When creating a website, it’s crucial to understand your market and what will work or not work. It is important to upload content that will be both appealing and engaging to your audience because activity will help boost the SEO of your site. Having better SEO means ranking higher in Google search results, leading to more website visitors.
Trends are good for navigating what is popular and appealing when it comes to marketing and social media. When it comes down to generating leads and growing engagement, we like to get insight by looking at numbers and results.
We’ve done the research for you and compiled the data – check out the stats below to help you break it all down:
DESIGN
1. “There are more than 1.9 billion websites.” [Source: Internet Live Stats]
With more than 1.9 billion websites online, you want to make sure yours sticks out. Having a modern and clean design along with providing important information can help set your site apart. Here at Market Muscles, we create websites that are built to generate leads and stand out from the competition!
2. “First impressions of websites are 94% related to design.” [Source: Research Gate]
Most of the time, your website is a lead’s first impression of your school. You want your website to portray your core values while being appealing to the eye – it’s hard to engage with a site that feels cluttered, overwhelming, or outdated.
3. “It takes 0.05 seconds for users to create an opinion about your website.” [Source: Behaviour and Information Technology]
It doesn’t take long for visitors to form an opinion of your website. People visit countless different websites in just one week. It’s now an expectation for a business to have a fully functional and close-to-perfect professional website.
4. “38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive.” [Source: Adobe]
Think of your own experience navigating through a website for the first time. It’s much more enjoyable to interact with a website that looks organized and has an aesthetic that matches the company’s branding.
5. “50% of consumers believe that website design is crucial to a business’s overall brand.” [Source: Top Design Firms]
Having a solid foundation of your company’s branding is crucial. Choosing colors that represent who you are, designing a logo that shows what your company provides, creating a catchphrase that exemplifies what you stand for – it all matters when people visit your website.
6. “75% of website credibility comes from design.” [Source: WebFX]
Having a good design actually helps your credibility enormously. If a website looks old and outdated, it can come across as worn-out or unprofessional. By constantly modernizing and adding new content to your website, it continues to give that fresh and updated look.
7. “Mobile devices now account for nearly 2 of every 3 minutes spent online.” [Source: comScore]
It is important to create a responsive web design and layout that works well and looks great on all devices. Make sure that your site is easy to navigate on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. Market Muscles gives you the ability to make specific changes to each one of these layouts, making sure it’s looking and working its best.
TIP: Use the inspect function to view your site in different formats! (right click on a page → click ‘Inspect’ → check out your website through the different dimensions)
RESPONSIVENESS
8. “94% of people judge websites on responsive web design” {Source: infront webworks]
Along with the design of your website, responsiveness is just as important. Having a website that loads quickly, displays content promptly, and has little to no response issues will help keep visitors engaged.
9.“13% of adults access the internet via mobile only. 11% access the internet via desktop only.” [Source: comScore]
Know your audience! A responsive web design is crucial for lead generation. Figure out what device your leads are visiting from and ensure a smooth experience on your site. Market Muscles provides its clients with personalized analytics, giving deeper insight to who your leads are, where your leads are coming from, and more!
10. “In a study commissioned by Google and conducted by 55 and Deloitte, decreasing mobile site load times by just one tenth of a second resulted in major increases in conversion rates.” [Source: Deloitte]
Having a website that is responsive will create more engagement from your leads. If a website takes too long to load content, it can cause leads to become frustrated or impatient, pushing them away.
11. “53.8% of web designers cite “not being responsive on all devices” as a top reason for a website to be redesigned.” [Source: GoodFirms]
Losing leads because of slow website responsiveness is one of the simplest things to fix. You want to invest time and money into creating a website that functions well on all devices.
12. “Google prioritizes responsive web design.” [Source: infront webworks]
The benefits of a fast and responsive website go beyond just keeping visitors browsing your pages. Google recognizes when a website is working well and will actually boost your ranking in search results because of it.
13. “70% of consumers say that slow loading speeds make them less willing to buy from a company.” [Source: Unbounce]
Assuming that gaining leads is a goal for every company, this stat could be pretty scary. Do yourself the favor of investing in a quality website – it will pay off by building your credibility and growing your school.
14. “If a page takes more than 3 seconds to load, nearly 50% of users will refresh the page.” [Source: Unbounce]
The moral of the story is that people are impatient – they want things to happen with a click of a button with no wait time. Give your leads as little reason to leave your website as possible so they opt-in.
CONTENT
15. “When asked what visual elements they value on a company website, 40% of consumers said images, 39% said color, and 21% said video.” [Source: Top Design Firms]
Include a mix of different visual elements on your website. People receive content differently, which is why it is important to try to include a variety. The mix of content will also boost engagement and credibility.
16. “Listings with photos are twice as likely to appear reputable.” [Source: The Media Captain]
Specific to Google My Business pages, you want to include photos of your business on your listing to improve your ranking. Providing photos gives leads the ability to see inside your school and learn what you’re all about.
17. “Pages with original photos see almost 35% higher conversion rates than pages with stock photos.” [Source: blue compass]
It’s normal to use stock photos within your website, but it can be noticeable to your website visitors. We recommend investing in a photoshoot or taking photos on your personal device to display on your different pages. Don’t know what photos to include? Check out our list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to choosing an image.
18. “Color can improve readership by 40% and comprehension by 73%.” [Source: COLORCOM]
Including color in your website design will help keep your audience engaged and focused. Different colors can represent different feelings. For example, blue can help a business come across as trustworthy and red can create a sense of urgency.
19. “26% of consumers prefer primary color schemes, 21% prefer complementary, and 20% prefer analogous.” [Source: Top Design Firms]
Primary colors are: red, yellow, & blue
Complementary colors are: red & green, yellow & purple, or blue & orange
Analogous colors are: 3 colors directly next to one another on the color wheel (ex: red, orange, & yellow or green, blue, & purple)`
20. “39% of web users are drawn to color more than any other visual element when visiting websites.” [Source: PR Newswire2]
Most websites have color on them. Although many companies stick to their branding colors, you can find different ways to include elements that bring in different colors and bring more life to your site.
21. “Users spend 88% more time on pages with videos.” [Source: WebFX]
Getting solid video content along with editing it professionally can be difficult. We recommend making two videos – a loop video and a video ad. A loop video is a 15-30 second video with various clips of your programs, your students, and your instructors. A video ad is a longer video with sound that may include testimonials and feedback from parents and instructors.
22. “50% of smartphone users are more likely to use a company or brand’s mobile site when browsing or shopping on a smartphone because they don’t want to download an app.” [Source: Google/Ipsos]
You want your website to stay lead focused. We recommend only providing information that will encourage a lead to opt-in and giving your current members a separate outlet to gain information specific to them. Market Muscles provides its clients with a member portal that is through a web browser that allows school owners to upload content, lessons, videos, and more.
TIP: Have your members bookmark or save this portal link as a shortcut so that it can be easily accessible.
Our Market Muscles team has nailed down strategies that work the best – we create lead generating websites with a modern design, focused on the leads experience!
To learn more about our websites and the tools we offer, schedule a call with us ???? https://marketmuscles.com/demo/