Welcome to the digital realm, where websites aren’t just pages; they’re experiences. Crafting a digital identity is like conjuring magic with web design strategies that go beyond the ordinary. Let’s dive into the mystical art of bewitching your audience
What are some things to consider when making your digital “experience” that has audiences flocking? The US Chamber of Commerce has a wonderful resource, however, it is finite. Likely, many cannot implement these so-called “best practices” into their own website. That is where I come in. Here are my recommendations to create an effective digital identity to increase clicks tenfold.
1. Designing for Humans, Not Robots
When designing, it is important to consider your audience. Is Chat-GPT going to be reading your website? Are Boston Dynamics robot dogs requesting your services? Probably not. Develop detailed user personas to guide your design decisions and content creation. Knowing your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and pain points will inform every aspect of your digital identity.
2. Narrative and Brand
Just like in my first recommendation, do not cater to robots. Creating a narrative and brand for your product is just as important as the product itself. How do you think businesses like Adidas, Gucci, and Supreme get away with selling their products at high margins? A compelling brand story that resonates with your audience can have a drastic impact on your business’s conversion rates.
3. Consistency
I know pretty colors can be fun, playing with fun animations, fonts, and color palettes to cure boredom. However, consistency builds trust and helps your audience recognize you in the vast digital landscape. Being a stickler for consistency will allow for a recognizable brand on and off the web.
4. Responsiveness, Interactivity, and Speed
It is no longer 2002, a responsive design is not a luxury; it is a requirement. Your website should look and function seamlessly on devices of all sizes, ensuring a positive experience for users whether they’re on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Likewise, take advantage of interactive elements found on most CMS platforms. (And, if you’re a web developer, most javascript libraries). Interactivity can come as minimal as forms to contact your business, which is the most you will likely need. However, adding elements that encourage participation can deepen the connection users have with your brand. Lastly, arguably the most important element of your website. Your website should not require a NASA quantum computer to run. If it does, please contact me and I can help. Optimize your website for speed. Users are impatient, just like me, and a slow website can be a deal-breaker. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and employ other speed optimization techniques that most people can find in a WordPress plugin.
5. Social Media and Advertising
Unless it is your weekend to go to Vegas, your website is not going to have a sudden influx of traffic just by following the steps above. It takes affirmative steps and the desire to be found. Using a service like Google Ads or Instagram can dramatically boost clicks on your web page. Remember, social media is not just a tool for promotion. It is a space to build a community around your brand.
Take away
If I were to give one lesson to take away from this, I would say that your number one goal is to not have a website from when dial-up was commonplace. (If you do not know what dial-up is… good). While some can promise that after this “one-time fix,” your website will be modern and attractive in perpetuity, this is simply not the case. Time travels forward, 99% of the time without your website. It is important to keep optimizing (don’t over-optimize) and updating to make sure your business has a consistent traffic flow through the website. Worst case scenario, your current customers are happy. Best case? You join the S&P 500.
If you can do this on your own, more power to you. There are plenty of free resources and courses you can take to deepen your knowledge on this topic. (I recommend HubSpot Academy). If not, you’re in luck. There are 1,000s of people who can help you, and I am one of them. Feel free to check out my services, or hop on Google and search “Web Designer.”
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