When drawing in clients or customers, it is important to remember that each interaction they have with you or your company reflects upon your brand as a whole. Your company’s website is no exception. A website is not merely a place to list services and provide contact details. A website helps visitors know more about your ethos, operation style and brand aesthetic, which are all important when building interest and engagement.

Making sure your website design accurately represents your company and brand is absolutely critical in maintaining a smooth cohesion between what the customer sees, what they then expect and what your company actually delivers. So which aspect of website design is the most important for drawing in clients or customers? Here is what members of Forbes Communications Council advise:

1. Send A Cohesive Message

A well-designed website should combine brain-friendly creative, UI and messaging. Your website is your lead salesperson, and although the design aesthetic is important, a cohesive message that arcs from prospecting to closing the sale is a critical component of all marketing collateral, including the website. - Sara Wesche , Revenue Path Group

2. Make It Clean And Easy To Navigate

It's crucial to have a clean website design that's easy to navigate. Ensure that contact information or forms are accessible on all pages to allow clients to easily reach you. While I know the trend in the last few years has been to have a one-page website, it's difficult with one page to maintain effective SEO. I would recommend including important pages like about us, contact, portfolio/products/services, and a blog or insights page. All of these pages will allow you to curate enough content and keywords to increase your visibility and reach your clients. - Allison McMahan, Alford Media

3. Use 'The Four-Second Test'

According to data from Google, the millennial generation has an average online attention span of 8 seconds, while the younger Gen Z group comes in at a shocking 2.8 seconds. Web design needs to use these numbers as a guide, by presenting key information as quickly as possible. I've created a method to test whether or not a website is optimized for a short attention span called "The Four-Second Test." Open a webpage and start a timer, then close the page after four seconds. If you can't answer the question "What was the webpage about?" then the page failed and needs improvement. If the users can't find what they are looking for in those crucial first moments, you will likely lose them. - John Leo Weber, ProjectManager.com

4. Be Responsive And User-Friendly

Just as internal communication is going through a mobile transformation, today’s websites must be responsive and mobile-friendly since many site visitors come from mobile devices. Copy is equally important. We’re in the midst of a website overhaul designed to provide immediate value to our target audience of communication professionals by speaking to them in a voice they recognize. We found that communicating the value of our software worked 10 times better than messaging about our product. Features are easy to convey, but now our website tells a story and shares our solution in an audience-specific language with real people sharing real product success. - Carla Kath, Staffbase

5. Step Into Your Audience’s Shoes

Questions around “Will the site create value for the desired audience?” and “Will it prove intuitive for them to use?” are definitely at the top of my list. Over the years, I’ve seen many different design approaches and aesthetics come and go. There is a rigor to website design: It takes time and effort to step into your audience’s shoes and create something special. There are no shortcuts. - Tyler Sharp , Lendio

6. Provide Good Content

The crucial component of a good website is providing relevant content that your target audience finds useful and informative. Your web content should clearly communicate your value proposition. Less is more. Avoid the fluff and ensure that your content very concisely communicates who you are and what you do. - Crystal McFerran , The 20

7. Optimize Your Message

Clear and simple messaging is the most important aspect of a good website. Optimizing your message for search engines and your target market is where the magic happens for page rank, readability and stickiness for your site. - MaryPat Kavanagh, Terahertz Device Corp.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/01/28/seven-aspects-of-website-design-crucial-for-drawing-in-customers/#798a4acd4137