What can get you those clicks?

Good quality pictures add to a website’s appeal.

It’s a mad race out there. About 2.5 lakh websites are created every day, so how can you make yours stand out in the middle of the pandemic when possibly every business has gone digital?

Experts say the trick is to keep it simple, readable, and fast to load. Aesthetics is important but functionality even more.

Anmol Patil, software development engineer at Yellow.ai, says new-gen of business owners are aware of the competition. “They are giving more importance to the user experience than to the look and feel and that is the right thing to do,” he says.

Take single-page websites, for instance. “If users can view all that the company wants them to see right when they open the website, it will stick with them better,” says Suraj Puthen Karuthedath, chief executive officer, Hashtag Software Solutions.

You can surely add big and bright images on the website but go slow on the text then. Talking about the importance of balance, Suraj says, “Companies like Apple and Microsoft have small text on their website but their pictures and videos are of high-resolution. That invites customers to watch their information rather than read.”

But if the visual elements don’t load quickly, it’s trouble. “Your website and the graphics need to load as fast as possible to grab the user’s attention,” says Anmol.

More people browse websites on the tiny screen of their phones than on laptops and PCs, so make sure you can deliver on both fronts. “It’s very important to have mobile-friendly layouts,” says Suraj. Building a presence on social media is equally important, feels Santhosh, chief technology officer with Smruthi Technologies Pvt. Ltd. This will help new users discover your business and find your website.

Respond to crisis

Engage with your customers in matters of public interest. “Many websites have added a separate box to update people about vaccination details and the availability of Covid test kits and help them (in this time of crisis),” Shyam Singh, head of product development designs, WODO Agency, lauds the initiative.

Stay secure

Data theft is on the rise, so beef up the security of your website. “The more secure the customers feel, the higher are the chances that they will make a purchase on your website,” reasons Anmol.

Most online businesses are now applying for an SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer). It’s a security protocol and it creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser.

“Data theft was not a big concern in 2015 but now everyone is trying to get an SSL certificate before launching their website,” Anmol observes.

3 things your website needs

*Mobile-friendly layouts.

*Secure Sockets Layer certificate.

*Updates on the pandemic.

What’s trending

*Multi-coloured thematic designs — mydigitalstrawberry.com, banky.io, drinkcann.com.

*Magazine-view layouts — curry.cafe, streetartnews.net, lemkus.com.

*Typography based design — hugeinc.com, synchronized.studio, chiaraluzzana.com.

*Illustration — wildsouls.gr, biomedit.co, lunchbox.io.