Having a website for your business is important for your sales process. A poorly designed website can cause potential customers to lose trust in your business and go elsewhere, while having a well-designed website that showcases your relevance and builds trust with customers. This can help to increase leads and sales.
Potential customers could leave without inquiring if your website appears amateur or difficult to navigate. Having a clear, compelling and user-friendly website makes it easier for people to understand what your business does and what it can offer them. Trustworthy elements such as customer reviews, social proof and visible guarantees can further encourage potential customers to take action, ultimately growing your business’s revenue.
While it’s possible to build a high-performing website yourself, is this the best use of your time? If you run an established business, you’ve probably got enough going on, and it’s worth considering hiring an experienced website designer to help you.
Building trust through website design
Building trust on your website is critical for converting visitors to customers. If people feel confident in your business and see that you are trustworthy, they are more likely to make an inquiry or purchase. By establishing your credibility and reputation, potential customers feel more comfortable engaging with your business.
Building trust can be accomplished through several means, such as displaying social proof, testimonials, guarantees, and images of your team and premises. Clearly defining your process and what customers can expect also lends to the creation of a trustworthy persona.
Testimonials
Testimonials, specifically Google reviews, are an exceptional way to build trust with potential customers. Google reviews are a powerful social proof that showcases satisfied customers’ experiences of engaging with your business, the quality of your product or service, and how well you met their needs. These reviews demonstrate that you are a reputable business and that your previous customers trust you and are happy with their dealings with you, which can form an important factor in building trust with potential customers.
Social proof
Social proof on a website can build trust by demonstrating the experience of others in using the product or service. This can be done through customer reviews, ratings, testimonials, and endorsements from industry experts or influencers. By showing that others have had a positive experience, potential customers feel more confident in the product or service and are more likely to trust and engage with the business.
Guarantees
Guarantees can build trust on a website by reducing perceived risk for customers. By offering strong guarantees, businesses can demonstrate their confidence and commitment to their products or services. This can build credibility and help customers feel more secure in their purchase decision. For example, a seven-year warranty on bathroom renovations can reassure customers that they are making a sound investment and that the business stands by their work. Guarantees can also communicate a sense of quality and professionalism, which can further enhance customer trust.
Team and personnel images
By displaying images of the business owner, team members, and their qualifications, the website can provide important information about the people behind the business. This can make the business feel more approachable and trustworthy. Potential customers can put a face to the name and feel more confident in the business’s capability to deliver their product or service.
Physical storefront or business premises
Showcasing the physical storefront or business premises on a website can build trust by providing a preview of the real-world experience customers can expect when visiting the business. By displaying images of the storefront or business premises, customers can visualise what it would be like and feel more familiar with the business. This can make the business feel more tangible and establish a deeper connection with potential customers. It can also convey a sense of professionalism and authenticity, which can help to increase customer confidence and trust. Showing the physical storefront or business premises can be essential for businesses that rely on customers physically visiting their location or for in-home service businesses where customers receive services at their location, creating more trust and transparency.
Detailed process explanation
By outlining the different steps involved in the process, businesses can give potential customers a clear idea of what they can expect during their experience. This can provide reassurance and signal that the business is organised and professional. Furthermore, by providing details on the process, businesses can demonstrate their expertise and add value to their service offerings. This can contribute to a customer’s overall perception of the business’s quality and value.
Demonstrating relevance to the customer
If a customer visits a business website and is unclear about what type of business or service they are viewing, they are likely to look elsewhere. Clearly outlining the business niche and services can also help attract the right type of customer, someone who is specifically interested in the business’s offerings. Moreover, it demonstrates the business’s expertise and knowledge in their field, which can add credibility to the business and create a sense of trust.
Some of the common pitfalls include:
- Not providing clear information about what the business does, potentially leaving customers unsure whether the business can fulfil their needs.
- Not including details about the business’s specific location, which can be a dealbreaker for a customer who wants to shop locally or wants to avoid travelling too far to visit a business.
- Not addressing doubts or confusion via clear messaging.
A great website makes selling easier
We know from experience that a great website can help our clients generate more leads and sales. Incorporating better design, more social proof, clear messaging, and an intuitive layout can significantly enhance lead generation. A visually appealing website builds trust, while testimonials and reviews offer authenticity. Concise messaging clarifies your value proposition, and an easy-to-navigate layout ensures potential customers can find and act on key information swiftly.
Conversely, if a website appears outdated, unprofessional, or difficult to navigate, people may be less likely to inquire or make a purchase. A confusing user interface, poor site organisation, and unclear messaging can often leave visitors with a bad impression of your business. If people do not clearly understand what your business is offering, they are unlikely to become customers. Additionally, if your website does not incorporate strong trust-building elements, such as testimonials, photos of your team and premises, or guarantees, people may be less likely to trust your business and hesitant to take the next step.
Whether you need financial services marketing or are in the trades, a well-designed website is a powerful way to get new leads. Let’s say you run a local plumbing business. Your current website is outdated, difficult to navigate and does not load properly on mobile devices. You’re running a Google Ads campaign and spending considerable money on it to try and increase lead flow. If your website’s messaging and images are unclear, it is difficult to tell what exactly you offer, resulting in a lack of customer trust.
As a result, few people who click on your Google Ads go on to make enquiries or become customers. They leave the site without finding what they are looking for. The money you’re investing in Google Ads goes in vain despite driving traffic to your website. If you had invested in designing a better website upfront, you could have converted more leads that land on your site, which would have increased sales and revenue for your business.
How our website design process gets better results for our clients
Paramark can help businesses improve their online presence by creating customised website designs, developing effective messaging, building trust with social proof, and providing data-driven recommendations to improve website performance.
Our process for building websites that get more sales for clients involves several steps:
- Conducting a business survey – The first step in building a website that will drive sales is understanding the client’s business. We start by conducting a business survey that helps to identify key elements of the client’s business, including what they do, where they fit into the market, and what their unique value proposition is. This information is then used to develop messaging that will resonate with potential customers.
- Writing effective website content – Once the messaging has been developed, we work to write content that will effectively communicate the value of the client’s business to potential customers. This content is designed to be easily understood and persuasive, using the insights gained from the business survey to effectively speak to the needs of potential customers.
- Creating a high-quality website design – With the messaging and content in place, we create a high-quality website design that will showcase the client’s business in the best possible light. This involves developing a design that is visually engaging, easy to navigate and optimised for conversion.
One example of how this worked is a current client of ours, Asset Packaging Machines, a liquid filling machine manufacturer that was spending a significant amount of money on Google Ads, but not getting as many opportunities as they could have been getting.
After switching to a new website we created, their leads increased by 50%, with the company receiving significantly more enquiries per month for the same ad spend. This meant that the cost per lead was significantly reduced, making marketing efforts more cost-effective and increasing overall sales.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses to succeed. A well-designed website with effective messaging and content can make all the difference in attracting and converting potential customers.
Having a high-quality, effective website is crucial for businesses to drive sales and attract high-quality customers. A poorly designed website can make a bad first impression, leading potential customers to choose competitors instead. On the other hand, a well-designed website can increase lead generation and drive sales profitability.
Running a business can be challenging, but with the right website and online strategy, success is within reach. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-designed website – it could be the key to taking your business to the next level. So if you’re ready to boost your online presence and drive more sales, contact us today for a consultation on how we can help elevate your business through effective web design.
