Influencing Brand Perceptions Through Web Design

In the movie ‘Catch me if you can’ with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, there is an exchange between Frank Abagnale senior and junior about why the New York Yankees always win. The father goes onto tell the son that it is because nobody can keep their eyes off the pinstripes. What he was referring to was the initial perception of the team. Did they carry themselves as winners?

In life, we know that first impressions last and the same goes for business and brand perceptions. There are many touch points for businesses to enhance grow from a supplier that provides a product or service into a recognized and trusted brand. Digital agencies are advocating these touch points to reinforce the strength of the brand.

Building the brand.

Before going into the specifics about the perception of web design on the brand, the business needs to understand the importance of managing the brand itself. Developing a brand means that the company is developing trust among its potential and existing customers. The product or service that is being delivered will meet a certain expectation and deliver a certain value that the customer will have confidence in once they have decided to go through with the purchase.

When the customer is faced with different choices, the brand is the differentiation that allows the customer to value the product or service by using positive discrimination to have confidence in their purchase decision. A brand takes away risk and establishes trust. The brand is the message that is conveyed. The message that the customer interprets must be managed by the business to ensure that any impressions fall in line with the business’s desired branding goals. 

First impressions count.

Businesses must commit to delivering a consistent brand message that will meet the expectations of their market. On the web, the impression of the website and the digital media that is used to promote the business will add or deter the perceived brand value of your business. The use of web design that is innovative and is up-to-date with modern design trends shows that the business is up-to-date with modern technology. This refers to the web design layouts, as well as the rendering of text and images.

Your business website represents you!

Your website represents the primary point of your brand online. The impression of your website must offer value to the prospects or customers. The web design as well as the look and feel of the site must hit the right value points with the web user if you want them to engage with your web business and brand. Many businesses choose to invest in the other areas of their business and fail to recognize the significance of the website towards the credibility and proof of the businesses offering. If you think about when you visit a website, some of the key things that you are looking for include:

• The visual appeal of the website
• The professionalism of the website. (The look and feel of the professional look may build confidence in the web users willingness to do more business with you)
• The display of factual content on the site (Clearly demonstrating and defining the business’s offering and proof of their offering via testimonials, case studies, images or diagrams)

Your reputation lies with your website.

Managing your online reputation is a must. The website must serve as an asset that adds to your business’s credibility. A potential customer’s decision to provide business to you or your competitor may come down to the look and feel of your website. If there are areas of your site that may cause doubt, these need to be addressed. The website should have a regular revamp to ensure that the impression outdoes the competition and that it acts as a long-term selling tool.

Your website should act as your web presenter!

When people visit your website, they will be self driven. But they are actually seeking guidance and direction when visiting our site. People have arrived seeking information and they want to be told where and how they should access the information that they are looking for. The web design needs to support the customer journey and the desired action that the business would like the web visitor to take. A good web design company will know how to make use of:

• Image friendly visual aids
• Good use of font styles
• Good use of font colours
• Good use of images
• Good use of call outs and calls to actions
• Good use and placement of action buttons

It is easy for people to be influenced on the web. A positive influence can yield profitable rewards. Negative influences will result in a loss of opportunities. Commit to developing your website to boost your brand value and credibility to guarantee a profitable venture from your web activities.