If you run your own business, then your website may be one of the most important marketing tools you have around, as when done right, it can attract a significant portion of your clients and customers. So what are the elements that separate an excellent website from a poor one, or a good one from a bad one? Below are 6 things that make the perfect site.
These are the website design elements you should be mindful of, when thinking about putting your own site together:
1. Web Friendly
No matter the content you put on it, how nicely constructed the site is, or how easily navigable it is, if it’s not web friendly, then it all counts for very little. Your web designer should have some idea of how to make your website work perfectly on all the major browsers, this means the use of alt tags, Meta tags, and full implementation of SEO. There are countless factors that contribute to your search engine ranking and visual appearance of the site itself, so you want to invest in a web designer that is familiar with all those things.
2. Lots of White Space
This is one of the most common web design elements nowadays, as white space is capable of making your site more appealing, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be white, just blank.
White space is a term that is used to describe the areas of your site that are empty, the areas that act as a buffer between the different elements on your page, which may include content, sidebar, etc. Your page elements should have breathing space between each other, if everything is bunched together, it can be very hard to read, and distracting to the eye.
There are many templates that you can use that maximise on whitespace for a design that is very pleasing to the eye.
When you purposely put your site together with white space in mind, you end up with a design that is clean, and more organized. As websites today are edging towards a more minimalistic design, when you keep spaces in your site open, it allows for a site that is much easier to read and easier to navigate through.
3. Consider Mobile
Around the late 2016, the internet witnessed a shift in the amount of traffic coming from mobile devices compared to those on standard desktop units. Over the years, this gap has only gotten wider, and doesn’t look like changing, any time in the future. In order to leverage off this shift in mode of internet access, Google introduced a new update to their search engine, called mobile-first, when it comes to ranking websites. A site that is mobile-friendly, is much more than just a saying, as it’s now a necessity.
The vast majority of WordPress themes you can purchase today are designed for mobile viewers. However, if you’re going for your own custom design, then you will need to ensure that it covers two main aspects. Firstly, that it is a responsive design, one that is capable of adapting to the size of the screen the visitor is viewing it on, and secondly, which is optional, that it has its own mobile-only design, which is activated when a visitor arrives on the site from a mobile device.
4. User-Friendly Design
This element of web design is at its written, you want to design your website around the user, not solely for search engine rankings. Many companies tend to prioritise what’s best for rankings, in the search engines, rather than what’s best for the viewers, which is a bad thing.
For your website design efforts, you want the user to be at the top of your priority list. Your website needs to be user friendly, before you begin to worry about how well it will rank in any of the search engines.
For example, Microsoft’s official site is excellently designed and is easy to navigate through, one can see that the user was their priority when they first conceived that website.
Google and the many other search engines are very smart, as they are able to tell when the user is getting what they want from your website, based on a number of metrics. So you want your content to take precedence over SEO, for example, at least in the early stages of your site creation, this way you can ensure your site is able to build a loyal following that will continue to come back for more.
5. Branding
You want your website to reflect your brand and your business. This means, when a user arrives on your website, they are immediately able to make the connection between the site and your company. This may mean, using the same logo, colour theme etc. When you go down this path, you make your business more memorable, but also it adds an additional layer of credibility, enhancing the overall image of your company.
6. Content
There are many elements that make up a website. Which may include your colour scheme, layout, typeface, and design elements, but there’s one very important component, that many people undermine. Many forget about what they intend to convey with the site, or the kind of data they intend to place on each individual place.
The vast majority of people that arrive on your page will want information, and they will want it relatively quickly. So you can expect the user to look at things like brand trustworthiness, the capabilities of your service or product (if you’re offering one) and your level of experience. Given the short attention span most people who arrive on your page will have, it’s important that you communicate all the appropriate data, and quickly. All information on your page should be an easy read.
Go through your content, word for word, then determine whether or not certain things need be said. Efficiency is very important, you want concise language as it’s the most effective way at delivery your points. Make sure you use headings and your text is displayed in an organised fashion. The user should immediately know what they are reading.
Instead of using long sentences, break your content up, into lists, if possible, and number them. You want everything to be short and to the point.
When it comes to content, remember the other aspects of the site. This means, having a Contact and About page. These pages need to have the correct tone, in order to convey the correct information. For example, a real estate broker may choose to focus on their results, while a lifestyle blogger will have something that is more personable.
