How to design a website that connects before it converts: a human-centered approach for mindful businesses
If you had to choose what your website helps you do, what would it be? Conversion or Connection?
Conversion is a marketing term for 'converting' your cold lead into a warm lead. It's about turning a visitor into someone who's ready to purchase from you.
Connection acknowledges the full human being on the other side of the screen.
When two minds meet and come into a conversation that feels like synergy. What's a space that makes this dialogue immediately felt and tangible?
There's a place where conversion terminology is useful, but for us, on the creative side, it could hurt your brand more than help.
Here's why:
Strips our idea about our ICA (Ideal Customer Avatar) down to a dehumanized unit. A unit of 'someone' who 'consumes' our product or service.
From this standpoint, all the website becomes is a space that's purely functional on this level. It's a sterile place where you take someone through a 'funnel'
It doesn't account for the intangible, unconscious and emotional process of compelling someone of the value you offer
The concept dehumanizes you in return, and flattens the multi-dimensionality of your own BEING in your business & brand.
How does a purely conversion-focused website come across to your audience?
Do you know what a purely conversion-focused website looks and feels like? It speaks to a general public, It may solve problems, it may offer you valuable freebies, but in a sea of same same marketing talk and results, it blends away. Text and buttons, colored boxes, graphic elements that feel misaligned and distracting, with aggressive pop-up, a countdown timer, or copy that feels ungenuine (and wreaks of AI) By misrepresenting the value of your work, how much impact are you losing out on? How much money?
Why connection and resonance matter
What we want (with all of our senses and humanity intact) is to feel resonance and connection. Can we measure this? Can we know how our audience feels when they're on our website?
A website that's designed to help connect and imbue resonance is built with a visual storytelling standpoint.
It involves using imagery, colors, spatial layout that supports your message and the core essence of your brand.
One great example is Sun Yi's Night Owl Nation website that is specific to his audience and offering. It doesn't beat around the bush, visually and messaging-wise. The value is clear. The action to be taken are clear. All in a concise format.
Connection & resonance is a much more intentional approach. This is not a prescription for a certain aesthetic for a website; it's just much more nuanced and specific to who YOU are.
Final Takeaway
The intangible ROI of thoughtful design is what no analytics can measure. You'll stay in the minds of people, because you've made them feel a certain way. You helped them slow down and notice something because you've dared to go off conventional forms and practices, and expressed something unique to you.
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Is your website working optimally to connect and resonate with your ideal audience?
✔ Does your home page pass the first 8 seconds rule? Is what you offer CLEAR and COMPELLING to your ideal audience?
✔ Is your website helping you to grow your audience on autopilot?
✔ Are you leveraging your unique brand essence so that you’re a no-brainer leading solution in your niche?
