Design to sell. 8 tricks to increase your web sales

 More and more businesses move their move to the Web, and many more even beginners directly online, from which arises the need of websites designed and built to sell. A well presented website achieves the purpose of forming and deliver a strong brand, but looking good is not enough to sell products or services on offer. So, we need to introduce the elements of marketing.

1. Subliminal suggestion

Research shows that objects and images that you see around you can predisposing to certain behaviors. For example, a study on children showed that after having been shown a Santa hat were more willing to share their goodies with others. The cap was implicit in their minds the concept of sharing and giving, and exposure to it internally prepared them to look more positively the act of sharing. In the same study exposed the boys to a logo "Toys 'R' Us," which had the opposite effect to that of Santa Claus cap, making them less willing to share their candy.

When choosing images for your site, think carefully about the message you're trying to transmit. Choose images that are meaningful and which carry the message or feeling. Do not make graphics for their worth in themselves, if not a role, do not have to be there. The cliches, images and photos too view stock are also dangerous because they can not convey the right message in the given context, rather select images that give the effect you want to obtain.

2. Avoid paralysis of the election

There is a marketing phenomenon known as "paralysis of choice." This occurs when too many options offer the user. Choice is nice, but when you present to your customers too many choices, they may feel confused and not knowing where to go. Nobody wants buyer's remorse (when a person chooses an item and later decide you do not agree), so many people spend more time than the selection process should: become paralyzed.

In fact, according to Barry Schwartz, when clients have too many options to consider, they end up avoiding the purchase of a service or task specific or general (Paradox of Choice), and this is precisely what designers need to have either account in our designs.

To remedy choice paralysis make him easier for people to find the product or service to you. Tell them what the benefits of each option, and then suggests that they should choose. You can use visual aids to highlight the most popular product and tilt it to potential buyers. If the product does not suit them, they will choose another, but if you are confused, a choice "default" helps to avoid paralysis.

3. View the product

• When you visit an actual store, say, groceries, you can look at, examine, and sometimes even test the products for sale. You take your purchasing decision based on the information you collected there. Are the tomatoes ripe? Are those pretty red berries? How about the look and smell of that freshly baked bread?
• When you sell online services or applications, you should do exactly the same: show the product. It's amazing how many websites that sell software does not actually show screenshots of their applications. It is true, are intangible goods, digital goods can not touch or smell, but they are goods you can see.
• People judge products based on their appearance. Why?. Because appearance is an indicator, right or wrong, the usability of a product. This is known as the aesthetic effect-usability.
• If a person sees an interface complicated or confusing or in some cases, only a very attractive interface, tends to assume that not very usable or is hard to learn. However, if the person sees attractive interface and simple look, start to imagine how well it works and want to eat. Get people to imagine using your software, and you'll be closer to closing the sale.

4. Let people try it

Once you start using a product, you get involved with him. Once you start to put data into it, start doing your own. Every second that a dedicated user to test a program is a second of your time invested in learning and using your product.

Later, when asked the user whether to buy or subscribe design studio to the product or service, is more likely to say "yes" because they are involved and invested time in it. Naturally, if the product is bad, then people will reject it, but then your priority would actually improve the product until it reaches a satisfactory level.

Recent years have seen the emergence of the business type "freemium" (word formed by free-free-and premium-first line-). This service allows the customer to use a portion of it free of charge, but requires a purchase to use all its features. This gives the person a sample of the total product but not limited to a trial period. This lets you use the product free of charge with no monetary commitment and then go update it if you like.

It is a good model for many online business Software-as-service photoshop, because once people start using your product, is caught with it. He begins to trust him, and when you trust the product to do business or handle your life, then most likely need the premium features of the full product and will be happy to incorporate because it knows your service.

The stories are very important to make sales because potential customers to imagine how they will use your product. Let people really try free goes even further. No need to imagine because they can start using it directly and without cost. Allowing people to try your product, either through a demo, a trial period or a freemium model, is an excellent way to gain customers. Now this is not really an element of "design" but it is important to mention here for their potential to lead conversions.

