If you’re designing a website and aren’t sure where to start, this guide will discuss what you need to remember for an effective web design.
Whether you’re designing your website in-house or with a Website Design Agency London, there is a set of various factors you need to keep in mind. Good web designing isn’t only about aesthetics, but also everything in-between.
Here is what to remember for the best website design London:
- Usability and navigation
- The purpose of your website
- Layout
- Website loading time
- Device friendliness
- Keep it simple
- Aesthetics
- What the content entails and how it’s arranged
- Structure
- Visitor expectations
Having a website that was designed well can serve several benefits, such as boosting sales and brand awareness. Keep reading to learn the key principles of effective web designing!
Factors to Remember for the Best Website Design
Designing a website without a framework or idea of what you want the site to look like or entail can make it challenging to create it. Knowing what defines a well-designed website can make it far easier to create a site that users love.
1. Usability and Navigation
A website that is tricky to use and navigate is often a website that doesn’t have many visitors. If it’s difficult for visitors to navigate your website, they’ll likely leave immediately and visit a different page. By designing your website in a way that makes it easy for visitors to use and find what they’re looking for, you can keep users on your site for much longer.
2. The Purpose of Your Website
Defining your website’s purpose will make it less challenging to figure out how you want to design it. Knowing the intention of the website and making it clear to users will help visitors know what your site is about, and it helps you generate content.
For example, some purposes of a website can include entertainment, increasing brand awareness, and selling your services or products. A website can have several purposes/niches, but knowing the primary function will give you a crutch.
3. Layout
The layout of your website can go hand-in-hand with usability and navigation, as a scrappy layout can make it difficult to navigate the page. Some effective page layouts include single columns, grids, and full-screen layouts.
However, a page’s layout is subject to preference and what layout you believe will best suit your website, as long as your content is neatly displayed and easy to consume.
4. Website Loading Time
A website’s load time can make or break visitor retention. A site that lags and takes long to load will cause visitors to become impatient and leave, more often than not. There are certain things you can do to help speed up your website’s load time, such as adjusting and optimising your page’s images.
5. Device Friendliness
A website that is compatible with any device is well-designed. You want to ensure your website is user-friendly enough to fit various screen sizes. Since mobile devices are most commonly used to browse nowadays, it’s best to have a layout that can adjust to a mobile screen (but keep other devices in mind as well).
6. Keep it Simple
Simplicity is the key when it comes to designing a website. Many may think that keeping it simple means the page will be boring, but this isn’t the case. Simplicity can also refer to your website being conventional and easy for user’s to find what they’re looking for.
Simple designs make your website look neat, sleek, and well thought-out. A simple but elegant-looking website gives your brand a great name and shows that you put time and effort into making your website look polished.
7. Aesthetics
A website that is attractive and appealing to look at contributes to your visitor retention and can boost sales if your website’s purpose is to sell. Your website’s aesthetic can have the same impact on visitors as a neat and sleek design, as a high-quality aesthetic communicates that you pay attention to the finer details and will pay attention to your consumers’ needs.
8. What the Content Entails and How It’s Arranged
An important factor in ensuring your website is consistent is determining what your content will entail. Any form of content, whether written, video, or form, should align with the purpose of your website. It’s a good idea to arrange your content in the natural reading pattern of left-to-right to make it easier to consume.
If you’re including written content on your website, make sure you’re confident it’s error-free and grammatically correct. Grammatical or punctuation errors can lead users to think you don’t care much about your content and the quality of your website.
9. Structure
A website’s structure plays into the layout. The structure of your website can include factors like visual hierarchy. Visual hierarchy involves arranging elements according to their significance. Designers use visual hierarchy to allow certain aspects of a website to stand out more than others.
For example, if you launched a new product or service, you would make the new launch the focal point of your website. Visual hierarchy is also used to show users where they can find the most relevant information. Using this method can help a lot with advertising purposes.
10. Visitor Expectations
Knowing what visitors look for in websites makes it easier for you to design one. Creating a positive user experience is essential for a great website, and knowing the specific expectations will help you do so.
Users want to be on websites that are conventional and don’t need them to figure out how to use them. Complicated websites can discourage users and cause them to leave. So, your website should be self-explanatory and easy to grasp.
Final Thoughts
Having a thorough understanding of what it takes to design a worthwhile website can make the process a lot less taxing. By knowing what visitors expect from a website- you can create one of the most user-friendly pages!
