eCommerce Website Design
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With more and more UK pounds being spent online, bricks'n clicks is now the accepted business model for retail businesses. As the number of eCommerce websites increase, the need to offer your customers a website design that is easy to use and visually engaging has become ever more important.
Whether you have decided to build your own eShop, engage with a web design service to create your eCommerce presence for you or use a hosted eCommerce solution, the best website designs all follow the same fundamental rules.
Website Design
In addition to a website's contents, the design of your eCommerce website is of paramount importance. Here we discuss the most important aspects of that design.
Website Useability
Above all else is website useability. eCommerce websites designed with the user in mind will convert more visitors into customers than those websites who's design ignores the needs of the visitor.
Useability focuses on website accessibility, ease of navigation, clear presentation of information - making it obvious what each page of the website is about and where to click to navigate around the rest of the website.
There are now legal requirements for website design to comply with nationally and internationally recognised standards of design which allow visually impaired and disabled users to access and use websites. The Web Accessibility Initiative defines the a way to make website design more accessible for all users, but in particular disabled users.
By complying with such accessibility recommendations for your eCommerce website design, you are also increasing the number of potential customers who can access and use your website.
Visually Engaging Design
Of course, useability is only part of the equation. A website design and the Internet in general is a uniquely visual experience. Whether its an eCommerce website or video streaming with sound, the visual impact of the contents of your website will determine the success of your eCommerce business.
Website design varies greatly depending on the subject of the website in question. For eCommerce websites the most important element of your website design is for any graphical effects to be complimentary to the contents of your eCommerce shop.
All too often an eCommerce website will be designed with high impact over-powering graphical effects which detract from the purpose of the website which is to present products and encourage sales.
A simple rule of thumb; if you look away and then look back at your eCommerce website and you eyes are not drawn to your products within 5 seconds, your layout or over-powering graphics are too distracting.
Research has shown that your average Internet user gives a website around 5 seconds to impress. If they spend those 5 seconds gazing at your flashly graphics, your eCommerce shop has failed to make an immediate impression on the important contents, that is, the products and purpose of your website.
A lot of eCommerce website design is of course down to individual taste - what appeals to one visitor might not appeal to the next, but by putting accessibility, useability and complimentary graphical design high on your priority list you can be sure that your website design will appeal to a majority of visitors.