12 essential statistics about website design

There’s no getting away from the fact that your business needs a well-designed website. It’s an important part of your business’ online presence. And don’t think it’s just about making things look beautiful (as important as that is). It’s also about improving the bottom line.

To help you make the well-designed website your business deserves, here’s 12 essential statistics you need to know:

Actually, people do judge a book by its cover

• Attractive web-design drives engagement. 38 percent of people will stop engaging if your website isn’t attractive. Fortunately, making a good-looking website doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a beginners guide to do it the right way.
• Your customers choose beauty. Given the choice, 59 percent of consumers prefer content that is beautifully designed as opposed to simply designed. It’s not an either/or situation – you can have a website that is both beautiful and effective. Here’s some examples for inspiration.

First impressions and keeping up with the Jones’

• Your competition is prioritising web design. 58 percent of small and medium-sized business owners intend to invest in a new website or improve their current one. Don’t be left playing catch-up as your competition pushes forward with beautiful, optimised websites. To get the best results, work with experts to improve your website.
• First impressions matter. It only takes 05 seconds for a user to form an opinion about your website. In a world where more things are clamouring for our attention, it’s essential to climb above the noise. Make a great first impression by following design fundamentals.

Mobile is the future!

• Customers expect more from mobile. 85 percent of adults expect a company’s mobile website to be as good as or even better than the desktop version. As customers move to mobile devices over desktop, it’s important to ensure your website is optimised for mobile.
• Some users ONLY use mobile. 13 percent of adults only access the internet from mobile devices. The writing is in the sand – mobile cannot be ignored. Here’s a beginners guide to help move your business into the mobile-era.
• Desktop is dying (slowly). Despite the overall growth of the internet, between December 2013 and December 2014, there was a 1 percent drop in desktop usage. It seems like a small drop, but keep an eye on this trend, because this is where it starts.

Speed and usability

• Users leave slow websites. 47 percent of users expect a website to load in no more than 2 seconds. For a quick-fix to improve page loading speed, reduce the resolution of your images. If you want a deep-dive on how to make your web-pages lightning fast, check out this article.
• What does your business do? 86 percent of visitors expect to see what your product or service is on your homepage. A strong, clear homepage (that gets to the point, already) is the foundation for a well-designed website. Because we like you, here’s some templates for inspiration.
• Navigation menus are important. When a visitor reaches your website from a referral, 50 percent of them will find their way around using the navigation menu. Because navigation menus are so well-used, it’s important to make yours both attractive and functional. Naturally, we’ve sourced the best step-by-step guide – have at it!
• Make yourself easy to contact. 51 percent of people surveyed thought that ‘contact information’ is the most important thing that is usually missing from a company’s website. Don’t make this common error and ensure your contact information is front and centre. 

A website, that is well optimised and avoids tacky website design trends, is essential for a successful business. These statistics help reveal both the importance of web design and how to do it well.

For more on how to make website design improvements a sustainable, data-driven part of your ongoing strategy, read our most excellent guide to growth-driven design.