SimplyProtein wanted to refresh their website to make it simpler for their visitors to navigate their site, find product information and make purchases. The end result not only increased conversion rates, but also decreased abandonment rates. See the five web design tips that helped drive their improvements.
It’s long been thought that applying a new design to your website will automatically make your site perform better. However, we hear time and time again from our clients that web redesigns they’ve done in the past have actually caused a decrease in sales and traffic. All website designs are not created equal.
Clearly this is very frustrating – spending a lot of time and money for a design refresh only to discover that it performs worse than the previous design.
Here are some web design tips that have been proven to increase conversion rates for a new website redesign.
We recently completed a website redesign project for our client SimplyProtein. They wanted to create a new site design that would increase conversion rates and decrease abandonment rates. They also wanted a much cleaner site to mimic the product packaging and their offline advertising campaigns.
>> Case Study: See how the new design increased conversion rates by 21%…
The following web design tips we used on the above website redesign to increase conversion rates and to decrease abandonment rates.
One of our primary goals of this design was to remove as much visual and navigational clutter as possible to keep visitors on task. The first area that we looked at was the header of the site.
The old header had a lot of visual distractions and too many navigational items. Most of these items did not need to be there and were distracting from the user experience. So we removed almost everything and found that it really focused the paths visitors were taking.
Header before…
Header after…
Create navigation that is easy for visitors to find the products they are interested in. Keep the navigation structure simple and easy to understand. Try not to use product names unless you have a well known brand, instead use high-level category terms like “Protein Bar” or “Protein Chips”. Create these high-level category names based on targeted keywords.
Navigation before…
Navigation after…
Make sure your text and messaging makes sense to visitors. Make sure it explains the features and benefits of your products quickly and does not confuse them. Give them a few very specific calls-to-action.
Messaging before…
Messaging after…
Be sure to use high-quality photography for your products and supporting imagery. Don’t skimp here. The better the quality of the photography the more your prospect will trust that the product is what you say it is. In this case showing the all natural ingredients was a successful way to communicate the quality of the products.
Photos before…
Photos after…
Adding trust elements like the “Wellness Ambassadors” section helps communicate that other visitors have tried the products and like them so much they become product ambassadors. You can also use trust seals as they can sometime help with conversion rates. **There have been several A/B tests done that show that sometimes they don’t help. Be sure to test the types of changes.
Trust elements after (there were none before)…
While there were many other page design changes (category pages, product pages, etc.) that contributed to the success of this new design, the home page is one of the most important pages to quickly and effectively communicate your brand promise. Fail to quickly communicate who you are and what you offer and your prospect will move on to a competitor.
We highly recommend performing conversion optimization testing on any design changes done to your site. From completely new site designs to page element designs, testing the changes will prove that your efforts are going in the right direction.
If your website is outdated, not mobile responsive, or not helping you capture leads it may be time to consider a redesign.
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