What if the key to having a good website was not just the oft-cited design requirements like mobile optimization and navigability? The truth is that many websites can become much better at converting clicks into clients by taking into account psychological tools and tricks in design.
It might be difficult to believe that how we view a website has more to do with an interpretation of subconscious cues more than anything else. However, numbers seem to support this theory. One study by Carleton University in Ottawa found that people viewing websites decided whether they liked a page or not within fractions of a second. Studies have also shown that users spend 70% of their time scanning the left side of a page — which could be a problem if your important information is largely on the right side.
How can professional web design services help out your website? Here are three ways you can use basic psychology to influence how people view your website.
1. Formatting Matters
When you have a lot to say, it can be oh-so-tempting to try and cram it into one page — especially when you want to make sure the consumer is going to see it. Keeping content shorter and to the point is important for good web design, though. One study by Nielson showed that consumers read about 25% of a page’s content on an average visit. Another study has shown that good formatting with large enough sections of white space helps to improve readability of the text you do have by 20%. Having a layout that emphasizes your core offerings and keeps the focus on your call-to-actions is important.
2. Comparative Pricing Isn’t Always Psychologically Sound
It’s a popular tactic on websites to compare their company’s offerings to that of competitors. As it turns out, though, this doesn’t always influence consumers the way we think it will. A Stanford marketing study showed that asking consumers to compare prices on websites often led to consumers perceiving the cheaper option as one involving a “heightened risk.” They overall found that when consumers made comparisons on their own, the cheaper option looked better. When a company did the comparison for them, though, they tended to be much more cautious in their purchasing choices, and seemed to feel like there was some sort of “trick” involved.
3. Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
Often, just tinkering around with different type sets, image placements, and ads on your page can affect your ROI. Split testing is something certain website designers experiment with, for this reason. By testing how consumers react to slightly different versions of the page, they can understand what information is most effective to display. One example Kissmetrics found to be true was that just adding an image of the product to the “Add to Cart” button increased their conversion rate by 28%.
Do you have psychological tips for better web design? Let us know in the comments. More.
