How Web Design Impacts Content Marketing [2023 Guide]
Isabelle Chan | 25 January 2023
If you’re wondering how web design impacts content marketing, you’re not alone. Web design and content marketing are two integral components of any successful online marketing strategy. While they may seem separate, they are closely linked and can greatly impact one another. In this blog, we will explore how web design can impact content marketing and vice versa.
Content marketing is currently one of the marketing practices that are growing the most rapidly. Businesses are increasing their spending on content marketing. From a study, 47% of respondents now spend more than $10k on their annual content marketing output, compared to 38% in 2019. But to make it work, you definitely have to come up with a great marketing strategy coupled with good web design.
What is Web Design?
Web design is the process of creating and developing websites. This includes the layout, design, and overall look and feel of a website. It also encompasses the functionality and usability of a website, including navigation, content, and interactive elements. Web design involves a combination of technical skills, such as coding and programming, as well as creative skills, such as graphic design and user experience (UX) design. The goal of web design is to create a website that is visually appealing, user-friendly, and easy to navigate, while also providing valuable information or services to the user.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract and engage a target audience. The goal of content marketing is to build a relationship with potential customers and ultimately drive profitable customer action. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, e-books, and other forms of content that provide useful information or entertainment to the audience. By consistently providing helpful and engaging content, businesses can establish themselves as experts in their industry and build trust with their target audience. This ultimately leads to increased brand awareness, loyalty, and sales.
Web Design and its Impact on Content Marketing
The design of a website plays a critical role in how users interact with the content on the site. A well-designed website will make it easy for users to find the information they are looking for, making it more likely that they will engage with the content. On the other hand, a poorly designed website can make it difficult for users to navigate and find the content they are looking for, resulting in a high bounce rate and low engagement.
One of the most important aspects of web design is the layout and organization of the content. This includes things like the placement of headlines, subheadings, and images, as well as the use of whitespace and color. A clean and organized layout makes it easy for users to scan and find the information they are looking for, while a cluttered and disorganized layout can be overwhelming and confusing.
Another important aspect of web design is the use of responsive design. With more and more users accessing the internet on mobile devices, it is crucial that websites are designed to be mobile-friendly. A responsive design ensures that the website looks and functions well on all devices, making it easier for users to engage with the content no matter how they are accessing it.
We usually think of design as a whole, but we will divide it into 4 elements in this article.
Here’s an overview of the elements that we’ll be covering:
- Overall Appearance: First impressions matter to keep readers on your site.
- Readability: Ensuring your audience can read and understand your content easily.
- Accessibility: Making your website easy to navigate and find information.
- Visuals: Adding visual elements to your website to improve engagement.
Now that you have an idea of what the elements are, let’s dive deeper into them.
1. Overall Appearance.
Firstly, overall appearance matters. You probably heard of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Ironically, we still do that, at least when it comes to looking at a website for the first time. No matter how amazing your content is, if viewers don’t get reeled in immediately, they may not stay to look at your content.
If your website, at first glance, looks visually unappealing or outdated, viewers may not find your brand trustworthy and stop browsing.
Your website design should create confidence. Make sure it looks professional and simple while engaging and representative of your brand.
2. Readability.
Along with an attractive web design, the content itself has to be readable. Your audience has to understand the content easily.
Opt for simple and professional fonts instead of fancy or handwritten fonts. Using simple and professional fonts makes it easier for readers to skim through to find information they need. This in turn increases the chances of them staying on your website.
You can take these tips into consideration to ensure readability:
- A suitable font size 一 neither too small to read nor too large that it annoys people
- Different fonts to differentiate heading and body text
- A suitable font colour that is readable and doesn’t blend in with the background
With that said, your font choice should still be consistent with your branding.
3. Accessibility.
Next, your readers have to be able to navigate and find information on your site easily. Instead of overloading your readers with tons of content in one page, consider adding a drop-down menu and search bars to improve their navigation process.
If your website is difficult to navigate, users will leave quickly which increases your bounce rate (i.e. percentage of visitors who enter then leave the site instead of staying). This in turn will affect your Google search ranking. The opposite is true for a website that is easy to navigate and users continue browsing.
4. Visuals.
Finally, visual content is crucial in today’s world, where people are becoming more receptive to visuals. Many of us are visual learners 一 we learn better using images, infographics and videos.
From a study, 84% of consumers agree that watching promotional videos has convinced them to purchase a product or service. This signifies the important role visual content plays in product or service promotion.
Content Marketing and its Impact on Web Design
Just as web design can impact content marketing, content marketing can also impact web design. The type of content that is being produced and the goals of the content marketing campaign can greatly influence the design of the website.
For example, if the content marketing campaign is focused on thought leadership and educating the audience, the website design may need to reflect this by including features such as a blog and resources section. On the other hand, if the content marketing campaign is focused on lead generation and conversion, the website design may need to include calls-to-action and forms to collect contact information.
In addition to influencing the overall design of the website, content marketing can also impact the design of individual pages. For example, if a blog post is performing well and generating a lot of engagement, it may be beneficial to design the page to be more visually appealing and include additional calls-to-action to encourage users to engage with more content.
Conclusion of How Web Design Impacts Content Marketing in 2023.
In conclusion, web design and content marketing are closely linked and can greatly impact one another. A well-designed website can make it easy for users to engage with the content, while a poorly designed website can make it difficult for users to find the information they are looking for. On the other hand, content marketing can influence the overall design of the website, as well as the design of individual pages. By considering both web design and content marketing when developing an online marketing strategy, businesses can ensure that they are creating a seamless user experience that drives engagement and conversion.
Contact us to find out how your web design ranks with others in your industry.