The importance of creating a fully functional and attractive website has never been greaterin this digital era. Your website is a reflection of your branding and the quality of the products/services your business offers. For this reason, business owners should ensure that their websites provides the best quality content and browsing experience for visitors.
Many of the aspects that make up a well-designed website are planned before the initial construction process. So here are some tips to keep in mind before designing your site.
1. Use White Space Effectively
The “white space” on a website refers to the unused background areas that do not contain text or objects of interest. It is easy to assume that this space isn’t important, as viewers aren’t likely to pay much attention to it. However, when used correctly, white space can frame your site’s text content and objects in a manner that makes them appear more striking.
You can use white space around paragraph margins and lines to add pauses and breaks to make reading the content more comfortable.
Similarly, white space can be used to guide the reader’s focus from one element to the next. It can serve as a pathway to help visitors browse through content with ease.
2. Represent your Brand
When designing your website, it can be tempting to use the newest fonts and color styles to attract visitors. However, your design choices should remain consistent with your branding.
If your company’s logo features a particular color scheme or font, it should also be used throughout your website. This design consideration doesn’t just enhance the appearance of your site, it also reminds readers that the content they are consuming belongs to your company. This functions as a subtle form of promotion that leaves a lasting impression on readers.
3. Optimize for Mobile Devices
Over half of all website visits come from mobile devices. This should be put as a priority as most people in the digital era own smartphones and browse the internet using these devices.
Anyone that has ever used the web browser on their phone over the last decade understands how frustrating it can be to browse a website that hasn’t been optimized for mobile devices.
From squinting at text that is too small to read, to struggling to select buttons and URLs that are spaced too close together, visiting websites from mobile devices used to be a nightmare. This is why all websites in the modern era need to be optimized for mobile devices.
Some of the features on mobile optimized sites include:
- Simplified menus with large buttons.
- Responsive designs where the content size changes to match the screen size.
- Easy-to-access search function.
- No pop-up ads.
Adding these features to your mobile site may help reduce the bounce rate and encourage visitors to stick around for longer.
4. Focus on Navigation
Many website and blog owners focus primarily on populating their site with high quality content that resonates with readers. However, people will be discouraged from visiting your site if they find it difficult to navigate through.
A well-made navigation menu significantly improves the browsing experience and entices visitors to check out the other parts of your website. This menu should have clickable buttons and a search bar that makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for on your site.
Website owners should hire website design services to implement website designs that are both stylish and easy to navigate.
5. Utilize Photographs Well
Photographs are among the most striking and visually engaging elements on a web page The first time you visit a website your eyes are immediately drawn to the pictures contained within. For this reason, many sites try to fill their pages with as many pictures as possible.
Some websites will go as far as to format their text content around slideshows on the page. However, it is possible to overuse photographs and distract visitors from the other content on your page, so web designers will need to use the optimal amount of photographs that keep visitors engaged with the content.
When selecting pictures for your website, you should go for ones that feature actual people, such as your staff and clients. These should be high resolution photos that convey the right tone for your brand.
For example, if you run a website that focuses on providing meditation lessons and tips, you should use photographs with a calm and introspective appearance. This could include shots of people meditating outdoors, or photos of stacks of rocks by the beach.
Many website owners enjoy using stock photographs for their websites. These can be easy to find and purchase; however, website visitors who recognize them as stock photographs may lose interest and assume your content isn’t genuine. To avoid this trap, website owners should hire a photographer to take unique pictures for their website.
6. Use Unique Typography
When designing your website, it is also important to choose the style of typography you will be using to display your content. Typography refers to the visual appearance of text. This includes aspects such as color, size, font, and spacing.
Website owners should strive to use a unique typography style that makes the page content look visually striking and easy to read. It can be tempting to use alien-like fonts to add some style to your page, but your typography should enhance the content rather than distract from it.
Many websites use a bold typography style coupled with minimalism to boost the appearance of the page without overwhelming visitors. When trying to make an impact with typography, it’s important to remember that less is always better. So try sticking to one or two primary fonts and avoid inserting new font styles if they aren’t needed.
As you can see, there are plenty of things to keep in mind before designing your website. This process can be made much easier with the aid of professional website design services. Your website represents your brand, so it’s important to design the best possible site for your business.
