Web Design And Digital Marketing: A Tech-Smart Combo

Web design is way past the point of doing it to establish a digital presence. Everyone and their grandma know that, except in a few cases, a business without a website in this day and age is unlikely to last. The Internet has become the leading source of customers due to the long hours spent on their phones or PCs.

These days, web design leans more on helping a website stand out. It’s no walk in the park with millions of active websites on the Internet right now, not to mention thousands in your niche or market. It doesn’t have to be flawless (nothing is), but it must reflect your brand’s message and values: reliability, affordability, etc.

As such, don’t ask if you need a website; instead, ask what you need in one. Fortunately, you can find the answers within the tenets of digital marketing. Keep reading to learn how web design and digital marketing work together.

Meeting Users’ Needs

Users are all too familiar with typical web design mistakes, from pages that take forever to load to unreadable text. Good examples of bad user experience, sure. But imagine if those web design no-nos reflect poorly on your brand.

A web designer can’t promote responsive web design if their website is a nightmare to use on mobile. Equally guilty is an online seller of mobility aids whose website violates almost every regulation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On the latter’s note, the same goes for any website that violates the ADA.

Poor user experience is considered a “silent killer” of brands, as it doesn’t give users what they need. Businesses that don’t practice what they preach will have difficulty persuading consumers they’re the best in the market. The results are missed revenue opportunities, a drop in customer engagement, and—worst-case scenario—legal troubles.

To avoid the consequences, you must know your target audience’s needs. The best way to do this is the simplest: think like your customers and align your web design decisions with their expectations. This is where user research (also known as user experience research) comes in, which, according to the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF), fulfills three goals.

• Create custom website designs that relate to the target audience
• Develop web designs that are easy to access and use  
• Show that design changes resulted in higher return on investment

The IxDF adds that user research consists of four parts.

• Discover: Study how users understand and interact with the website
• Explore: Find ways to satisfy the user’s expectations for the website
• Test: Run through the design to ensure accessibility and ease of use
• Listen: Monitor usage data and lend an ear to feedback from visitors

User research is a cycle. As user behavior changes over time, new issues will inevitably arise. Businesses should invest in the necessary tools and skills to sustain seamless user experience, such as data analytics and testing software.

If in-house user research, let alone web design, isn’t possible, seeking digital marketing services like Manwaring Web Solutions is the next best thing. In addition to their extensive experience and vast range of solutions, they have a grasp of digital marketing techniques. Contact one for a free consultation to start developing a game plan.

You don’t need to look far for proof that user experience is important. A page taking more than three seconds to load alone is enough to get visitors to look elsewhere. Additionally, online stores might see customers abandoning their carts for the same problem.

First To Be Seen

Search engines have become a staple of the Internet. Since their beginnings as file finders, they’ve incorporated features like snippets and, later, AI-generated responses to queries.  Every year, they process over two trillion search requests—an average of 6.02 billion daily. Google alone handles around 8.5 billion queries daily.

It’s no surprise that brands are keen on harnessing search engines to expand their reach. There isn’t a person connected to the Internet who doesn’t need answers to queries such as “coffee shop near me” or “best hair conditioner.” A brand that appears in search results is great, but one that ranks at the top is a feat.

Why a feat? Being the number one result is easier said than done.

A study by Ahrefs revealed that top-ranked search results stay there for an average of five years. Furthermore, 73% of the top ten results have stayed for three years or longer. Only about 6% of pages manage to break into the top ten within a year.

Five years is long enough to render content obsolete, especially when a lot can change in just a year. Regardless, this proves that content can stay helpful and reliable for a long time.

One popular approach involves search engine optimization (SEO), the process of improving visibility in search results. Google has an entire playbook on the dos and don’ts of creating valuable content. However, in the context of web design, you only need to be concerned about the following:

While not essentially a core element, content creation is still a crucial part of web design. Although the message your website will convey is important, it also needs to cater to how users search the Web. Some of the widely used SEO techniques include keyword analysis, content optimization, and link building.

Doing SEO doesn’t guarantee your content the top spot in search results (and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or sorely mistaken). Search engines use hundreds of ranking factors in their algorithms, most of which haven’t been made public yet.

That said, not doing SEO won’t get the brand the online exposure it needs. Similar to user research, SEO is a continuous process that adapts to changes in consumer behavior and market trends. If a brand isn’t ranking in the top ten of search results, it might as well not exist. Few users are willing to search beyond the top ten.

Safe And Secure Browsing

Data breaches are horror stories for businesses. Aside from massive financial loss, they can also deal a huge—if not irreparable—blow to a brand’s reputation. After all, who still wants to use a website that just lost precious customer data to hackers?

A recent case involves the retailer giant Marks & Spencer (M&S), which on April disclosed a ransomware attack that cost over USD$80 million. As a result, it temporarily shut down its online store (update: it reopened on June 10). Customers were frustrated, with one saying that a company as big and old as M&S should’ve had the resources to prevent it.

Cybersecurity has long been a staple of web development. As much of an investment it is, the cost of ensuring safe and secure browsing is far less than a data breach. And it’ll only become more important as hackers look to technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen their attacks.

Web developers have their set of best practices, mainly protecting the web design process from attacks. Meanwhile, businesses should think about integrating security features into their new or revamped website, such as:

• Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL*): This advanced form of encryption safeguards the connection between the user and the server. Visitors can discern websites with TLS encryption by checking the URL for an HTTPS designation.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Websites require account holders to register additional methods of verifying their identity, generally aside from a password. The most prevalent form of MFA is two-factor authentication.
• Web Application Firewalls (WAF): Similar to a standard firewall, this one serves as a filter that catches code manipulation-type attacks (e.g., SQL injection, cross-site scripting). WAFs are also instrumental in protecting against DDoS attacks.
• Role-Based Access Control: This feature restricts traffic to certain pages and site functions to select staff based on their role. For example, an in-house security role can manage firewall settings but not customer information.

*SSL means Secure Sockets Layer, which precedes TLS. Despite the latter being the norm since 1999, many industry professionals still refer to it as “SSL encryption.” You may also come across the term “TLS/SSL encryption,” but it uses TLS.

Secure web design alone can only go so far. No matter how loaded a website’s security is, a single human error can undo it. In fact, the majority of attacks rely on deceiving the user by posing as their superior at work or leading them to a legit-looking fraud site. The industry calls such attacks social engineering.

As such,instilling awareness in cyberthreats is as crucial as maintaining a secure website. Business leaders are obligated to lead by example, motivating their staff to develop proper habits like avoiding clicking on links and reporting technical issues immediately.

Inspiring To Act

To recap, a good website is user-friendly, fully optimized for search, and secure. However, even with these traits present, the website can’t be considered complete. Attracting traffic is one thing, but turning them into loyal customers is another.

Think of it this way: user experience, SEO, and cybersecurity all make up half of the formula for a well-designed website. The other half is conversion, the act of motivating visitors to take a certain action. The action often involves making a purchase, but other examples include signing up for a newsletter or trying out a demo.

Building a conversion-focused website all boils down to understanding the human psyche. How users behave when faced with a website’s design elements is crucial information. For this, web designers commit to understanding various design laws and principles.

All this seems like a lot of effort to inspire people to act, but you don’t want to leave them hanging. Many visitors, especially first timers, enter a website without any idea where to head to. A conversion-oriented web design gives them options, even if they don’t plan to buy anything for now.

Conclusion

Just having a website is no longer enough to maintain the competitive edge. It also has to stand out to attract more potential clients and, more importantly, convert into customers. Whether a new website or a total overhaul of the old one, thinking like a business in web design pays dividends.