Introduction
In this article we will go over the most important aspects that when applied
synergistically will take your web presence appearance and usability to the next
level.
Building a Trustworthy Visual Presence
The importance of the visual presentation of the information on your site cannot
be underestimated. The first impression to your audience is strong and memorable
whether it is good or not. Unattractive websites can be a turn off. Many people
think that if you didn't place any effort in making your business look good,
chances are you won't care much about servicing your clients. Even more
important, your website appearance can be utilized to evoke certain emotions in
people; help building trust, emphasize on your marketing message, and as a
result affect your sales.
Color Is a Powerful Weapon
Color is an important element of design that is used to create ideas, convey
messages, invoke feelings. Colors often have different meanings in various
cultures. Certain colors tend to invoke a similar reaction from most people -
the overall difference being in the shades or tones that are used. Colors
determine the psychological effect on viewers.
Color is one of the keys to good web design. Colors should be chosen wisely as
they can affect the mood of the viewers. They should be chosen in such a way so
as to suit the subject of the website. Choosing the right colors for a website
involves more than deciding on which colors you like. Achieving color harmony is
a science. Our statistics show that sometimes by changing the color scheme of
your marketing materials the conversion rates can be affected by as much as 15%.
And remember that color should enhance your site's experience, but because so
many people perceive color in so many different ways, color cannot be used to
define your site's experience.
Usability and User Friendly Design
Have you ever gone to a website where the information seemed to relate to your
needs, visually was very appealing, but it was impossible to figure out how to
get what you went there for at the first place?
Front end usability plays an important role in the effectiveness of your site to
generate leads. Consumed by today's busy life most people simply do not have
time to search for the information that they need. Information should be
displayed in clear type, normal size letters and in contrast to the design. Most
significantly important marketing messages must be prominent and clear.
Navigation must be easy to understand. The user should be able to get to any
area of your site in no more then 2-3 mouse clicks. For complex and multi level
navigation it is a good idea to use a "bread crumb" indicator displaying the
current position on the website.
For example, when a website visitor is on your contact page, instead of
displaying just a page titled "Contact Us" you may want to display:
Home > About the company > CONTACT US
This visually represents that visitor at the "Contact Us" page located in "About
the company" section.
When a visitor is inclined to make a purchase you need to provide tools to
fulfill users' request. Whether it is a complex shopping cart solution or a
simple contact form it is necessary to have fool proof systems in place.
Thank you for taking your time and reading Website appearance is essential as an
Internet Marketing Tool. We encourage you to use this information to improve
sales on your website today.
