Blog.

We humans love visual stimulus. Perhaps that’s why people like to hang out in art galleries and museums so much, surrounded by beautiful things to look at! Although you might not initially view a website as a thing of beauty, its visual appearance actually has a huge influence on in how your customers will interact with it.

The Psychology of Visual Stimulus

Reactions to websites are often intuitive – people immediately state what they like or dislike about a web page, without thinking too much about why they’re having that reaction. However, when browsing online, you’ll be influenced by a wide range of visual elements, all designed to evoke a reaction.

Understanding the psychological power of these elements can make a big difference to your online performance. In basic terms – if you know how to tick the right boxes when people view your site, you’ll be that much closer to making a sale.

What Visuals Matter?

· Colour. The colour that you use on your site plays a big part in influencing your customer. Red implies a sense of urgency and excitement, so it’s great for sales. Blue is often associated with trust and reliability, which makes it the ideal shade for legal firms and corporate businesses. Think about colours carefully, and the reaction you want your target audience to have.

· Fonts. Fonts play a surprisingly big role in psychological engagement. Elegant, curly fonts are associated with artistry and creativity, making them more suitable for creative companies. Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, are quite formal, and viewers are more likely to take the content seriously. Avoid using over-complex fonts – remember, it needs to be readable!

· Layout. The layout of a web page isn’t dissimilar to the wall of an art gallery – the empty space surrounding the images and text plays an important role too! A sparse page with few images works well if you want to create a clean, crisp look – ideal for a graphic design company, for example. A ‘busier’ page, featuring lots of product images, implies that you’ve got a wealth of stock for sale, which can entice shoppers to browse.

· Images. Think carefully about the images you use, as they’ll have a direct impact on how your customers perceive you. Stock images can be useful from time to time, but we don’t recommend using them too frequently. Most people can identify a stock image from a mile off, and it makes your business look rather impersonal.

If you want to create the impression that you’re a friendly, approachable company, add a high-quality image of you and your team on the site. If you want to encourage your viewers to buy, think about what photos would appeal to them. For example, if you’re a travel agent, you might want to use idyllic images of beaches and sunsets to lure people in!

Web Design in County Durham

Are you looking for a fresh site for your business? If so, we can help. Our team of expert web designers, developers and marketing strategists offer a comprehensive solution, designed to promote your business and maximise sales. If you’d like to find out more, simply give the Shark Bait Studios team a call on 01748 900321.