How website design impacts sales, profitability and consumer confidence

75% UK web users say that page load speed has the most impact on overall experience

When it comes to website speed, users have a low tolerance for delays in loading a website. According to Google, 75% of people in the UK say that how long it takes to load a page has the biggest impact on their overall experience. This is even more important for mobile users where speed ‘on-the-go’ is considered critical. Google go on to report on a study of 900,000 mobile websites where they identified that the average time it took to fully load a mobile page was 22 seconds. When you consider that 53% of users will leave a mobile site that takes more than 3 seconds to load, that’s an awful lot of lost custom…. 

Slow websites cost businesses billions of pounds a year in lost sales

InVision have estimated that cost of people leaving websites due to page speeds. They report that slow-loading websites cost retailers £1.73 billion a year in lost sales. The impact of speed on sales is so significant that WebFx indicates that, on average, just one second shaved off of a website’s load time can boost conversions by 7%. Loading speeds are a critical factor in website design and a clear priority for businesses that don’t want to lose sales this way.

94% of first impressions relate to a website’s design

According to Webfx, the design of a website counts for 94% of first impressions when a customer first visits a business’ website. In other words, almost the entirety of a customer’s initial perception of a business, when found online, is decided by the design of their website. It’s a staggering figure, but also one that business owners should take comfort in. Website design is something businesses can exert great control over and this demonstrates the potential of a website redesign to significantly improve customer perceptions. Check out our blog post on the psychology of colour and it's role in web design to find out how you can use colour and design to make a great first impression.

Users make a decision on a website in 0.05 seconds

Research outlined in the Journal of Behaviour and Information Technology indicates that users take about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) to form an opinion on a website. A user is making this critical decision before they have time to read more than a few words of content and they are judging almost entirely on design, layout and clarity. This near-instantaneous decision determines whether you can keep that visitor on your site and make a sale or whether you’ll lose them to a competitor.

Poor web design can impact your SEO and search ranking performance

According to Search Engine Journal, page experience, page speed, on-page optimisation and mobile-first design make up four of the top seven Google ranking factors. In other words, your website’s design makes up about 57% of the factors, with site content and links (internal and external) accounting for the rest. If your website’s design is technically poor then you will be ranking lower in search listings meaning less discoverability, less customers and less sales.

70% of users have abandoned a shopping cart due to poor user experience

Even if a user makes it past a website loading, businesses still aren’t safe from design-related sales losses. Hosting Tribunal report that 70% of users abandon their shopping carts as a result of poor user experience. That’s a phenomenal loss of sales caused by users feeling frustrated or let down by the experience of online shopping.

75% of consumers make judgements on a company’s credibility based on website design

Businesses that neglect their website are undermining their whole corporate identity and the way customers view them and their products. Kinesis report that 75% of consumers admit to making judgements about a company’s credibility based on that company’s website design. This highlights the importance which consumers place on the web experience and the role it plays in influencing brand and product perception. Consumers are actively judging a company’s ability to deliver services or products based on their website design. This is a really critical lesson for business’ and highlights that their reputation and ability to deliver a quality service can be undermined by their website’s design.

38% of people will leave a website with unattractive content or layout

HubSpot report that 38% of website users will stop engaging if faced with unattractive content. That means that regardless of the quality of the products or services featured on a website, over one-third of customers could be lost due to website design. In another study into unappealing web design features, SWEOR reported that poorly performing websites were described as too complex or busy and lacking in navigation. Participants in the study also criticised boring design, bad use of colour, excessive pop-up ads, poor search features and websites with too much text.

61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing

We wrote recently about the importance of designing web content for mobile and it’s fundamental that businesses build responsive websites. Research by Google shows that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they’ve had difficulties accessing and 40% will go to a competitor instead. Designing websites for desktop only, means businesses are losing customers and directing them towards competitors with responsive websites that work on mobile.

Easy navigation is the single most important website feature to users

A Clutch survey of over 600 web users identified that easy navigation was the most important feature of a website. 94% of those surveyed said that a website must be easy-to-navigate. Users expect a certain type of structure to a website (a top-level menu, a footer, internal links and calls-to-action.) These familiar markers have been established by years of website design and experience. If your website strays too far from this and users struggle to navigate your website, you’re likely to use them. Google Analytics can be a useful tool for tracking users through your site and seeing where they drop-off so that you can make adjustments.

We are 280 times more likely to climb Mt. Everest than click on a banner ad

It may seem an unlikely statistic, but 99 Firms’ commentary highlights just how unpopular banner ads are. Not only are users 280 times more likely to climb Everest, they’re also 31.25 times more likely to win the lottery or survive a plane crash than click a banner ad. Given the low uptake for banner ads, they are elements of web design that many designers are choosing to avoid.

What does this mean for businesses?

In short, website design matters and probably a lot more than businesses realise. The perception users have of a website carries over into their perception of the business. Put another way, a poorly designed website creates a negative impression of the whole business, from brand to products to credibility. It’s a stark warning for businesses with out-of-date or non-responsive websites as the reality is it will be costing them money in lost sales. But it’s also an opportunity. A well-designed website can give businesses a competitive advantage, improve credibility and inspire confidence in consumers to buy.

Experienced web design agency in Exeter

At QuayClick, we not only understand the value of good web design, we know how to put it in to practice. Our websites are fully responsive, so they look great on a range of devices. We’d love to work with you to redesign your current website to ensure it gives the best impression of your business. If you’d like to find out more, you can see examples of our website design work, or get in touch with us in Exeter today to discuss your business.