Why 94% of Visitors Leave Websites with Poor Graphic Design

Last Updated on September 25, 2024 by Dr. Gabriel O’Neill, Esq.

While a picture might be worth a thousand words, great website graphic design can be worth thousands of dollars for your business.

Graphic design on a website goes beyond simple communication between your brand and its audience. Businesses use visuals throughout the marketing journey to capture attention, engage potential customers, and persuade them to take action or make a purchase.

If your website’s design doesn’t achieve this, you could be missing out on significant opportunities. In fact, poor web design drives away 94% of visitors, costing you valuable business.

Why Do Visitors Leave Sites with Poor Web Design?

Your credibility suffers as a result of poor website design. You may be the best at what you do and have the best products on the market, but if your website does not reflect that high quality, both your credibility and professionalism are bound to suffer.

A site that takes a long time to load tells your customers that you are out of date, or worse, that you don’t care about what they want. Visitors may believe you are out of touch with industry advancements and are ignoring other aspects of your business. At times, users also end up assuming that you’re no longer in business just because of an outdated website!

It’s as simple as this: users will gauge the quality of your website to determine the quality of your services or products. At the end of the day, if you want a quality website, graphic design should be at your fingertips! 

Why is Website Graphic Design So Important

Ever stumble upon a boring website that’s just plain uninteresting or simply a hassle to go through? We certainly have. 

People underestimate the power of graphic design when it comes to websites, and sooner or later, this always comes back to bite them. Let’s look at five reasons why graphic design is important for any business looking to increase its brand’s reach and profit.

Never Underestimate First Impressions

Graphic design is an important tool for any business that wants to make a good first impression. As the saying goes: “The first impression is the last impression”. Likewise, a visitor’s first interaction with your brand’s website generally sets the tone for the rest of your customer-business relationship.

More often than not, the first interaction usually comes in the form of visual marketing materials. What you should aim to target is that first step: capitalizing on it by implementing relevant, updated graphics that tell the story of your brand.

When a customer first hears about your brand, they will most likely conduct some initial research on your website before making a purchase.

Now, what does your website or your landing pages say about your brand? These are the questions you should be asking yourself because, at the end of the day, they matter the most to the customer.

Take a quick tour of your company’s website, landing pages, and social media pages. Once you’ve got the gist of it, update these pages to better align with your brand and your message.

Consistency Relates To Credibility

Good graphic design, regardless of industry or field, will aid in the credibility of your company. However, when it comes to websites, customers are more likely to regard your site as credible in your field if your creative content assists them in solving problems and alleviating pain points.

Assume you create valuable blog posts that your audience appreciates — but each post differs from the last due to a lack of adherence to a brand voice. Though your current audience may be aware of your content, however, newcomers will be turned off by the graphic jumble that is present on your website.

Developing a uniform aesthetic will help your brand, and its respective website appears more authoritative and credible. Always remember that consistency breeds credibility.

Consistent content creation is the key to developing a loyal following of people who believe in your brand and your product or service.

Efficient Communication of Ideas

Trying to communicate seemingly dry and uninteresting chunks of texts and numbers to your audience but with no hope? We recommend trying out infographics. See, according to research, infographics – which combine visuals and text- are up to three times more engaging than text-only content. 

Naturally, this data translates to websites as well. This is why almost 70% of B2B marketers use infographics for digital marketing.

Because humans are heavily influenced by visuals, incorporating relevant graphics into text can help us better understand and remember complex information. A website that’s chock full of statistics is quite unattractive when compared side by side to a website that contains graphs and charts.

For starters, try incorporating infographics anywhere with extensive blocks of text to explain information. Does your website have a “How-To” page? Turn it into an easy-to-follow infographic to increase views. Similarly, are you posting an article containing different statistics? Simply add an infographic summarizing the important stats, and watch engagement bloom.

Creativity Is King

As competition intensifies, increasing your company’s competitive advantage is more important than ever. Confused about how you improve your website’s edge over competitors?

With so many free online design tools available today, creating personalized, high-quality content has never been easier. To truly stay ahead of the curve, you must be creative with your website’s design direction.

Create content that introduces new concepts, solves existing problems, or alleviates customer annoyances in novel ways. 

Embedding graphics into your website will aid you in empathizing with your audience by literally showing them what life would be like if your product, service, or advice solved their problems.

Tell Your Story

Every business has a story to tell, and your company is no different. Whether you’re an entrepreneur selling handmade leather goods online or a serial entrepreneur launching your next venture, there will always be people who are interested in what you have to offer. With websites, your goal should be to communicate this story.

Everything from your domain name to website graphic design should be focused on telling your customers the story you want them to know.

One of the key strengths of graphic design lies in its ability to allow you to relay your brand’s distinct story to your audience. Simple design decisions on your website, such as font selection and color scheme, can help you deliver your messages with feeling and clarity while supporting your brand message.

How to Improve Graphic Design

Onto the next big question: “How can you improve your website’s graphic design?” 

Improving your graphic design skills should always be a priority. As with any profession, there is always room for improvement, but technology, techniques, and approaches are constantly evolving, and it is crucial to stay up to date in order to avoid falling behind.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best, tried-and-tested methods of improving your website’s look and feel via graphic design:

1. Create a consistent appearance and feel
2. Select simple, easy-to-read fonts
3. Don’t be afraid of white space
4. Use visual hierarchy to direct your user’s attention
5. Don’t cut corners on photography
6. Improve your typography to help you build your brand
7. Be wary of alignment and structure
8. Use color and scale to convey importance
9. Make your Call-To-Action (CTA) stand out
10. Insert icons to create layers of interest

Key Takeaways

Like it or not, the stats don’t lie—graphic design plays a crucial role in boosting website engagement, and it’s better to ride the wave than be caught off guard!

Our straightforward advice? Either tap into your creative side or hire a designer who can create something that resonates with you, your business, and your audience. Be bold, embrace reinvention, and never shy away from standing out in a crowded market.