What makes a website effective? This is a very specific question, one that many people might answer immediately with one thing, and then reconsider. For example, when we think of a great website, what comes to mind? Amazing images, interesting layouts, or all the bells and whistles like animations or well-times popups.
Yet the question was, what makes a website effective? This can only be measured against the internal KPIs set by the company. A website may look amazing, but if it’s an eCommerce website that doesn’t drive sales, then is it actually effective at all?
There’s lots to consider and uncover here, and we’ll soon see that the key to it all is UX/UI. How? Let’s dive right in.
UI/UX: The Key Differentiator
Being a performance-oriented company, we look at results – essentially, hard data. If something isn’t performing, it needs to be optimized. After having created thousands of high-performing websites for some of the biggest brands in the world, we’ve isolated UX/UI as the essential difference between a website that smashes KPIs, and one that under performs.
UI/UX isn’t just about looking pretty. Great UI/UX effortlessly guides the user through the website, makes it obvious what actions you want the user to take, and leaves the user with a feeling of delight.
How can we help?
For more questions, or to speak to expert mobile marketers here at Moburst, get in touch.
The benefits of great UI/UX
We’ll delve into the pros of having great web UI/UX below.
First Impressions
55% of all first impressions are visual. And this impression is usually made within the first 7 seconds. With first-time visitors usually spending under 15 seconds on a website, and average bounce rates approaching nearly 50%, all of this means that your first impression had better be “Wow” in order to keep prospective users engaged with your website.
Unlike first impressions in the real world, on the web users can reach a page and almost instantaneously decide “this isn’t for me” – and leave.
This means that all the effort you’ve put in; from attracting the user (organic and paid efforts) to creating amazing content and offering a fantastic product or service, are all wasted if your first impression isn’t a good one.
This is all about UI/UX. If that first impression is good, you’ve overcome the first major hurdle towards hitting those KPIs.
Achieving the Desired Result
Steve Jobs famously said that “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
You want results from your website. This could be sales, signups, demo calls, you name it. UI/UX is that golden bridge that connects the user to your desired result.
For example, if you’re a B2B SaaS provider whose goal is to generate product demos, the user interface and user experience of your website should be totally dedicated to this goal.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that every visit should end with a demo. Clearly, this is unrealistic. But every visit should be pushing that user further through the funnel. This time it could be a White Paper download. Next time, it’s checking out the Pricing page.
Critically, your UI/UX needs to guide the user through this process.
Social Proof
A visitor to a website is essentially faced with a decision: to trust, or not to trust?
This is true of course when it comes to online purchases, but it applies to any type of website. “Can I trust what they are saying?” “Can I trust what they are providing?”
If the answer is “Yes,” you have successfully connected with that user. You’ll now find it infinitely easier to move to the next step.
UI/UX plays a massive role in ensuring this trust, often through social proof. This is more than just providing customer logos, or testimonials. It’s something that the entire website lives and breathes, it’s pervasive and comes through in every touchpoint.
Overall, UI/UX helps users to create a feeling for your brand – and if done correctly, this feeling will be one of trust.
Brand Building
In the past, before eCommerce, a business’s storefront was its way of making an impression to the outside world. Clothing companies, for example, invested millions of dollars in getting window displays just right, knowing that this is the impression of the brand that they were creating in people’s minds.
Today, the website is the new storefront. If you’re a traditional financial services brand and want to convey solidity and safety, your website needs to reflect this message.
If you’re an exciting startup looking to upend the world of financial services, your website will have a completely different look.
Having top-class UI/UX is an investment in your brand. It’s an investment in your relationship with users and other key stakeholders (investors, for example) and when done correctly will more than pay for itself.
Standing Out
On average, internet users visit over 130 websites every day.
That’s a lot of clicking, scrolling, and moving on to the next opportunity. Just check your browser history for yesterday – you’ll be surprised how many websites you visited. How many do you specifically remember? Probably very few.
Standing out from the crowd is essential. And just as important, is leaving a lasting impression that will stay with the user long after all the other noise has dissipated.
Great UI/UX can accomplish this – almost dropping a “cookie” in the user’s mind, so that the next interaction between brand and user isn’t completely cold; the website design has ensured that there are warm feelings towards the brand and the product or service.
How can we help?
For more questions, or to speak to expert mobile marketers here at Moburst, get in touch.
UI/UX in Your Website Development Cannot be Underestimated
As we’ve seen, a great website experience can unlock so much value. And this experience is driven by UX/UI.
UI/UX itself is a significant, far-reaching concept that goes way beyond the traditional understanding of the color of a CTA here, or the placement of an icon there.
It truly is the key differentiator when it comes to a successful website.
To talk to the global experts in UI/UX for websites, get in touch with a Moburst UI/UX expert today.
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