{"id":12168,"date":"2018-10-01T12:42:22","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T17:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=12168"},"modified":"2026-01-20T03:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T03:36:05","slug":"design-for-persuasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/design-for-persuasion\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Persuasive Web Design to Increase Conversion Rates"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 15<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disclaimer: This section is a TL;DR of the main article and it\u2019s for you if you\u2019re not interested in reading the whole article. On the other hand, if you want to read the full blog, just scroll down and you\u2019ll see the introduction.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are more than a billion websites, and this figure is increasing every day.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The objective of every website is to attract, retain, engage, and convert visitors, but many fail here because they don\u2019t take design functionality and aesthetics seriously.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For your website to be able to convert site visitors to become loyal users and customers, it\u2019s important to understand and analyze visitor intents, motivations, needs, and preferences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>How The Human Brain Interprets Design<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As humans, we are wired to want the best and move far away from anything that looks like it\u2019ll be stressful. This attitude is carried online when we visit websites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several factors we subconsciously look out for when visiting a website or using an App for the first time. Familiarity is first on the list. We look for familiar and similar experiences to the ones we\u2019ve had on previous websites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another factor your site visitors will subconsciously look out for is safety. Safety here simply means social proof, proof of payment security, and other trust indicators.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 3rd factor your site visitors expect is clarity and visual appeal. For them this means you making use of visually appealing elements on your website, and also their ability to find what they\u2019re looking for without wasting time navigating through different pages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 4th factor is a sense of urgency. Except the human brain is presented with an opportunity to act, it will not. That push is necessary. In scientific terms, it\u2019s called fight or flight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sense of delight is the final factor. Just like urgency, the human brain also acts to experience a delight. \u2018Delight\u2019 is delivered or imparted through mental and emotional appeal. In the real world, not everything can be justified with logic. This holds true even for purchase behavior.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Leveraging Psychological Triggers In Persuasive Design<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though humans tout themselves to be intellectual and rational people, our brain is affected by a number of external stimuli, visual presentation, motivations, etc. and we later use logic to rationalize the \u2018why\u2019 behind our decisions\/actions. Listed below are some of the cognitive biases used by marketers to impact user decision-making.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Choice abundance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As the name implies, when users are faced with a lot of options, they face a sort of paralysis in decision making and fail to analyze options\/information. All the noise shuts down its otherwise \u2018healthy\u2019 sense of judgment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Anticipation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers leverage curiosity and anticipation to keep users hooked and engaged with a brand. We are intrigued to completely know what we just partially know about. That is how you satisfy that old brain\u2019s ego that says \u2018I know everything. That is how to keep nudging it to know even more.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Authority: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The brain follows the hero. It has been trained by history and evolution that the herd follows the leader\u2019s command. Chimpanzees follow the leader. Their leader is their hero. For humans as well, an authority figure is a commander. His words and actions can be trusted. This is why you often believe a celebrity endorsing a product in an advertisement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Buyers&#8217; Remorse: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this happens to many users after buying what they believe is expensive. Marketers, however, try to soothe and calm us down by telling us how wise our purchase is.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Confirmation bias: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">users tend to recall easily what they already internally and subconsciously agree with. It\u2019s more like \u2018jumping to conclusions based on convenience, preconceived notions, and false judgments. How marketers can use this to their advantage is to research popular hypotheses and beliefs of their intended audience and position their product as the answer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other biases marketers use are disposition, community herd aka bandwagon effect, and foot in the door.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>6 Neuromarketing Website Design Hacks Based on Cognitive Bias<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Trust seals, reviews, and testimonials: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea behind using social proof \u2018upfront\u2019, right on the homepage of many websites is to influence the human brain that yes they are \u2018safe\u2019. Essentially, marketers leverage \u2018trust bias\u2019 to gently persuade users about their quality of services or products. From trust seals to reviews to customer testimonials, different elements are displayed on website homepages to create a sense of security and assurance of service in people.