Why your website is a flop (+ and how to boost sales sky-high)

Why your website is a flop (+ and how to boost sales sky-high)

Back in the day, I used to wear the freelancer's hat, juggling a variety of design projects. Among them was web design, a domain where I diligently adhered to the specific process I had acquired during my two-year stint in Digital Design and Development at Howest, Belgium. This foundation, coupled with insights from books like"Influence" by Robert Cialdini and "Sell Like Crazy," as well as the ever-reliable Google and Udemy, formed the bedrock of my design journey.

However, I quickly discovered that entrepreneurs often take design principles and research for granted. They don't fully utilize the readily available data out there, mostly because they lack time or aren't aware of the full potential of in corporating psychology and persuasion into web design. This oversight can lead to missed opportunities for more conversions and sales.

While it does take more time, it can significantly decrease advertising costs and result in valuable visitors and potential customers. Whenever I start working for a company, I often analyze their website and, more often than not, discover the same fact: a lack of visitors. It becomes evident that the website is nothing more than a pretty face without any function. This holds true even for international companies that have only garnered about 10,000 visitors since the creation of their website.

In today's age of information overload, it's crucial to align your website with your customers in a way that triggers a powerful neurological effect called "mirror neurons." This effect makes customers feel understood and familiar, and it can be harnessed by showcasing exactly what they are looking for, in their own language or terminology. To achieve this, thorough research on your product, market, and, most importantly, your target audience is essential. Tools such as Google Analytics, Surveymonkey, Social Media Analytics, Google Trends, and Answer The Public can be invaluable in this endeavor. Knowing your audience well means knowing how to speak to them effectively, such as by using features like ratings, reviews, timers, and strategic headlines, etc..

Now, let's explore the powerful and unique generalist developed process behind today's most engaging digital experiences, from understanding your users to crafting wireframes that breathe life into your ideas. The User Experience (UX) Design Process serves as your roadmap to success.

1.Build a Strategy

As a first step, it's crucial to build a strategy that not only aligns with your goals as a designer but also caters to your client's business objectives.

In the strategy phase, you'll need to answer key questions:

• What are your goals, both as a designer and for your client?
• Who are your users, your target audience?
• What are the user's goals, and why would they visit the website?

Additionally, a quick visual research of similar websites can provide valuable insights into content usage and inspire your own design. The strategy goes beyond merely setting goals; it involves defining and giving a unique voice to your project. I'll delve deeper into strategy in a future post.

2.Outline of Scope

The Outline of Scope involves listing the content and functionality required for the website to fulfill the goals established in the strategy.

On the content side, describe the necessary information and elements, such as imagery, client testimonials, social media links, terms and privacy statements, contact information, and more.

On the functionality list, outline what users will be able to do on the website, such as creating accounts, logging in, recovering passwords, contacting through forms, adding items to shopping carts, making payments with cards or PayPal, and more.

Additionally determine which energy your costumer radiates (Social,Practical, Action or Emotional) to determine which persuasion tactic they respond to best. (More about this here)

You can make personas that describe your dream buyer, in detail so we can perfectly align our copy and functionalities.

3.Site Navigation or Sitemap

This step involves taking the content, and functionality lists and structuring them into a cohesive whole. Determine the navigational structure of the site and choose appropriate labels to ensure seamless navigation. We must make sure we prioritize whatever they are looking for and make them click the least amount of times to get them to whatever you both are looking for.

4.Lo-fi Wireframes

Here, we shift our focus from the overall concept to individual pages.Lo-fi wireframes are essentially sketches outlining the structural makeup of the website. The "Lo-Fi" denotes "Low Fidelity."

In the Lo-fi Wireframes phase, our primary focus is on content and functionality. It's about creating a preview of the site, ensuring it's well-structured, and establishing a foundation for the design phase.

In this stage we can also incorporate persuasive sale functionalities such as testimonials, logos from companies for authority, CTA’s, .. Whatever will work for the type of target costumer you have.

5.Hi-fi Wireframes

In this step, we unleash our creativity because it's time to design! This is where we define the website's visual identity, encompassing typography,colors, shapes, and more. The challenge for designers here is to work with both the Design and Sales/Marketing brain.

Once the design is finalized, it's time to hand it over to the development team for implementation or create it yourself on platforms such as webflow or wix.

Running through these steps, I've witnessed how a structured process can elevate web design and ensure a seamless journey from concept to execution. In the upcoming sections, we'll explore each step in greater detail, offering practical insights and recommendations to enhance your website design journey.

By following these steps, you too can enhance your website design process and ensure a seamless journey from concept to execution. And remember,your journey in web design is a personal one, and every step you take brings you closer to mastering this craft.

If you're hungry for more in-depth knowledge about web design, including techniques for creating visually persuasive and conversion-driven designs, or if you're seeking a comprehensive guide on these topics, stay tuned. We've got something special in store for you.

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By Yoshi De Schrijver
December 6, 2023