Whether we like it or not, our brains are influenced by minute details, at a subconscious level. Most people will know the important factor in web design of “if you don’t catch the users attention in 1/8th of a second” – not really sure if it’s 1/8th of a second, but I know it’s something minute. Anyway, if you don’t catch their attention, they are out of there in a shot! People will just move onto the next website which will not impress them.
Of course there are many things you can do, many of them are important especially if you are in pay per click advertising, seeing as every click counts! More clicks, more click through rate & more conversions are your simple aims. Although techniques that are being discussed here can be used for any website.
In-debt the User
If you want the user to do something for you, for example, fill out a enquiry form, then you can employ techniques to in debt them, keep them on the page. An example of this in action is to have a landing page where you show an option with question. Eg:
Do you want a spoon?
Yes, I want a Spoon! OR No, Sorry
The ‘No, Sorry’ part is where you in-debt them. Sorry invokes guilt on the user. They are sorry its not what they wanted. With a clever choice of words you can get them to click through to yes, and thus making the lead stronger, the user more confident to fill out that form when they see it, or make that purchase.
Colour
Probably the biggest factor. In the mind we still consider colours like red a danger colour. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the colour red. It has a context, and can look beautiful in a design. However a harsh red can be used to effect. The ‘No, Sorry’ button could be made read. So then you are not only in debting them, they see the button as a danger. In contrast to this button, your ‘Yes I want a Spoon’ could be something like a green button. Thanks to the familiarity of traffic lights, we see green as go! Although the user doesn’t actually think about these things, they are subliminal, and you will find they are just ‘drawn’ to the green button.
The rest of the design of your website, be sure to use blending, pleasant colours, which will make your user feel comfortable. The best design is where the user doesn’t even notice. Being subtle is key.
Sales Copy
I’m referring to the actually text on the page. If your product has technical language, try to simplify it, you don’t want your users to be confused as they will just leave. If it’s an enquiry form, be sure to make them realise it will only take a couple of minutes of their time (or less), and if that isn’t the case, do your best to remove any unnecessary fields. Use various sales messages, and a lot of Sales Copywriting is trial and error, try month on month to improve your sales copy. A week’s worth of data is not enough when talking about fine % of conversions. Also don’t hesitate to hire a professional copywriter. A good copywriter is worth their own weight in gold.
Familiarity
Make sure when a visitor visits your page, they see all the familiar parts of a website they are used to. Instead of using a heavily contrasting colour for your navigation, soften it to stop your users wandering. Important sections include. Contact Us, Copyright section, privacy policy, about us, why us. These are some familiar pages that users may not even visit, but just ‘like to know they are there’.
Recent Comments