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Avoid \u2018choice abundance\u2019 during checkout: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The human brain is averse to confusion and prefers a direct path to decision making. That is why providing limited choice, which is most preferred by users, is the best way to more conversions on checkout.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>FOMO (fear of missing out): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers know (Fear of Missing Out)<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/case-study-how-incentives-and-trust-help-a-billion-dollar-company-increase-conversions-by-6-89\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FOMO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like the back of their hand. Almost every tactic to increase sales and convince users to buy quickly is based on scarcity to create urgency and other FOMO tactics. These tactics are based on the principle of loss aversion, which we\u2019ve explained earlier in detail in this post.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Deploy the decoy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tactic is based on the asymmetric dominance effect, according to which consumers will show a specific change in preference when presented with a third option that is inferior to option one completely; however, when compared to option 2 it is superior in certain respects and inferior in others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The power of positive reinforcement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The positive reinforcement hack is based on the cognitive bias popularly known as choice supportive bias. This psychological bias makes people remember their choices as better than they actually are. And, we as humans are naturally inclined to appreciate efforts that positively reinforce the buying experience as well as decisions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Emotional Appeal: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The belonging bias has been leveraged by brands like Apple to create a sense of complete belonging in their customers. Apple customers vouch and stand by their choice of brand and feel a sense of pride in owning an Apple product. They don\u2019t vouch for any other brand, ever. Such is the \u2018emotional appeal\u2019 of the brand. It makes the owner feel rich, class apart, and powerful.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Here&#8217;s A Longer And More Detailed Version Of The Article.<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are more than a billion websites and more are spawning every day. The objective of the majority of these is to attract, engage, convert, and retain visitors. Sadly, most fail. The reason is simple &#8211; they don\u2019t take<\/span><b> design functionality and design aesthetics <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seriously. The\u00a0Co-Founder and CMO of Imaginovation,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/307165\">Michael Georgiou says:<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users grant websites a fraction of that time: less than eight seconds. Those first impressions are about 94 percent design-related. What&#8217;s more, about 75 percent of users will judge your brand credibility based on your website design.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone knows how important making a first impression is. This is true even in the virtual, online world. Your website is the face of your business. <\/span><b>But, it is not \u2018just\u2019 that.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Apart from being able to portray your brand image to an online audience, your website must be able to persuade visitors to become users and loyal customers. For this, it is a must to understand and analyze visitors\u2019 intents, motivation, needs, and preferences. Understanding the \u2018how\u2019 and \u2018why\u2019 behind \u2018what\u2019 users are doing is the key to neuromarketing.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To understand the \u2018why\u2019 behind actions marketers, researchers, and academic experts have drilled deep into the human brain and established principles that can be put to use. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To understand the \u2018how\u2019 behind human brain, marketers use tools such as eye tracking, visitor recordings, heat maps etc. to analyze patterns that study the logic behind each on-site action that people take. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a nutshell, the look and feel are without a doubt extremely valuable. However, it doesn\u2019t end there; aesthetics are just the beginning, just the hook. <\/span><b>The loop begins with persuasive design functionality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this blog post, we will talk about the principles that establish the \u2018why\u2019 behind people\u2019s preferences, and how these \u2018preferential biases\u2019 can be used in crafting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/things-ui-ux-designers-need-to-know-about-conversion-rate-optimization\/\">persuasive website design<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, let\u2019s dive in to figure out how the human brain perceives design and what can be considered as design good enough to win and generate conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Human Brain Deciphers Design<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12182 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/nathan-anderson-196970-unsplash-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"479\" \/><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are websites that most of us forget about ( or would purposely like to forget about) as soon as we hit \u2018close tab\u2019. Maybe the design is horrible, or that the menu is difficult to locate, or that the search functionality is poor. It could also be that the website takes too long to load and you don\u2019t have the patience left to stick around for the page to display. As humans, we are wired to want to the best. And here\u2019s how we define \u2018the best\u2019 &#8211; instant gratification, easier choices, comfort, choosing the path of least resistance &#8211; all the good things in life. So, in context to persuasive website design, what do we term as a great experience? Here are the five elements that lay out our expectations from website design.