Four billion. That’s the number of Google searches done by internet users every day. A search for a single topic can turn up tens of thousands of results. With that kind of competition, your business needs a website that will stand out from the crowd. That’s why web design is so important: it determines how much time potential customers will spend on your site getting to know your products and services. A professional web design agency can help you create a website that will not only rank high in online searches, but one that will attract and pull in customers.
The importance of online searches
There’s a whole world of information out there on the internet, but the challenge for users is to find what’s relevant to their needs. Likewise for businesses, it’s important to stand out from the hundreds if not thousands of websites competing for users’ attention. By connecting customers with the businesses they are looking for, online searches can help businesses to improve sales and create brand awareness.
Customers rely heavily on the internet not only to shop but also to research items they plan to purchase. Even if they finally make the purchase in person in a store, as many as 70% to 80% of customers will first look it up online. Search engine optimization or SEO helps websites to rank high in online searches like Google, so that it shows up early in the search results. That’s important because internet users rarely go beyond the first page of search results. A web design agency can create an seo website for your business, or optimize your existing website to increase your visibility in online searches.
What are internet users looking for?
But being found is only half the battle. The other half is persuading customers to stay and look around your site and to spend enough time to know your business well enough. This can be a difficult task, given the proliferation of web sites out there. All of these make demands on the internet user’s attention, and most people use some very basic strategies to filter out the irrelevant sites. Web design plays a big part in the decision by an internet user to stay on a site or to move on to the next one.
Researchers at Northumbria and Sheffield Universities in the the U.K. have found that for as many as 94% of internet users, the appearance of a website and its design are the most important factors in creating a first impression. Ease of navigation around a site and a positive user experience are important for 95% of all internet users, according to another study by Econsultancy.
How can a web design agency help?
Besides web design, customers are looking for sites that are optimized for mobile devices. That’s because they rely on their smartphones for much of their shopping. More than half or 51% of customers surveyed say that they have found the business they were looking for by doing an internet search on their mobile devices.
Website design plays a major role in attracting internet users who can turn into potential customers. Sites that are optimized for mobile devices make it easier for internet users to find the products and services they need. Professional web development services can help to create a website that will meet customer expectations in both areas.
A strong internet presence lets businesses to connect with customers. Beyond that, website design has to attract and hold customers. Website development by a web design agency that focuses on design, ease of navigation, and optimization for mobile devices can turn browsers into actual customers.