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The 3 Unbreakable Rules of Web Design – Use Your Website To Impress, Connect, & Convert

Impress, Connect, Convert… this is our motto when implementing web design at La Jolla Design Group. It also happens to be a blueprint that every successful website follows.

 
Hotspots Background

Impress

Connect

Convert

1)  Impress

 

What does it mean to impress?

Your website has to make a powerful first impression that leaves prospects excited and wanting to know more.

 

 Why is this important?

Impressing is number 1 on the list for a couple of reasons. First of all, it determines whether people will stick around for the other two. If your website doesn’t impress the guest right out the gate, the chances that they will stick around to get connected, and eventually convert are quite slim. Secondly, people have information overload these days and as a result they tend to skim content rather than read it all of the way through. It’s important to give an amazing first impression so that people trust you as a source of value (then they will likely read more in-depth)

 

 How do I make an impressive site?

That’s the never ending question. What impresses people changes quite rapidly and it’s hard to say there’s a formula that will keep them impressed indefinitely. If you want to see what’s impressing people this year, take a read through this blog post. Though people are fickle and fads change, a good creative team can alert you to changes in web design trends before they happen to make sure your brand is prepared.

2)  Connect

 

Connection is the art of building rapport

A website that impresses people but fails to build rapport will be as easily forgotten as a website that doesn’t impress at all. Building a connection with your audience makes them feel closer to you than they do to the competition and as a result, they give you more time to prove that you are the best option for their business.

 How do I connect?

At La Jolla Design Group, we accomplish this with two main principles. Storytelling and Authority…

 Storytelling:

People naturally relate to stories and they are more inclined to do business with brands that tell great stories than brands that don’t. Think about the most memorable commercials, websites, and magazine ads. They all capture the imagination by painting a vivid story that the prospect can see themselves in.

 Authority:

In business, authority equals rapport. Your website needs to establish you as the authority in your field and we accomplish this by effectively educating the prospect in an easy to understand way. It’s important to communicate intelligently about your product without talking down to your visitors.

 3)  Convert

 

Clearing Up Confusion About Conversion

Conversion simply stated is when people agree to a further conversation with you. A romantic comparison, it would be the equivalent of a coffee date. It is not a marriage or even an agreement to be exclusive, it’s just an agreement to learn more about each other.

 

 How Do I Optimize My Site For Conversion?

It’s important to have clear and well placed calls to action throughout your website as well as supporting information on the benefits your prospect will get when they do take action. Don’t be afraid to ask them to take action but don’t overdue it either. To use the romantic analogy again… the person who doesn’t ask for anything doesn’t get any dates but the person who asks for too much too soon seems creepy. 

Having said that, calls to action are just the tip of the iceberg for conversion optimization. To be honest, every image, graphic, and word on the site effects conversion rate and it’s important to work with a team that will build your site correctly from the ground up. At LJDG we maintain two rules of thumb. 1. Keep it simple –  the easier your site is to understand, the more likely people will convert. 2. Balance – Don’t ask for too little, don’t ask for too much.

 Conclusion

 

All 3 must be working in unison. 

Having a website that’s impressive and optimized for conversion is just not quite complete. You still need to make the connection. Having a website that connects and is optimized for conversion, but lacks that big first impression won’t get there either. Like a three legged stool or a three pillar cathedral, the whole things come falling down if just one of the legs is missing.

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