Digital is the way to go now and especially so for e-commerce. Market intelligence reports showed that e-commerce sales exceeded $4.89 billion at the beginning of 2021 and predict they’ll reach $6.388 billion by 2024. This development isn’t surprising, but it has further emphasized the significance of website design for e-commerce.

According to research published by Adobe, 59% of the audience claimed to prefer browsing aesthetically pleasing websites. Website design also affects how people view the brand, so you need to work with an expert to ensure you get the services you need.

This article will highlight the importance of website design for e-commerce and provide tips for creating the right mix of content and visuals.

Importance of Website Design for E-Commerce

Website design refers to the basic appearance of your e-commerce website, including graphics, content, and imagery. You must ensure you make it as good as possible for several reasons.

1. First Impressions Are Critical

According to Research Gate, 94% of your visitors use website design to formulate their first impressions. Additionally, 50% say that the website design gives them an impression of the brand, so your brand image is on the line here.

Adding to this challenging task is that this first impression takes 0.05 seconds to form. Hence, you must impress the visitor within the first 0.05 seconds if you want the intended image. Some visitors will continue browsing despite the poor impression and may change their minds.

However, that is not a decision you can count on for your business success.

2. Affects User Decision-Making

Website design isn’t just about appearances; it also affects user decision-making. Content placements, color choice, and visuals significantly encourage specific actions in the consumers. Part of this aspect is the responsibility of website development, but the remaining requires design work.

Things as simple as optimal link placements, especially those that prompt users to continue searching and strolling, can make a difference.

3. Increase Your SEO Score and Ranking

Website design is critical for achieving a high SEO score, which, in turn, decides where your website ranks in organic search. Choosing templates and color schemes that appeal to the audience affects the total time they spend on your website.

This extra time and the design itself get evaluated by Google’s algorithm. These factors affect where Google’s algorithm places your link when people search for related information. Hence, the better the website design, the higher your visibility and clicks.

4. Establishes Expectations

The overall look and feel of your branded digital platform is also a way to set expectations. A well-designed website shows that you invest in your business and try to entice customers towards relevant products.

In contrast, a mediocre design usually puts people off, and they prefer accessing other websites for their needs. Such actions can cause significant revenue losses, so it is better to follow the rules.

5. Builds Trust

Lastly, an organized and polished website instills trust, while a poorly designed website makes people suspicious about its authenticity. Internet frauds and scams have become common in the past few years, and people have become warier about sharing information.

Such scams have a few tells, poor website design being one of them. Hence, it is best to improve on that front if you want to build lasting client relationships.

Tips for Designing an Effective Website for E-Commerce

Now that you know how critical website design is for e-commerce, let’s check out some tips for improving it. Following are the top strategies that can help you make the most out of your website and increase your conversion rates:

1. Keep Things Simple

Firstly, keep the design simple. Time and time again, brands make the mistake of overcrowding their website with illustrations and design elements to appeal to the audience. Unfortunately, that only distracts them from paying attention to the primary concern, the products or services.

It is best to minimize the noise in your website design to ensure it appeals without overwhelming the visitor’s senses.

2. Ensure Design is Mobile Adaptive

The world has become mobile-oriented, with 92.1% of users using their cellphones to browse the internet. Hence, there is ample evidence to prove that people will access your website through their handy devices. The problem is that several brands still make websites for desktops only, which distorts the overall arrangement when viewed on a cellphone.

The best solution is to make a mobile adaptive website and ensure tablet dimensions are also part of the order. Percento Technologies developers will provide this guidance when you work with us, but it is also critical to know this in general.

3. Think like a User

If you’re struggling to understand what would appeal to a visitor, think like one. That’s right. You also utilize e-commerce services of other brands, so go on a searching spree and see which design elements appeal to you as a customer. This analysis will help reveal insights about e-commerce websites from a user experience perspective.

The more clarity you have, the better you’ll perform.

4. Increase Visibility for Best Sellers

What is true for general marketing is also true for your website. You need to hook the customers and present your portfolio to make them consider purchases. In the case of e-commerce, it is best to make your best sellers as visible as possible. Their achievement shows that they have the highest demand and are the most attractive to your target audience.

Hence, they will draw attention and push visitors to stay on the website long enough to see something else catch their attention.

5. Incorporate SEO-Friendly Content

SEO-friendly content is at the heart of success for a website. This content includes keyword-optimized text, attractive images, strategically placed illustrations or design elements, and backlinks. These factors help boost your SEO ranking, pushing your website to the top for the relevant keyword searches.

Wrapping Up

We hope this article explained the importance of website design for e-commerce businesses to your satisfaction. Please refer to our tips when working on your website to optimize it for clicks and conversions.

Percento Technologies has been part of the IT industry for several years, and we have dedicated expertise in E-commerce consulting. Don’t hesitate to contact our team to know more about our services.  For a representative review of our past design projects, visit our Portfolio page at percento.us/expert-services/website-design/portfolio