By now, most businesses know that having a good website design is important. After all, your online presence can make or break your business. But is it enough to have any website design, or do you need more than that?

For small businesses, especially if you’re faced with cost challenges or limited technical skills, investing in a well-designed, professional website may seem daunting. Or if you already have a working (albeit outdated) site, you may doubt the value of a redesign.

However, evidence and studies repeatedly point to the fact that good web design is important, and your business’s website design impacts your customer experience, lead generation and ultimately, your bottom line.

WHY WEBSITE DESIGN MATTERS

Your website design is important because your customers care about design. Whether consciously or not, we all react to visuals, and people are naturally drawn to good design. When it comes to your website design, studies have shown again and again that users quickly judge your business based on visuals alone, and will often stop using your site if it’s poorly designed.

Here are a few eye-opening facts about why website design is important:

75% of users make judgments about a company’s credibility based on visual design alone (Source)

When you come across an outdated-looking website design, what does that make you think about the company? You may doubt their legitimacy, question their products or services, or even look at a competitor’s website for a better answer. Regardless, research shows we definitely judge businesses based on the look of their websites.

94% of users’ first impressions of healthcare websites were design-related (Source)

First impressions are powerful, and what your website looks like can create a good impression or drive visitors away. While this study focused on healthcare website designs specifically, the same is true for other industries.

It only takes visitors 50 milliseconds to form a first impression of your website design (Source)

Speaking of first impressions, users form them almost instantaneously. According to a study from Google, it only takes 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds)! In that split second, users don’t have a chance to read your site or click on anything. That fast first impression depends on the visual design.

38% of people will stop engaging with your website if your content and layout is unattractive (Source)

Poor web design doesn’t only hurt your credibility, it can also drive away potential customers. People prefer to view content on beautifully-designed websites, and if your content is unattractive, you’re likely losing more than ⅓ of your visitors.