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Familiarity &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The human brain looks out for \u2018familiar\u2019, \u2018tried and tested\u2019 patterns. If it encounters something extremely different than what it has been largely exposed to, doubt quickly surfaces. If you want your website or app to attract users quickly, win their trust in no time steer clear of confusions and experimentation. R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ather than displaying web elements that trigger confusions, focus on creating a reassuring experience. <\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some simple tips &#8211; Use languages that your customers understand have a consistent design throughout your website, give pricing options on your page that are popular in the geographical area that you are running your business for. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Safety &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A familiar pattern instills some amount of faith and safety in users. However, the human brain craves for complete trustworthiness when it comes to buying. People purchase from a shop or brand that they feel assures quality and ingenuity. In an online world, people are even more cautious. That is why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/design-trends-e-commerce-websites\/\">eCommerce websites<\/a> focus on displaying social proof on their websites. They also promise complete safety of payment and protection from fraudsters. In the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/the-conversion-framework\/\">conversion framework<\/a>,<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> given by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invesp CRO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, safety falls under the purview of <\/span>Trust and Confidence<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Clarity and visual appeal &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is human instinct to rely on visual stimuli. This is the reason why visually appealing elements on a website can make or break the first impression. Clarity is just as important. Ever walked into a cluttered grocery store and walked out empty-handed because it was taking forever for you to find out where would you find what you needed? Same goes for website design also. Neat, clear navigation is always welcome. And, so is a simple and clear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/revealed-the-biggest-secret-to-ecommerce-checkout-optimization\/\">checkout process<\/a>. Under the conversion framework given by Invesp CRO, clarity and visual appeal fall under the purview of <\/span>sale complexity<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which says, the more complex the sale, the more difficult it is to close. <a href=\"https:\/\/mayvendev.com\/blog\/10-crucial-elements-for-any-website-design\">According to\u00a0Nate McGuire:<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember users want a few key things from navigation: knowledge of where they are on the site, a way to go back (or home), and directions (if your site has an unusual or more complicated interface).\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/\">According to the graphic<\/a>,\u00a0<strong>76% of users surveyed said that\u00a0<em>\u201cit\u2019s easy to find what I want\u201d<\/em>\u00a0is the most important factor of a website\u2019s design.<\/strong><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12176 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/Screenshot-2018-10-01-18.49.15.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"460\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Image Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.business2community.com\/online-marketing\/the-most-important-factor-in-the-design-of-a-website-that-converts-0157228\">business2community<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The sense of urgency &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By nature, unless a human brain is presented with a situation to act, it will not. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> push is necessary. In scientific terms, it is called \u2018fight or flight\u2019. When there is a certain sense of urgency, the human brain prepares itself to either face that situation or run away from it. In most cases, the urgency to act occurs when faced with the possibility of loss. Marketers, both digital and traditional, use the sense of urgency to nudge their users to complete a sale. You might already be familiar with \u2018Up to 50% off ONLY till next week\u2019. It\u2019s all neuroscience! In context to conversion framework, Sense of Urgency can be related to F<\/span>UDs (fears, uncertainties, and doubts).<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>The sense of delight &#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like urgency, human brain also acts to experience the delight. \u2018Delight\u2019 is delivered or imparted through mental and emotional appeal. In the real world, not everything can be justified with logic. This holds true even for purchase behavior. But why delight, why not just satisfy a customer\u2019s need? Because it does not guarantee repeat purchases. Besides competition mandates customer delight. \u00a0In website design, newer technologies such as virtual reality are making it big by being able to provide a \u2018delightful\u2019 visual experience. Similarly, easy pay mobile optimized wallets have made checkout truly delightful for online buyers.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All the above points on how the human brain perceives design have been derived from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Triune_brain\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McLean\u2019s theory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about the reptilian brain. \u00a0Going by what McLean puts forth, it seems that steering marketing efforts towards the brain\u2019s reptilian part, businesses can manipulate their consumers\u2019 basic instincts and influence decision making. In other words, persuasion is a game of being able to use the five listed elements in the process of website design and functioning. A number of psychological triggers can be derived from the above five elements, which we will be going through in detail now. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leveraging Psychological Triggers in Persuasive Design <\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12183 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/evgeni-tcherkasski-1078400-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"451\" \/><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we\u2019ve pointed above, human beings often divulge from rationality in judgment and may act in an illogical fashion if successfully manipulated by emotional appeal and persuasion. Though humans tout themselves to be intellectual and rational people, our brain is affected by a number of external stimuli, visual presentation, motivations, etc. and we later use logic to rationalize the \u2018why\u2019 behind our decisions\/actions. Here are a few common cognitive biases that impact our decision making and are widely used by marketers in influencing decision making and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-your-conversion-rate-using-persuasion-at-every-stage-in-the-e-commerce-conversion-funnel\/\">creating a persuasive design<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Choice abundance: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When presented with too many options or too much information, our brain goes for a toss. It faces a sort of paralysis in decision making and fails to analyze options\/information. All the noise shuts down its otherwise \u2018healthy\u2019 sense of judgment. That\u2019s why you have a hard time selecting \u2018just one\u2019 from a menu loaded with a variety of pizza options and that\u2019s why marketers have a \u2018make your own\u2019 option that simplifies your decision making. We have an excellent piece on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/simplicity-over-abundance-of-choice\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the paradox of choice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which you can read about in detail here. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Anticipation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thomas Hobbes has defined curiosity in the best possible manner. He says \u2018Curiosity is the lust of the mind\u2019. Marketers leverage curiosity and anticipation to keep users hooked and engaged with a brand. We are intrigued to completely know what we just partially know about. That is a how you satisfy that old brain\u2019s ego that says \u2018I know everything\u2019. That is how to keep nudging it to know even more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Authority: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The brain follows the hero. It has been trained by history and evolution that the herd follows the leader\u2019s command. Chimpanzees follow the leader. Their leader is their hero. For humans as well, an authority figure is a commander. His words and actions can be trusted. This is why you often believe a celebrity endorsing a product in an advertisement. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Buyer\u2019s Remorse: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It often happens that we end up regretting \u2018splurging\u2019 on expensive purchases that are driven by emotions or desires. This feeling of remorse often shows up when we purchase a car, a house, or even a certain luxury watch on an impulse. Marketers, however, try to soothe and calm us down by telling us how wise our purchase is. They explain how our expenditure is actually an investment and how that impulse watch that we just end up blowing up our entire two month\u2019s salary on is a limited edition. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Confirmation Bias: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A series of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Experimental_psychology\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">experiments conducted in the 1960s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> validate that people have a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tendency to favor, and recall information in a manner that it confirms their preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. It\u2019s more like \u2018jumping to conclusions\u2019 based on convenience, preconceived notions, and false judgments. When people want to think in a certain manner they magically and end up believing it to be true. So, if your friend didn\u2019t reply instantly to your message, he must be avoiding you, right? That\u2019s a confirmation bias that you hold true without actually knowing the truth.<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12187 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/hamzy-selamat-683467-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"582\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Community Bias: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The herd sticks together and follows the norms of the community. They have an inherent need to feel like a part of a larger group and be accepted as its members. This makes them feel safe and comfortable. Being with people who have a shared agenda makes people feel important and enhances confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Disposition: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A bias towards making a decision that is likely to make us \u2018gain\u2019. Usually, people tend to make financial decisions based on Disposition bias. High risk-high reward investments are based on the disposition effect when the brain thinks that taking the risk is worth the hefty \u2018gain\u2019. Similarly, the idea of gaining \u2018safely\u2019 from mutual funds is also based on this bias.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Foot in the Door: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you heard the phrase \u2018 Well begun is half done\u2019? Well, if you\u2019ve taken the first step towards something you are almost close to completion. This goes for everything. Even while buying, if we\u2019ve taken the first action (such as visiting a website) we are likely to take additional steps &#8211; browsing the website, adding to cart, liking its Facebook page etc. Foot in the door is like one step closer to sale for marketers! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Above we\u2019ve cited only eight cognitive bias or psychological triggers; however, there are many more. All of these triggers literally give away top secrets on how to influence the old \u2018self-centered\u2019 brain. These secrets (or cognitive biases), now out in the open for years for marketers to make the most of, are also vital in persuasive website design. We shall now read how these neuromarketing principles can be used as hacks in website designing. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>6 Neuromarketing Website Design Hacks Based on Cognitive Bias<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12184 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/perchek-industrie-1078826-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"907\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Trust Seals, Reviews, and Testimonials<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea behind using social proof \u2018upfront\u2019, right on the homepage of many websites is to influence the human brain that yes they are \u2018safe\u2019. Essentially, marketers leverage \u2018trust bias\u2019 to gently persuade users about their quality of services or products. From trust seals to reviews to customer testimonials, different elements are displayed on website homepages to create a sense of security and assurance of service in people. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using images and testimonials from authority figures in the industry is also a great way of leveraging trust. A number of newer, fresher ideas keep emerging every day on how to use trust bias in persuasive design. For example, a video on product usage can instill confidence in users that they can use the product without much help from customer support. Similarly, video-based testimonials are now being widely used. They are indeed much more powerful in winning users\u2019 trust as compared to written testimonials. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good example of how a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/30-ab-tests-to-boost-your-saas-conversion-rates\/\">SaaS business<\/a> leverages trust bias using video testimonials is Hubspot. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/screenlight.tv\/blog\/2014\/09\/22\/how-hubspot-uses-video-to-drive-traffic-and-charm-customers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they share how they\u2019ve used a happy customer\u2019s video testimonial about their product. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Avoid \u2018Choice Abundance\u2019 during checkout<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The human brain is averse to confusion and prefers a direct path to decision making. That is why providing limited choice, which is most preferred by users, is the best way to more conversions on checkout. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/how-a-cognitive-walkthrough-can-improve-website-usability-and-conversions\/\">cognitive bias<\/a> being exercised here is \u2018choice abundance\u2019, where when presented with a clutter of options people find it difficult to \u2018act\u2019 or make a \u2018decision\u2019 quickly. There is an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2006\/06\/more-isnt-always-better\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">extremely popular experiment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that explains this phenomenon quite well and establishes that \u2018more isn\u2019t always good\u2019. The experiment uses gourmet jams to prove that people who saw more options on display were one-tenth as likely to buy as people who saw the small display. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Practical Tip:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide one clear and actionable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/multiple-call-to-actions-increased-conversions-by-20\/\">call to action on checkout<\/a>. You should avoid too many offers and confusing messages. For example, instead of having many payment options &#8211; Cash on delivery, Debit Card\/Visa, PayTm, Cryptocurrency &#8211; give make one or two most famous options prominent and fold the rest under \u2018Check other payment options\u2019 hyperlink.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazon\u2019s checkout is one of the best examples on how to avoid the paradox of choice and remove any sort of noise that might lead to confusion, diversions, or a sort of paralysis while reaching their \u2018goal\u2019, which is to complete checkout. It simply doesn\u2019t overwhelm users with choice and is minimalistic. That\u2019s why we all love shopping at Amazon, right?<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12171 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/image2-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"146\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Scarcity for Urgency or FOMO<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers know (Fear of Missing Out) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/case-study-how-incentives-and-trust-help-a-billion-dollar-company-increase-conversions-by-6-89\/\">FOMO<\/a> like the back of their hand. Almost every tactic to increase sale and convince users to buy quickly is based on scarcity to create urgency and other FOMO tactics. These tactics are based on the principle of loss aversion, which we\u2019ve explained earlier in detail in this post. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eCommerce brands have absolutely nailed FOMO. They have used techniques such as \u2018real-time countdown timers\u2019 in website design to imbibe a sense of urgency to buy in users. Onsite push notifications have also been smartly used by website design experts and marketers to instill fear of missing out in users. Consider, \u2018stock about to finish\u2019 offers that pop-up when you visit your favorite website. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SaaS businesses have also been using FOMO to their advantage. One way how they do it by \u2018highlighting the number of happy subscribers to their product\u2019. Obviously, for those who want to buy this is a gentle nudge that if they don\u2019t subscribe, they will miss out being a part of this happy and satisfied user base. One such example is <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/sumo.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sumo.me<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Check the following image to know how.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12172 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/image4-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"288\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Deploy the Decoy <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tactic is based on the asymmetric dominance effect, according to which consumers will show a specific change in preference when presented with a third option that is inferior to option one completely; however, when compared to option 2 it is superior in certain respects and inferior in others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decoy principle or tactic is widely used by SaaS businesses while designing pricing pages. The idea is to make users buy a certain\/specific option. Consider <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/persistiq.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PersistIQ<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They have three payment options displayed on their pricing page. Their Pro Outbound option is priced way less than the third option but only $40 higher than the basic plan. Obviously, they want their users to consider the Pro Outbound option and hence have presented a third option which is extremely high priced.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Power of Positive Reinforcement<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The positive reinforcement hack is based on the cognitive bias popularly known as choice supportive bias. This psychological bias makes people remember their choices as better than they actually are. And, we as humans are naturally inclined to appreciate efforts that positively reinforce the buying experience as well as decision. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In website design, positive reinforcement is used widely on thank you pages. Using persuasive copy and design elements, you can imbibe a \u2018happy experience\u2019 in your customers\u2019 minds. That feeling of happiness while buying from you fuels and feeds choice supportive bias. Jif, a website dedicated to nutrition for kids, does this really well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12173 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/image3-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"483\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Practical Tip for SaaS businesses:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> SaaS businesses can use positive reinforcement in their website design in the checkout process. While customers are making the \u2018selection\u2019 you can reassure customers about their \u2018consideration\u2019 by showing them numbers of subscriptions on that particular plan. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Emotional Appeal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The belonging bias has been leveraged by brands like Apple to create a sense of complete belonging in their customers. Apple customers vouch and stand by their choice of brand and feel a sense of pride in owning an Apple product. They don\u2019t vouch for any other brand, ever. Such is the \u2018emotional appeal\u2019 of the brand. It makes the owner feel rich, class apart, and powerful. These are the kind of emotions that the brand associates with and so do its customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Practical Tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Have a community forum page on your website that is completely handled by users. Let users generate the content for you on this section. This way they will feel a part of the business. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s how <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jonathan Kennedy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has built a community of loyal Shopify store users. Take his tips seriously. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the B2C space, we have an excellent example that nails emotional appeal. Have you ever checked out Dove\u2019s website? They have portrayed real users, real people to project the idea of true beauty. That\u2019s how they\u2019ve formed a connection with the audience and created an unbreakable bond with the customer.<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12174 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/image1-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"348\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>That\u2019s a Wrap &#8211; Neuromarketing + Design = Powerful Persuasion <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neuromarketing is not new. However, it is since the past five to six years being more creatively used in persuasive design techniques. Have you used neuromarketing in your website design yet?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"blog_img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/offer.invespcro.com\/the-ultimate-guide-to-persuasive-online-copywriting\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/images\/blog-images\/Persuasive-CTA_copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1389\" height=\"405\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 15<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Disclaimer: This section is a TL;DR of the main article and it\u2019s for you if you\u2019re not interested in reading the whole article. On the other hand, if you want to read the full blog, just scroll down and you\u2019ll see the introduction. There are more than a billion websites, and this figure is increasing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":12181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,18],"tags":[85,625,626,627,133,628,241,629],"class_list":["post-12168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cro","category-ux","tag-beginner","tag-choice-abundance","tag-confirmation-bias","tag-familiarity","tag-persuasion","tag-persuasive-designs","tag-ux","tag-visual-appeal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100571,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12168\/revisions\/100571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}