Good website design helps your site deliver what visitors are seeking. Visitors have to be able to find relevant information quickly and easily. You can have the best product, service or information in the world, but if nobody can stand to look at your website, no one will ever know. Website design factors involve two broad categories:
- How the site looks
- How easy it is to navigate
Good website design has a visually appealing layout and can get visitors to relevant information simply and quickly. These goals create a quality user experience to entice visitors to come back to your site again and again. And that should be the goal of every website.
What Are Some General Rules?
The online user experience isn’t that different from one in the real world. In fact, it’s a subject that experts have been studying for decades. Bradford Strategies’ digital marketing team can help you apply that research to your website.
Websites that incorporate elements of good design practices all share similar qualities. These traits target the two broad categories above and include being:
- Useful and credible
- Easy to navigate
- Consistent across pages and devices
- Professionally edited
- Visually pleasing
How Do I Make My Website Stand Out?
A well-made website is a vehicle for delivering information and generating leads, meaning the site encourages and persuades visitors to contact you. Making it easy to navigate creates a positive user experience. Some useful tips for good website design include:
- Use a font style, color and size that are easy to read against the website background. Gear the font to your target audience to make it more accessible.
- Keep your menu options between four and seven choices so it’s not overwhelming.
- Have your company contact information, and your hours if appropriate, in an easy-to-find location.
- Design to the language. People read western languages like English left to right and top to bottom; the most important design elements should be in the top left and the least important in the bottom right.
- Design the site to load quickly. People are impatient; don’t make them wait.
- Keep your website accessible for people with disabilities. Learn how a sight-challenged person experiences your website.
- Always let the visitor stay in control of their experience. Don’t autoplay music or videos.
- Make sure your website content is able to maintain visitors’ interest while persuading them to buy or connect.
Keep your website similar across devices. In addition to page-to-page consistency, program similar functionality regardless of screen size. The mobile market is huge and increases every year. People are used to searching on the go, and your website offers more than a print ad ever could.
Why Is Good Website Design Important?
Your website is an initial point of contact. Being online puts your business in front of billions of people and tells them about your services and products. A quality website provides visitors with a great experience from the outset. Remember, higher traffic equals greater conversion rates.
Good website design is a rapidly evolving branch of market research. With years of experience and a reputation for personal interaction, Bradford Strategies gets your website looking and behaving great. Contact them today to give your site an advantage.
