The hallmarks of good web design
Posted on 12th February 2017
If your business is going to perform as it should online, you need a website that looks the part – but what makes a good website design?
This month, we take a look at some of the hallmarks of effective web design, and explore how a visually appealing, intelligently designed and easy to use website can benefit your business performance.
1. Clear navigation and the three click rule
People are coming to your website for a reason – and if they can’t find the information they want quickly and easily, they’re likely to go elsewhere.
The user experience needs to be at the centre of any great web design. Clear, intuitive navigation is essential, so cut out the clutter, say no thousands of links, and ensure that everything is as clean and simple as possible.
Follow the ‘three click rule’ – your visitors should always be able to find the information they need on your site within three clicks.
2. Speed is of the essence
You can have the prettiest website in the world, but if it doesn’t load quickly enough, it’s not performing as it should.
The latest stats from Google suggest that your site needs to load within 3 seconds on any device – or you’ll lose out on 40% of potential traffic! With more and more people accessing web pages on mobile, having a mobile friendly, responsively designed website that loads quickly on mobile devices is essential.
3. The right style to match your business
The visual style, colours and format of your website needs to match the nature, personality and tone of your brand – whether that’s professional, elegant, minimalist or creative.
Whilst bright colours, playful pictures and quirky designs might work well for creative businesses or fun retailers, they probably won’t work so well if you’re running a funeral parlour!
Think about your industry, customers, offering and existing branding, and make sure the design of your website reflects this.
4. A purpose for every page
Every page on your website should have a clear purpose – whether that’s selling a particular product, talking about a service or communicating the benefits of a specific area of your business.
When thinking about your sitemap, less is sometimes (often!) more – having pages just for the sake of it will make your website feel cluttered and unfocused, and negate any minor benefits you might get in terms of SEO.
5. Content is king
Great written content is an important part of your web design. No one wants to read a huge essay or wall of text, and too much copy can ruin the visual appeal of your site.
The goal of your web copy is to communicate who you are, what your business does and the benefits of doing business with you. Of these three, the benefits is the most essential – focus on what makes you special, and what your customers will get if they choose to come to you.
When it comes to structuring your content, it’s important to break things up effectively. Headlines, sub-headings, short paragraphs, lists and bullet points will help to break down large amounts of text into visually appealing, easy to digest chunks.
6. A call to action
Well-designed websites encourage visitors to take a specific action – whether that’s buying products, signing up to a newsletter, calling to make an order, or emailing for further information.
Every page needs a strong call to action, encouraging visitors to take the next step - that means making things easy for your web visitors, providing clear contact details, specific encouragement and an easy pathway to engage with your business.
How it’seeze can help
Could your website look better? Is it performing as it should for your business?
Don’t compromise your business performance online – get a beautiful, intelligently designed website from it’seeze Web Design Ryedale.
We’re here to help drive your business performance online with a fantastic, custom-designed website that you can edit yourself. You won’t find industry jargon or tech speak here – just beautiful websites designed to work in the modern world.
Set up your free, no obligation meeting with Rob Davies from it’seeze Ryedale today by calling 01653 690 982, or by emailing rob.davies@itseeze.co.uk.
Tagged as: Online Marketing
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