Does Web Design Really Matter?

If you own a company and you’re looking to attract clients via your website, you must know that design matters. Unfortunately, not many business owners understand the concept of why web design matters, which leads to conversations like this almost everyday:

Client: Does it really matter what my website’s design looks like?

Me: Yes, it undeniably does.

Client: Why?

Me: Whether this sounds fair or not, people will judge your company based on the quality of your website.

This usually is a good enough answer for most customers who are intrigued about changing their website design, but for those who don’t think that website design matters, here’s some proof that great web design in Chicago can help your company succeed.

Based on a recent study that was conducted to answer the questions, how much impact does web design have on the trust and mistrust, and how much impact does the quality of content have? We knew what the answer would be, but nonetheless the results were astounding.

15 participants were instructed to search the internet for health information that was relevant to them. They were then asked to discuss their first impression of each website they visited. Unsurprisingly, 94% of factors that were mentioned, which included mistrusting or rejecting a website, were design related. The other 6% were content related.

More specifically, when deciding whether or not to trust the website they Googled, participants mentioned design related issues 15 times more than content related issues, which we at Plego believe is incredible.

Specific design issues that were mentioned by participants that led to mistrust and/or rejection of the website were:

• Inappropriate name for the website
• Lack of navigation aids
• Complex, busy layout
• Boring web design, especially use of color
• Small print
• Corporate feel and look
• Slow introductions, including slow-loading flash introductions, splash pages, etc.
• Pop-up advertisements
• Too much text
• Poor search indexes

The complaints that we received accounted for 94% of user rejections and mistrust on a site.

It’s incredibly important for a business who is looking at indulging in new website design for their company to understand that first impressions that customers have can make or break the amount of business your company will receive. A design that is disorganized, unappealing, outdated and cluttered can and will create a poor first impression, driving interested customers away from your business and into the hands of your competitors.

Studies show that it is definitely worthwhile to invest in a great web design because in the end, the customer’s perception is all that really matters.