract customers to the website and spend time as they make their purchase.

As any good web designer will tell you, good web design is made up of more than just a good UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) design. One of the key elements of any good online store is conversion focused web design. Now those are an awful lot of big words in a strange order for those unfamiliar with web design. So let’s break down why it’s crucial for an ecommerce website.

What is Conversion Focused Web Design?

Before we look at why designing websites with conversion in mind is crucial for ecommerce businesses, we will want to answer the question of what exactly is conversion focused web design. Conversion optimised web design makes use of established design principles and strategies in order to try and convince users to take action on a website.

This is done in a number of ways. Many of these strategies use proven psychological triggers and persuasive design to boost sales. For ecommerce stores, a conversion is when a customer makes an online purchase. An optimised ecommerce web design is all about making it as easy and appealing as possible for shoppers to make a purchase. Good ecommerce websites always make full use of conversion focused web design.

As with many elements of web design, conversion focused design is much deeper than just trying to convince consumers to make a purchase. Many ecommerce stores will make use of CTA buttons such as “Shop Now” or “Sign Up”. CTA stands for call to action. Making a purchase is a call to action but so is signing up to a newsletter or watching a video. Any button that attempts to convince an online shopper to take an action is counted as a conversion.

When making the most out of conversion based design, calls to action are a core principle. CTA buttons are all ultimately trying to guide the user to make a purchase. Thus making the profit for the ecommerce business. Elements of user interface such as layout, colours, fonts and images all help with calls to actions.

More Than Just an Amazing Looking Website

So as you have probably gathered by now, a good ecommerce web design is more than just an amazing looking website. A web site may look amazing but if it does not entice the user to make a purchase then it could be considered a poor web design.

Conversion focused web design when done correctly is done by design experts that have studied what works with the public in general. Their findings rely on very solid data and scientific evidence as to why people respond in the way they do to certain layouts and colors.

Many websites include the same layout. A navigational menu at the top, a copy and a call to action right in front. Many websites also use trust badges. There is a reason why most websites have the same design. It is because website design for an ecommerce business is a proven method of increasing sales. Let’s have a look at some more reasons why conversion focused website design for an ecommerce business is crucial?

Focus on User Experience

User experience is all about a visitor’s interaction with the website and how it made them feel. A web design that offers users a first class user experience means visitors will be able to complete any action they want easily.

It also makes life easy for the customer when they visit an ecommerce web page. By putting the focus on conversions a website will have a consistent and helpful navigation. Happy customers are not only more likely to make a purchase but also spread the word about the business which should bring in future business.

A top tip is to make sure the website works on multiple formats, mainly on smartphones. This is because in today’s climate many website visitors will come to your website on a mobile. This kind of conversion focused web design is essential for our next point.

Creates Focus

A good website will create a focus on customers. Even the best landing pages will have to compete with all the online goodies that may distract the user. You cannot control all these distractions like social media notifications or someone chatting beside them in real life, you can control the distractions on your web page.

Creating focus in the users is considered by many to be the first principle of conversion focused design. It is important not to overwhelm the visitor with too many calls to action or options. In psychology this is known as over choice or analysis paralysis.

This means when it comes to conversions less is more. It is all about keeping focus on what you feel is essential to the customer in order for them to fulfil their purchase.

Builds Structure

Websites designed with conversion in mind not only look high quality but also subtly guides users to continue scrolling all while taking action. This means conversion focused web design builds structure and creates a natural flow through the web page.

This is mainly done through balancing the content in a way that is both informative and visually appealing. This can be done through planning out an information hierarchy. This will make sure users will get the information that is essential for them without getting side tracked.

To Sum Up

It is fair to say that conversion focused web design has many benefits to an ecommerce website. Many would go as far to say it is critical for any online shop. By having a web design that focuses on conversions, users are more likely to have a much better experience and far more likely to make a purchase.