8 Website Design Tips You Can’t Forget
Your website is the primary digital touchpoint for your business. It is also the platform used to host all of your core information about your business. Whether you are designing your website yourself or hiring a designer, use the following points to help guide you through the process.
1. Build Your Home Page Last
Your home page acts as the summary and main landing page for your entire website. Think of this page as the source of all your important content and information.
If your viewers were only to visit your home page, would they be able to leave with a general idea of your services/product?
When building your home page, it is recommended to put the essential information at the top. Then as you continue down the page, you further explain your services, who you are, and how you can help your audience. Your viewers are reading your story as they scroll. But be careful not to add too much information that seems busy; it summarises your whole website.
2. Check Your Button & Links
It can be frustrating for viewers to learn that some of the links they want to use are broken or links to the wrong page.
Please make sure your buttons, navigation links, social media links, external links, and form links are linked to the proper location.
Important tip: If you modify a slug on your website, make sure that you update whatever links are directed to the page.
3. Break Up Your Text
It can be very easy to get caught up in the information and add an abundance of text to a single page.
People are more likely to leave a website if there is a large amount of copy they did not intend to read. The best practice is to summarize your content and then direct them to a source where they can find more information (i.e. a blog or article)
Here are some tips if you can't minimize the text any further:
Section off information with images and graphics
Utilize headings, subheadings and bold text to highlight important information so your viewers can scan your content to find what they need
It is always recommended to have a scroll-up button on longer pages so your viewers can get back to the top easily
Don't be afraid to turn your content into a blog or white-pages
4. Compress Your Images
It is always recommended to use high-resolution images on your website, but sometimes, high res images can slow down your website speed.
Ensure your images are compressed to ensure the fastest load speed possible.
You can use websites like TinyJPEG to compress your image files.
5. CTA in The Footer
Think about each page as the business telling a story; your footer acts as the end of the story. Once your viewers reach the end, you want to tell them what to do next.
Use this space to showcase your site map, contact information, location (optional), social media links, and a call-to-action such as a form to contact you or subscribe to your newsletter.
Read More: Drive more traffic to your website
6. Who You Are
Your viewers should be able to identify what your business does, the services you offer, and how you can help your audience within the first 3 seconds of landing on your home page.
Use your Hero image and section to add a tagline describing your business's services.
You can then follow up with 1 to 2 buttons labelled with your primary pages (i.e. our portfolio, gallery, work, shop now, new arrivals).
After your Hero section, provide a few details about your services or products. You can showcase your featured products or your service titles.
7. The Customer Journey
How do you want your viewers to travel through your website pages?
Your audience experiences and navigates your designs can drastically impact your overall goal. Whether your goal is to increase sales, get form submissions, or increase downloads, you want to ensure you can get them there effortlessly.
Pro Tip: Have friends, a family member, or someone who wasn't part of the design process test your website. Try giving them a destination or a task, have them experience the customer journey, and let them submit feedback.
8. 404-Page Design
404-Page is a landing page people are redirected to when they click on a broken or old link; a page is often forgotten when designing a website.
A best practice is to customize this page to keep your viewer on your website instead of leaving to find something else.
Here are some things to add to your 404-Page:
Let your viewer know that the link they used isn't working or might be old
Add some featured resources or blogs to keep them interested in your product
Add other quick links to your home and about page
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