From Web Design To Web Conversion

I remember when I was first starting Hello June—there was a lot a didn’t know about building high converting websites. Since then, my web design/development skills and knowledge has grown exponentially. If you’re a designer first, developer second (or you’re seeing increases in web traffic without increases in inquiries), I’m going to break down the elements we consider at Hello June when designing and developing high converting websites.

UI vs UX

First, let’s talk User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX). In short, UI is what the web page looks like—the fonts, the colors, hover states, etc. UX is more about the content architecture (how the pages are laid out)—where our eyes are drawn, how easy it is to navigate the site, and most importantly, strategy to funnel the user to take action (i.e. inquiring or purchasing).

So here’s my question: is UX a primary consideration when you’re designing websites? And assuming the goal of your site is to collect inquiries, is your site directing users to take action and inquire? If the answer is no, I recommend conducting an audit of the flow of your users.

Real world testing is an amazing way to ensure UX is baked into your process. Ask your family and friends to inquire and see if they struggle to find it or fill out your form. Remember, visitors will only stay on your site for less than a minute—can they find the right location and perform the desired action in that short amount of time?

Copy

Because we only have a few seconds with your users, I like website copy to be short, punchy, and succinct. For example, on Apple’s website, the copy on the iPad page says, “lovable, drawable, magical,” with a call to action button that says simply, “buy.” That’s it. This copy describes the product but also speaks to its audience. What are words and phrases your audience will be drawn to, or see themselves in? How can you bake them into your copy? When you can define who your client is, what their problem is, and show them your service is the solution to that problem—bingo, your copy will spur that user to inquire.

Tracking the Impact of Your Changes

It’s important to track the impact of changes we implement on our site. The easiest way is to look at our Google Analytics numbers to track changes in our traffic, look at conversion rates, and get key insights to what’s working (and what isn’t). If you want to know how effective your copy is, simply ask your clients (or testing users) what jumped out at them from your site. If you’ve crafted (or invested in) strategic copy, paid attention to your site’s UX as well as its UI, and made it easy for your users to find and take action on your desired goals, you’ve got yourself a high-converting website.