A visitor can judge your business just by looking at your website’s design in 50 milliseconds. But having a beautiful website does not mean you will end up with higher conversion rates. If you want a favorable outcome, your layout should be based on conversion science.
Website structure plays a critical role in determining a website’s success. It is essential to create a website that is easy to navigate and organized in such a way that visitors can find what they’re looking for quickly. In this blog post, we’ll outline and discuss the importance of website structure and how it can benefit businesses.
What is website structure, and why is it required?
Website structure is the underlying framework of your website, consisting of how all of the content is organized and connected. It directly impacts how customers interact with and find content on your website. This structure is essential to making a website user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Users feel happy when they find information in less span of time, so a solid website structure is required to accomplish this. UX designers solve border-related issues in UI design with good website structuring.
A well-structured website will present customers with a logical, organized path to the information they are seeking. On the other hand, a poorly structured website can greatly frustrate customers, leading to decreased customer satisfaction and potentially leading them away from your product or service.
It is essential to create a clear and concise website structure so that your customers have a smooth and enjoyable experience when navigating your website.
While creating an effective website structure, one must consider the purpose of their website. To create an effective website structure that works best for your content, it’s important to consider the overall purpose of your site meaning what you want to accomplish with your website.
The statements below can give you an insight into why website structure is vital to consider when you are looking for a higher conversion rate in your business:
- 38% of the visitors stop interacting with your website if the content or layout is not attractive.
- First impression of your website is 94% design related.
- To determine the business’s credibility around 48% of the visitors consider website design and its structure.
- 68% of the companies have seen increased sales with mobile-first web design.
- Good website structure means good SEO.
- Visitors leave websites if they find the user interface is not effective.
Types of website structure
There are three different types of websites structures:
- Linear structure
- Hierarchical structure or tree-like structure
- Network or web-like structure
Linear structure
Linear structure also called sequential structure, in this type of structure you will find pages connected in a linear manner following the logical path of actions.
For example, the journey starts from the main page move towards the service page, and then to the request page. Sites with a smaller number of web pages can use this.
One major benefit of using the structure of a linear website is its low-maintenance feature.
Hierarchical structure
Most commonly used website structure. Websites with a large number of pages and information use this type.
In this type of structure, you will find the main category and then subcategories connected, for instance, the homepage, top-level pages, and then child pages.
These pages are arranged in such a way that it looks like a tree with a trunk, hence, it is also called a tree-like structure.
Network structure
As a hierarchical structure is called a tree-like structure depending upon the visual that it creates, similarly network structure is called a webbed structure or web-like structure because of the visual it creates.
In the web structure, all the pages are interlinked, so accessing the pages becomes easy with minimum clicks. This is suitable for large-scale industries.
One thing to remember is along with all these good website structures it is a must involve SEOs to make your website search engine friendly, UX designers create a better user experience, and also content writers as they all play important roles in making the website structure effective.
Tips on how to design a website layout that converts
Hicks law – Don’t forget to K.I.S.S
The “Keep it simple, and stupid” mantra is an essential principle. Hick law relies on the same mantra, to keep it simple, the law states that if you avail more options for the users they will take more time to decide.
You might be thinking that if a user tells more time on the website isn’t it good for a business?
It is! but not to a great extent if the user does not reach whatever they are searching for it’s obvious that they get frustrated.
The classic example of the law is a study testing the effects of jam options. Two different displays one with 24 options of jams and another with 6 options of jam, the latter one made more sales than the former one. More the options you give more the confusion you create.
Boost the conversion rate by limiting the decisions. Sit back and think about where you have to cut down the number of choices that you are giving on your website in the navigation bar.
Decide what to add to your navigation bar and what calls to action you need to add, whether it’s a purchase, review product or look for more products.
Add a full-screen welcome gate on your homepage this will allow having only a single call to action button so the users won’t get confused, they have only one choice available at first.
Make use of negative space
Negative space/white space in web design is often mentioned as negative space, 85% of the shoppers claim this, positive space is the space with all your website elements, and negative space is the empty space.
Don’t go by its name negative space, in web designing always turn out to be a positive thing. If you have decided to make use of negative space in your layout, your design is going to be simple and effective. This does not mean you leave space between images and paragraphs, yes, it is important, but the negative space should be used in such a way that it attracts your visitors.
The best example of negative space is Google’s homepage. Google’s home page is simple with a clear vision of what users are expected to do.
Tips for utilizing negative space
- Use white space to improve the content flow that guides your audience.
- Through proximity establish a relationship between website elements.
- Use to highlight essential elements and your content.
- Use white space to make your website more appealing visually.
- Keep your line height nearly 150% of the font size for the body copy.
Colors play – Colors matter
Color plays a vital role in customers buying decisions, studies say that 85% of shoppers make their shopping decision on this factor. You have many platforms to study and test the color schemes that suit your website and your visitors get more attention.
The color represents emotions. Additionally, demographics affect the way your users distinguish your site. Use the color wheel to get complementary or analogous colors that work for your website. The final output of these colors can give your site layout depth, and attractiveness and also build a positive buying decision.
