When we meet somebody for the first time we only have one chance to make a good first impression. When a new user enters your website, the very same rule applies. In fact, it only takes a mere 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for people to form an opinion about your website (see here).

Ultimately, your website conveys your brand image and will determine, in a split second, whether the user clicks off your website or decides to stick around and explore.

Aesthetics

Whether we like it or not, us humans are shallow beings. We are told never to judge a book by its cover, but invariably, we almost always do.

Aesthetically speaking, the look and feel that your website conveys is key. A poorly designed and un-appealing website will provide the user with the impression that, just like your website, your company is unprofessional and un-appealing. Not an ideal scenario.

On the happier flip side, a professional and modern looking website that portrays your company’s brand in its’ best light will entice your target audience in and encourage them to browse your site.

A study in the Netherlands (Affective Design of E-Commerce User Interfaces: How to Maximize Perceived Trustworthiness) tested how user trust was affected by the design of a website:

“When accessing a site for the first time, the first response is likely to be an emotional one. The appeal of the interface, in terms of graphic design and layout, can directly affect the acceptability and usage of the system.”

To put it bluntly, a well designed website will get people to trust you and stick around, while a poorly designed website will get people to mistrust you and leave.

Usability

Of course, there’s more to a website than looks alone. After people have inevitably been WOW’ed over with the great look and sleek style of your website, they’re going to want a worthwhile reason to stick around.

From a functional point of view, the ease of use and usefulness of your website will play a crucial role in shaping the user’s perception of your brand. In other words, how easy is it for a visitor to navigate their way around your website and find what they are looking for? How enjoyable is their experience?

A visitor to your site should be able to purchase something, learn about something, or just get to know your brand better, all in a logical, easy and enjoyable manner.

A disorganised, confusing or unsystematic website will consistently communicate to the user that your company is disorderly and haphazard – never a good starting point. It will also indicate that your company doesn’t understand the user, or even worse, that your company doesn’t care about the user’s experience on the website.

“When prospective customers start exploring a web site, the ease and the efficiency with which they can access relevant information can affect how much they feel in control of the site… Generally, ease-of-use is perceived as a sign that the company understands, cares for and respects its customers.”

(Affective Design of E-Commerce User Interfaces: How to Maximize Perceived Trustworthiness)

When considering usability it’s also worth thinking about how your website is viewed across a wide range of devices – from mobile phones, to tablets, to desktop computers.

Responsive Web Design (RWD)

Responsive Design works by adapting the layout of your website to the device that it’s being viewed on. In other words, if you shrink your browser or switch from a mobile to a tablet, your website adapts and re-fits. Overall this means you’ll experience less fuss and hassle with issues like re-sizing, panning and scrolling, allowing for an optimal viewing experience.

Mashable heralded 2013 as the Year of the Responsive Design (see here), and most people now consider it as a cost-effective and superior alternative to mobile applications.

Nowadays, a company’s website is often a customer’s first port-of-call and is likely to be the most visible aspect of the business. The visitor’s impression and experience on your site is the ultimate determinant of whether they’re attracted to or deterred from your brand. Having a well designed website is therefore crucial to your success.

At the end of the day, if the quality of the company’s website is poor, why should the user believe that the quality of the company’s product or service will be any better?

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