You may or may not have noticed, but Google and Twitter both updated their websites’ looks. The changes were small in nature – a few pixels here, a new font there – but they represent the importance of refining your online appearance to have the maximum web marketing impact.
Specifically, Google moved two letters in its logo over a pixel or two, and Twitter changed its font from Helvetica Neue to Gothica.
Why are both making changes that most people failed to notice? The search engine wanted its letters to be perfectly aligned, even if that meant making a minuscule adjustment. This was meant to be an improvement on the alterations Google already made to its logo last year, flattening the image to give it crisper lines. Alternately, the microblogging site thought the new font gave its content a sleeker look (which might downplay some reaction to its revamped layout).
These minor adjustments may seem superficial, but they could have a major impact on users’ overall experiences. The impact of visual design goes beyond a website’s appearance to influence whether visitors get the information they need to convert. Brafton has previously documented cases when the color and on-page placement of call-to-action buttons have made content marketing campaigns more or less successful.
In one example, a business was advised to alter the color of a call-to-action button to introduce greater contrast and ideally, capture more clicks. Another instance was a company that was consulted to move its CTA to positions above the fold where they would get more visibility. While the overall look of the pages weren’t changed drastically, the potential for results was significant.
Marketers don’t have to be design visionaries to ensure their websites have the right elements to drive results, but they do need to keep an open mind and retain a willingness to make small changes when there is ROI on the line.
For more about the examples mentioned above, check out these posts:
