Looking for new ways to grow your online business? This issue we have some helpful resources to help you do just that, including five tips to improve your website’s design, a checklist for superior customer service and insights from a leading consumer electronics retailer.

When it comes to website design, even seemingly small design elements can affect your sales—one way or another. Here are five design “do’s” that can have a positive impact.

1. Do make calls-to-action (CTAs) obvious
Make sure your shopping cart link is easy to find on a page. Use contrasting and/or bold colours to call attention to CTAs, which allow them to stand apart from other elements and get noticed.

2. Do use an action colour for buttons
People respond differently to different colours. Cool colours like blue and green have a calming effect. Warm colours like red and orange inspire passion and impulsive actions. Using red (or other warm colours) for your “add to cart” buttons will help increase clicks on those buttons.

3. Do use the principle of proximity to group related items
For clarity, place descriptions and buttons near the products they’re associated with. Make sure each product, description, and button group is separated from other groups to avoid confusion.

4. Do control the flow in your design
Show your product image, then your product description, and then your “buy now” button. Organize design elements to follow the buying process that goes through the customer’s mind.

5. Do use whitespace
Allow your design to breathe. Whitespace helps elements on a page get noticed, communicating the desired action to users. Whitespace also improves usability, is aesthetically pleasing, and increases comprehension.