Maintain responsiveness
The number of smartphone users is increasing drastically. By the end of 2024 around 7.6 billion people are expected to have smartphones. Currently, 910 million smartphone users are recorded in India itself.
So why take risks and make your website responsive to mobile devices? Studies show that if your website is not optimized for mobile devices the five-time increase in bounce rate. With people switching between devices with regularity, it becomes important to offer a seamless experience on all Internet-based devices.
Optimize your website with critical information above the fold and also allow visitors to scroll down who want to know more about your website.
Dropbox is the best example, as it gives the option to sign up, a simple two-step navigation menu, or scroll down to learn more even on mobile you can find the same menu where you simply make your selection.
8 second rule: It works
Let’s see how the first 8 seconds help to drive attention and boost conversions. Do you know why it is mentioned exactly 8 seconds? because it is the human attention span which is lesser than a goldfish’s attention span.
So don’t miss to drive the attention of your users within these 8 seconds. We know you have a smaller window to engage your users but make big out of it. Let us see what can be done about that:
- Keep the headlines crisp, to the point, and large.
- We all know images speak and convey more than words, so, use an image that is eye-catchy and conveys the main purpose of your website.
- Keep the signup buttons highlighted large and simple.
- Choose your words wisely to make an engaging content.
- Use multimedia like audio and video.
Use face – Yes faces
Faces can show emotions generally we get connected automatically when a website has a familiar face or even a human face with the emotions on the person’s face shown on the website, the connection is built easily.
So make sure you use faces within your articles, case studies, testimonials, and learning pages to observe a boost in website conversion.
Get a proper photoshoot done, and ask your photographer to take photos with white space on one of your sides, for placing a call to action button. If you can’t do a photo shoot with any model be the face of your brand and it is easier with you as a face than hiring a model.
Vendeve –social networking for female entrepreneurs, uses faces to drive their target demographic.
Why is design important for conversion rates?
When a visitor of the website takes the action that the designer of the web page wants the visitors to take. For example, on a commerce website selling cloth, the user converts when the decision to buy cloth and clicks on the call-to-action button “buy now”.
Conversion rate is defined as the percentage of the total number of visitors to the web page who convert. 100 users visit the website out of which two users take action by clicking on the buy now button, the conversion rate will be 2%.
Website design is an important factor when it comes to conversion rate. It is essential for businesses to ensure their website is designed in such a way that is user-friendly and attractive.
A website that is visually appealing will help in creating a great user experience and trust, this will result in good conversion rates. 46.2 % of people from Stanford University considered the design of the website to be a measure of the credibility of a website.
A well-designed website creates a positive first impression and makes users stay longer. Additionally, a website should be designed with the user in mind, ensuring that the navigation is easy and the content is easily accessible. This will help increase the chances of visitors converting into customers.
Website design that matches certain design principles will not only boost conversion rate but also boost the visibility in Google search with a great user experience. If you have implemented responsiveness for your website the bounce rate will be reduced, this principle of website structure will ultimately lead to more conversions.
In conclusion, website design is a critical factor when it comes to conversion rate, as it can help create a positive.
Place your content to keep your visitors engaged
Creating a well-structured website is essential for keeping visitors engaged. A good website structure should be easy to navigate, with clear page titles and hierarchies. Properly labeled menus and pages can help users find the information they need quickly and easily. Internal links should be used to direct people to related content and help them explore the website further.
Additionally, it’s important to use consistent fonts and colors throughout the website, as this helps create a cohesive look and feel. Finally, ensure that all content is well written and relevant to the website’s purpose.
By following these tips, you can create an effective website structure that will keep visitors engaged and coming back for more.
Understanding how website structure can benefit businesses
Website structure is important for businesses to understand, as it directly impacts the user experience and affects how customers interact with the website.
A well-structured website will have an organized layout, making it easier for customers to find what they are looking for. Without a clear website structure, customers may be confused and it will be difficult to navigate the website.
Additionally, having a good website structure can help with SEO, as search engines are more likely to index and rank clearly structured websites higher on search engine result pages.
Therefore, businesses should take the time to carefully plan the website structure to support their customers through a user-friendly experience.
Common misconceptions about website structure
Many people think that website structure is simply how the pages are organized, but it’s actually much more complex than that. Website structure consists of the visual hierarchy, navigation systems, and the overall layout of a website.
The visual hierarchy uses elements such as typography, color, size, and position to emphasize parts of the page and create a smooth visual flow. Finally, the overall layout of a website is key to helping users achieve their goals.
A complex structure can make it difficult for users to find what they are looking for and lead to frustration. On the other hand, a well-designed website structure ensures that users can easily navigate pages and complete objectives in an efficient manner.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is essential to understand the importance of website structure for creating a user-friendly experience and generating more conversions.
A well-structured website not only helps visitors find the information they need quickly but also ensures that visitors have positive user interaction. The choice of layout and design of the website is an important element for an efficient website structure.
Establishing a clear hierarchy and including site maps or search functions makes it easy for users to navigate the website.
In conclusion, structuring a website is an important factor in creating a successful website. It includes understanding how to arrange page elements, developing easy-to-navigate links between pages, and selecting the right navigation design for the specific website.
