As of 2023, there are around 1.1 billion websites worldwide. However, only about 17% or 193,800,000 of these sites are active, while the remaining 83% are inactive. The real challenge lies in making your site stand out for the right reasons among these sites.
A good website layout can speak volumes about your brand for you from the first click. Designing a website requires the proper website layout and optimized website options. This will ensure a successful and beautiful website.
Following the website design tips below can help you create a website layout you can be proud of. Keep reading to discover further information.
Create a More Responsive Website Design
Designing a website means that it should be optimized for use across a number of different devices. Around 61% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. If your website isn’t up to par for mobile use, follow these website design tips.
A responsive website layout takes into account areas such as the screen ratio and resolution, as well as the screen orientation the site will be viewed with. Resize your images so that they show up with the proper dimensions on devices like tablets and smartphones.
You should also ensure that your mobile website layout is adaptive. This means that it will rearrange this content so it is easy to view on different-sized screens and browser configurations. This includes features such as menus and buttons so they maintain functionality and sizing.
Provide a Seamless Navigation Experience
An effective website design allows users to find and navigate across your website effortlessly. You need to make sure that certain website options are clearly laid out and easily visible. Here are some website design tips you should follow pertaining to your website layout.
Most website menus are usually located at the top of the website’s main page header. They often feature a horizontal dropdown menu from the top or a vertical menu option on the left or right sidebar. Your website should have a familiar feel to it so that navigating through menus and pages is simple and straightforward.
Internal linking within your website’s blog content will make it easy for site users to click through to other pages for more information. While including keyword search boxes can help streamline the site exploration process.
Offer Fast Site Loading Times
When building a website, speed is of the essence. You may only have a maximum of about 3 seconds before a site user gets frustrated with website loading lag and abandons it altogether. You will also need to verify whether your website offers a smooth page-scrolling interface and doesn’t stall out or freeze up.
If you have many large images, trying to load these can drastically slow down your page’s loading speeds. Try compressing these images so that they will load faster on the page. You can also use “lazy loading” which doesn’t load your images until the user scrolls down further on the page.
You can use caching to store and load page information for faster loading with each visit. By implementing these website design tips, you’ll have a website layout that is user-friendly with an efficient loading time.
Make a Consistent Website Look and Feel
Designing a website means you need to consider all of the aspects of your website’s design and how it pertains to the look of your business. Certain website design tips can help you make your website layout appear more orderly and professional looking.
For example, does your website content all have the same brand voice and quality? You need to verify that every page on your site uses the same fonts, color schemes, and imagery. Your menus and website options should have the same functionality as well to facilitate proper website use.
This will also help your business with cohesive branding since your website will have a more uniform feel. Customers and site visitors will associate color schemes across your website as a part of your overall digital marketing efforts. You’ll also have a beautiful website that catches the eye for all the right reasons.
Use Clear Communication Methods
One of the best website design tips is to be clear and upfront. Your website design should be able to communicate in plain language the purpose of your site to its visitors. You can achieve this through easy-to-read and understandable graphics and written content.
Site visitors should be able to determine the intention of your site the moment they hit the landing page. Too much or too little information will likely confuse them. Using big words and advanced terminology is also a bad idea.
If your aim is to educate site visitors, point them toward this information through a simple website layout directing them to your blog. Short, informative videos and understandable snippets of information make them want to learn more and click through for more blog content.
Provide Ways to Get Hassle-Free Conversions
When designing a website, you must also consider what action you want site visitors to take. Do you want them to sign up for a service or do you want them to opt into your email marketing list? Is there a particular product or service you want to highlight?
You want site conversions that are organic and result from using clear calls to action. Don’t use too many pop-up sign-up windows to try to attract attention. This can have the opposite effect and turn site visitors away from completing your conversion goals.
You should also be wary of asking for too much information from site visitors. Asking for too much information upfront can be a deterrent for completing a conversion since first-time visitors especially can be suspicious of giving out a lot of personal information. These website design tips will have you converting new customers in no time.
Apply Detailed Attention-Grabbing Headlines
You only have a short amount of time to make an impact on your site visitors. If you’re designing a website to be more impactful, these website design tips will let your site shine through and look its best.
Don’t rely on using bland and generic descriptions and headlines. You need to reel them in with short but to-the-point headlines that inform and attract. Using well-worded headlines also adds SEO value to your search rankings.
If your products are sustainable and eco-friendly, emphasize this point to get the attention of eco-conscious consumers. Highlight the features and ingredients of your product on your website for the most effective appeal. Or emphasize the core values and vision of your company for further effect.
Simplify Your Website Layout and Design
In the process of designing and building a website, less is always more. You don’t want your website to resemble the popup-laden, headache-inducing graphics of the websites from the ’90s. Bombarding your site visitors with too much data will overwhelm them and scare them off.
You also need to allow your website content room to breathe. This encompasses using white space on your website and not stuffing every inch with data, graphics, and videos. You should also avoid using overly complex backgrounds that can be overstimulating since the eye won’t know what to focus on first.
Above all, maintaining a simple website layout is key for an uncluttered and beautiful website. It may seem like you’re not doing enough if you don’t have wall-to-wall content. But when done the right way with these website design tips, it can have a powerful and lasting impact on your site visitors.
Establish an Appealing Visual Hierarchy
Designing a website allows you to have creative control over your site’s visual appearance. This can benefit your business when used effectively along with some website design tips. You can use graphics in your website layout so that they draw the eyes of your site visitors to certain elements that you want to highlight.
An appealing visual hierarchy shows visitors where to go on your site in a way that feels natural. This method arranges website options to give site users an organic user experience that they navigate towards on their own.
The strategic use of color, size, and text does the job of bringing the right attention to the right areas of your website. You can even utilize white space with videos and GIFs at the top of the page with low-contrast text below to maximize its full effect.
Rely on Giving Full Site Transparency
Building a relationship with your existing and potential customers is important to any business. To build a proper relationship, you need to have open and honest practices in your business that extend onto your website to establish a unified image.
You can follow some website design tips such as posting a disclosure of how information collected on your site will be used. You can also give site visitors details on your pricing and fees upfront. Adding honest customer reviews and ratings to your site is a surefire way to build a website layout that gets you noticed.
Find More Professional Website Design Tips at Ten Peaks Media
Designing a website doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Not when you have the right tools and information at your disposal. Ten Peaks Media is here to help your business website effectively connect with your ideal customers.
We are a full-service digital marketing and advertising agency with locations in Colorado and Texas. Read our informative blog posts for more website design tips. Or get in touch with us about how we can help your website achieve the professional look and performance you need.
Contact us today to book a call to discuss your website design and digital marketing needs.