Two critical areas of website success
When it comes to building a successful website that actually drives sales and bookings, it's easy to get caught up in surface-level details. But after years of working with brands of all sizes, I’ve found that two critical areas ultimately determine whether a website succeeds or fails — and most businesses only focus on one. Here's what you need to know.
1. Design Aesthetic
Design aesthetic is often the easier of the two to recognize because we instinctively know when something doesn’t look good.
When assessing a website's design aesthetic from a professional standpoint, here are the key elements I focus on:
Alignment to brand identity — Is the design consistent with your overall branding?
Audience connection — Does the design appeal to your target customer, and not just to you?
Optimized for digital screens — Some designs work well for print but not for screens. Factors like mobile responsiveness, screen brightness, legibility, and technical limitations must be considered for effective digital presentation.
User-friendly layouts — Good design guides a visitor’s attention without overwhelming them. Poor layouts, with too many competing elements, cause eye fatigue and confusion, leading to visitors leaving your site.
2. Communicating the Value of Your Product or Service
This is the more challenging — and crucial — area to get right. In fact, it's the primary reason most websites fail to convert visitors into customers.
You only have 2–3 seconds to communicate your value before a visitor loses interest and leaves your website!
Clear differentiation — Your value is what sets you apart from the competition. It should highlight a unique offering you can reliably deliver.
Results-focused messaging — Strong value communication articulates the desirable results or emotions customers will experience by using your product or service.
Avoid over-promising — It's important to distinguish between true benefits and “nice to haves” so you don’t confuse or overwhelm potential customers.
Demonstrating value effectively — Use product demos, craft copy that addresses customer concerns and hesitations, and emphasize the positive feelings your product or service provides.
Important Note When Working With Website Designers
Many website designers primarily focus on aesthetics — and as a designer myself, I understand why. We’re traditionally trained in visual design.
However, the second — and arguably more important — half of a successful website, which is communicating value, often gets overlooked. This is because it requires marketing expertise and user experience (UX) skills, not just visual design skills.
After 15 years of designing for both large and small brands as part of digital marketing teams, I can help you build a website that is not only visually beautiful but also strategically effective.
Your business website is not a magazine for casual browsing — it's your live, 24/7 salesperson. Your investment in your website shouldn’t just sit there — it should be actively generating income for you.
If you’d like to talk about how we can strengthen your website, feel free to reach out!