What do Nike and Kim Kardashian have in common?

Website Designs: Achieving Balance

There is always a battle when creating website designs between visual appeal and the need to motivate consumers. Its funny that as a Los Angeles web designer, we see many clients, agencies, and institutions favor the former (visuals) rather then the latter (sales).

Undoubtedly, there are some companies and brand (and individuals) that need a website design that is truly visually oriented. Typically, these organizations or people are massive (world renowned), manufacturers, or reliant on  their own fame to make them successful. For 99% (We are the 99%- Occupy Websites) of people in need of a website, they are looking to sell a product or a service. But because of the emphasis on visuals, they’re often led down a path to websites that don’t actually sell.

What are some examples of the sites that can get away with all visuals?

  1. Nike. Nike’s brand name is known the world over. The swoosh is more recognizable than nearly any other symbol (American flag, Coke, Mcdonald’s, etc). Nike is distributed through thousands of other retailers and distribution networks to billions of consumers. Nike can get away with not really pushing sales and conversions through its websites because of this. There are already thousands of people willing to sell Nike’s product that get to worry about it. Nike just needs to appear cutting edge, pro sports endorsed, and appealing to the new generation (really the only people who haven’t heard of Nike are probably under 5).
  2. Kim Kardashian. By no means is she Nike. But Kim is all about selling herself. (Just look at the sham wedding for ratings deal). Anyone who can stoop that low to make a buck, is probably more interested in getting a particular personal image out. While she does rep (I was trying to think of another term for people who sell themselves for money here, but drew a blank) a dozen different line of products, she’s ultimately all about selling herself. Her website simply needs to pass off a particular image and glamour to its visitors without huge emphasis on the conversion or sales process.

Who can’t?

  1. Almost every other business, individual, or organization. IF you’re not on Nike’s level then you need to be looking to find a way to incorporate conversion optimization with the creation of your site designs. Find a way to get calls to action, clear sales channels, and easy usability set up on your site. How can you drive people to your products faster? What are your strongest features and benefits for your consumers? Where can you place those? Can you make the Buy Now or Call Now button bigger and brighter?

We’re not joking about this either. For most companies, especially in this economy, if it doesn’t sell it smells. Forget for a moment your lofty branding ideals and firstly focus on your consumer sales process. THEN look at designs. Walk away from the Flash splash page and the cool sound effects and animations. Sell, sell, sell. So few websites are designed to sell, and in this economy that simply doesn’t make sense.

If you’re looking to hire a web designer in Los Angeles, or a web design team in Seattle, or anywhere for that matter, and you want to make sure your site is going to sell for you, give us a call. We specialize in creating beautiful, conversion optimized (closers), and easy to market websites.

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