Using Science To Benefit Your Website

Science of Web Design

You may have noticed a decrease in your website traffic, or perhaps in your online sales. You may have also noticed your competitors reveling in their success. How is that so? It may shock you to realize that there is some science behind successful website design which can strongly benefit you. Place your fate in the hands of science, for these web design tips can bump you above the competition!

EYE-TRACKING

When visitors browse a website on their laptop, tablet or phone, where do they look? With English leading as the international language, with 1.5 billion people in the world speaking the language, it’s no big surprise that most people tend to focus most on the upper left of a website. There is actually an inverted curve representing what website visitors remember most: the initial view (in this case, the upper-left corner), and the most recent view. Everything else in the middle seems to slip away from their short-term memory. With that being said, having too many items on your main menu will overwhelm visitors and turn them away from making a purchase, let alone browsing any further. It’s said that people can only retain around seven items in their short-term memory, therefore, keep the menu simple and under seven items.

COLOR

Growing up, genders were practically assigned colors; pink for the girls and blue for the boys. So, should a website that’s targeted to a specific gender abide by that rule? Color psychology thinks not. 85% of the reason why visitors complete the buying process online is that of the colors on the website. Here is a simple list of generally preferred and disliked colors by each gender:

Women
- Prefer: blue, purple, green, as well as tints of the primary colors; red, blue and yellow
- Dislike: orange, brown, grey and earthy tones
Men
- Prefer: blue, green and black
- Dislike: purple, orange and brown

Before moving forward, does this mean all companies should use these colors to be successful? Absolutely not. Many companies use orange to stimulate physical activity, impulse, and confidence. Other successful colors are red, green, black, and white.

Red is best used for immediate call-to-action and most effective when it’s strongly contrasting.
Green, as you probably guessed, is best used for eco-friendly, nature-inspired and organic companies.
Black is not only popular for men, but also women in certain domains such as luxury, elegance, sophistication, and power.
White is especially popular for most backgrounds because it creates a sense of freedom and spaciousness that doesn’t overwhelm visitors.

So, why is blue the most preferred color? Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, peace, serenity, tranquility, security and order. Not convinced? Some of the most influential websites have blue in their logo or part of their branding. For example, the most popular social media network in the world, Facebook, sports a blue logo and theme throughout the network. Using tones of blue on landing pages can help build trust and brand loyalty.

HERD BEHAVIOUR

It’s basic logic that no one enjoys being isolated. When a brand is recommended by a friend or family member, have a high social media follower count or has a positive reputation, potential consumers become intrigued. They want to join in on the newest trend, solely because everyone else is doing it.
Some supportive messages that have the ability to enhance initial value judgments are:

Including positive testimonials on website
Displaying your social media follower/like count with widgets
Using social media influencers
Displaying certificates, associations, and awards.

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

Whether it’s an advertisement or a website, people are more inclined to feel an emotional connection to a brand that uses photos and videos of humans. This is especially true when using an advertising appeal. When using an appeal in advertising, it’s beneficial that the company carries that same appeal throughout their entire branding, which includes the website. People are more inclined to visit a website and stay on it longer when it appeals to their emotions, and how is that done? By featuring photos of people that positively reflect your company on your website. The emotions that support website sharability the most are anger, inspiration, and anxiety.

LANGUAGE & CONTENT

It may come as a surprise that sounding intelligent might not actually work to your expected advantage. Visitors turn away from long sentences and advanced words. The risk would be using a word some readers may not know or understand, which leads them to feel unintelligent and distant from the company. As for content style, less is more. Using a clear and an easy-to-navigate layout is best, especially for visitors to easily find what they initially wanted without a hassle. Another important factor is readability. It is highly important for visitors to understand and read the typography of the content presented. Using script fonts in copy would not be beneficial. Any straining, misunderstanding or difficulty reading will simply turn away visitors and not encourage them to come back.

Everything from where you place your logo, the colors and photos used, down to the language and content presented can very well determine how successful a website can be. Take these tips into consideration when creating or updating a website – they can be the reason for your rising success!

Links: Web Design Tips, Modern Web Design, Science Of Web Design, Good Web Design, Color Psychology, Advertising Appeals, Social Media Influencers

July 28, 2017

Danny

Web