5. AIDA

AIDA is a popular sales strategy, and stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. It is relatively simple and describes the sequence of events that must take into account to achieve a sale. So, first of all, you capture the attention of your potential buyer. Once you have it, you gain their interest by explaining how your product or service can help.

Then, once he is already interested, you generarle the desire of your product.Please example, a story about how this product has helped someone like your visitor can help you figure out what this product can do for him, and especially what benefits it would bring. Without doubt, the benefit is key here because benefits, not features, sell products.

Finally, you need to make people act. This means buying the product or subscribe to the service. If the person wants your product, you can simply press a button to apply. If you are interested but still unsure, there are some methods you can use to motivate them even more, for example, create a sense of urgency with a limited-time offer or limited quantities available.

Yokaboo has great graphics that catch the eye. Is likely to first read the brief description on the left. Then, the inscriptions on the shirt help inspire confidence. Finally presents a call to action to the right. Another interesting example in Spain is this web of unique gifts.

However, the AIDA strategy applies more to the copy-the real marketing text on the website, that the design, so we need to do in terms of design is to reinforce that copy, make it stand out and ensure that visitors to read. This means ensuring that the first thing visitors see the new really grabs your attention. After the passing of the page will direct their focus to the points that achieve the two goals: interest and desire. Finally, at the end of this flow, we need to convert. Then, call to action: "Order Now", "Sign here." 

It is important to understand that the design just does not sell: need a strong text in place to make the most of the work. The design is here to reinforce and support the text, and not vice versa.

This means you should not design a nice website first and then fill the space with words. Instead, think about the message you want to transmit, type text and then build a design that delivers that. If the delivery truck breaks down, the packets do not arrive, but no packages before the delivery truck has nothing to do.

6. Guide care

To benefit from something like AIDA, you have to lead your visitor through your content. This can align items in a fluid, and use pictures to guide your eyes. For example, if you want to put the spotlight at some point, use a big arrow. Our eyes naturally notice the arrow and look in the direction she says.

Structure your content so that flow into something. Having a bunch of scattered descriptions can be confusing and make your visitors get lost, unless, of course, that all points end in calls to action. If you want to make sure your visitors will not miss anything, orders all in a linear structure so that the user can go. Be sure to finish with a final call to action: sign or download a link.

7. Offer the following action

Always be closing. If you have to design a website to sell something, either a software or Internet service, you always have to think about how close the business on each page. This does not mean quierre fill every page with large buttons "Buy Now" means that when the client is ready to buy, do not have to go looking for the link to check out.

Always have links to the next action to maintain current flow and make sure not to lose the attention of potential buyers. The links to the next action may refer the visitor to a page with more information about the product or page where you can actually make the purchase or signing. These links might say something like, "Ready to order? Click here "," More information "or" Buy Now ".

Do not end the page with a dead end: always suggests to your visitors where they should go next.

8. The Gutenberg rule

The Gutenberg diagram (or Gutenberg rule) is a concept that describes something called reading gravity. This phenomenon consists of a reading habit that occurs in the western world: from left to right and top to bottom. The Gutenberg diagram splits the page into four quadrants: "primary optical area" in the upper left "fallow industry strong," the upper right "Sector fallow weak" lower left, and "Terminal Area" the lower right.

The Gutenberg diagram

This suggests that the lower left of the page will get the least attention in the course of sight through the page from the upper left to lower right, and that our eyes will stop on the lower right portion. How can we use this concept? The buttons and calls to action could be placed in the bottom right instead of left lower, since this is the place that probably will illuminate the eyes of the visitor.

Note that the Gutenberg diagram has better chance of working on pages that have a more balanced distribution of content. If parts of your site have areas that are highlighted by high contrast and strong typeface, then those areas are more likely to attract attention and thus guide the way the user will visit the page.