Does your website represent your brand? It should. Your website is the face of your business and should highlight all the company has to offer. Your website should be visually stimulating, easy to navigate, and user-friendly. Whether you are selling a product or a service, your website should be laid out to promote your business. A website is often the first point of contact between a company and potential clients, so the design, functionality, and user experience must be top-notch. A website’s design, functionality, and user experience all work together to create a user experience that is intuitive, accessible, and appealing. However, although there are hundreds of things to keep in mind, only a few really make a difference. This post will cover six of the most vital things you need to understand about website design.
Design Should Reflect Your Brand And Personality
Website design is a powerful tool that can make or break your business. It’s not just about the aesthetic appeal of your website but also about the personality you want to project and how you want to engage with your audience. Designers can do this by selecting the right colors, fonts, and images for their website. They should also use the correct design elements to create an emotional connection with their audience. According to these Chicago based web developers, the design you ultimately end up with should be unique to you and your brand. Moreover, you should try to incorporate elements of your branding throughout the website in order to achieve consistency. Your website is the first thing possible customers see when visiting your business. It’s how they decide whether to buy from you or not. Working with an experienced UI/UX design agency like Zensite, would help you achieve consistent design and message throughout your website so that you can build trust and establish a good relationship with your audience.
It Must Be Optimized For Speed
Over the past several years, Google has taken website speed incredibly seriously, even taking it so far as to include it as part of their ranking factors. However, improving the speed of your website isn’t just about ranking higher in the search engines; it serves a more important purpose. According to some studies, the longer your website takes to load, the more likely it is that you will lose customers. In fact, Amazon famously ran internal tests that found for every 100ms of load time, they lost 1% of sales, and as you might imagine, 1% for Amazon translates into millions. Although your site might not fare as badly as the retail behemoth, the fact remains that slow websites discourage customers and can adversely affect your brand. Fortunately, there are some straightforward actions you can take to make your site laid faster and improve customer satisfaction, including:
- Enable compression
- Use a quick, reliable host
- Reduce redirects
- Optimize your images
- Take advantage of browser caching (server-side is for static websites)
- Utilize content delivery networks (CDNs)
Design Should Create A Great User Experience
The user experience is the most crucial aspect of a website as it is what separates a good website from a bad one. A well-optimized website can increase conversions, drive more traffic to your site, and attract more customers. A/B testing is a great way to test different designs and find the best one. In order to do this effectively, you need to have an understanding of how users are interacting with your website. For example, if you are testing two layouts for a product page, you should know which layout has more conversions or leads. There are a number of ways that you can optimize your website for user experience, including:
- Site navigation must be seamless and easy to understand
- Each page should have a clear call-to-action
- Every page should serve a purpose
- The site should load quickly (as previously discussed)
Simplicity > Complexity (In Most Cases)
Designers and developers have to work together in order to create a website that is easy to use, navigable, and functional. However, in almost all cases, simplicity is better than complexity in web design. The web should be intuitive for users. It should be simple for users to find what they need without spending too much time searching for it. You can do some things to make your website simpler for the user, such as using simple fonts and avoiding unnecessary clutter in your design. Essentially, simplicity is better than complexity in web design because it will provide users with an easier time navigating your site, which will lead them to more conversions.
There Must Be A Balance In The Design
Websites need to be designed with balance in mind. A website should have a mixture of content, images, and layout so that it is not too overwhelming for the reader. There are many ways to create balance in website design. While some of them are more common than others, the most important thing is to have a clear vision for what you want your website to be like. You can achieve balance in website design by using elements that are opposite of each other. You can also use contrasting colors in your designs or different fonts and sizes to achieve a sense of balance. One of the best examples of this can be seen with Apple’s website. Whenever Apple launches or updates a product. They create dedicated landing pages that are fast, look fantastic, and have an aesthetically pleasing balance.
Calls To Action Should Be Clear
A call to action is a clear, concise statement of what the person reading the copy should do. It’s a command for them to take action or make a decision. A clear call to action is crucial no matter what the goal of your website is, whether it’s to increase brand awareness, retain customers, or sell stuff (or all three). This involves making them mobile-friendly and including them in locations that make sense. For example, suppose your business provides emergency plumbing services. In that case, you should place your phone number in a prominent location like the header so that it is visible everywhere and a potential customer can take action immediately. Nevertheless, no matter your business, it is essential to have clear and concise calls to action so your customers can contact you efficiently.
A well-designed website is essential if you want to attract new customers to your business. The design can be as complex or streamlined as you desire, as long as it follows a few cardinal rules. However, the tips in this post should help you create a successful online presence in today’s competitive marketplace.
