Incorporating essential elements of web design helps a business turn viewers into potential clients and customers. Viewers will appreciate your efforts in creating an attractive, easy-to-navigate, and accessible site, and you’ll get better results than with a poorly-crafted one.
One of the services we offer at Peppermonkey Media is website design and development, helping businesses of all sizes create SEO-optimized and web and mobile friendly websites to strengthen their online presence. Learn more about having a strong web design, then reach out to our team.
1. Visual Appeal
Your website’s appearance offers the opportunity to attract or turn away potential site visitors. Something that hurts the eyes or is overwhelming is not going to fare well compared to one with nice colors, easy-to-read text, and some white space. A balance is key, and you should convey your information and content in an attractive manner.
You can start by following web design standards then work your way outwards by making your site even better. Adding in other key elements of web design will create a site that users want to revisit and will stay on longer. That’s one of the ultimate goals of having a strong and reliable site.
2. Web Friendliness
Besides working well on mobile devices, your site should be web friendly too. You should check that it works well across numerous search engines, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and more. This expands how many site viewers can reach your site and creates a good experience.
If you haven’t already, you’ll need to learn about SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) to make your site better for search engines. This includes using keywords, meta descriptions, optimizing images, title tags, and much more. Working with a trusted digital marketing agency that specializes in website design like ours can ensure your site is ready for viewing across all search engines and in the best way possible.
3. Mobile Friendliness
Great websites should be accessible on both desktop and mobile devices, as millions of people use their smartphones and tablets to access sites. It’s perhaps one of the most vital elements of web design, and could make or break your site’s success. This is because you are limiting your audience to one type of user and missing out on potentially hundreds or thousands of potential viewers.
You can test whether or not your site is viewable across multiple screen sizes, such as for many popular types of smartphones and tablets. Neglecting this design element can have major consequences, such as lost business and customers.
4. Fast Site Speed
You have less than a few seconds to have your site load. Anything more than can send potential customers in the opposite direction, frustrated with the long load time or delayed elements on their screens. Websites must immediately load, as it’s what all users expect, but taking small steps to increase speed is simple, such as:
- Choose a reliable, top-quality hosting method.
- Ensure your website’s code is clean and organized.
- Compress your files.
- Optimize all images.
The way you design your website can impact its speed. If you have too many images, visuals, plugins, videos, and items to load or a clunky design, your site will take longer to load. A website design specialist can also help you address key areas that are contributing to the unfavorable speed.
5. Accessibility and White Space
Having an accessible web design is vital to reach site viewers with disabilities. The site should be friendly and understandable by all types of viewers of varying ages and abilities. You might consider including color contrast and screen readers to understand the text on your site.
Additionally, including some white space is also essential. Sometimes less is more, and having empty areas on your site can make it visually appealing. A visitor will not feel overwhelmed when they browse a clean site that has clear text and simple navigation, rather than a cluttered mess.
6. Readable and Uniform Typography
Websites that follow a theme and cohesive design elements help their readers. Choose a popular, readable font and make the text gray or white against a light-colored background. While you don’t have to choose these colors, they’ll certainly make your website clearer and accessible.
You should also have some spacing between lines. Break up large chunks of text and organize content into sections, so your reader isn’t confused or frustrated.
7. Simple Navigation and Menus
Parent and child pages should flow in a logical order, and site navigation should be straightforward. Many websites miss out by not having a clear and organized site map and lose potential viewers as a result. Connections between pages should feel deliberate,
Many sites utilize a “hamburger menu,” or a menu that folds out for simple, understandable navigation. These menus don’t take up valuable space on the website, but rather opens and closes when necessary. Users can quickly jump to exactly what they need without having to search around.
8. Strong Call to Actions
CTAs, or call to actions, encourage site viewers to perform some task while on your site. Whether that’s obtaining a free quote, scheduling an appointment, or reaching out to your business, it’s something every site should have. If a visitor is interested in your content and services, you could lose out on their business by having no CTAs.
Your contact information should also be simple to find, as a viewer doesn’t want to spend long searching for it. The longer it takes to connect with you and the more work to perform, the less likely that viewer will turn into a client or customer.
Learn More About High-Quality Web Design with Peppermonkey Media
Peppermonkey Media helps clients check all the boxes by using essential elements of web design. Whether it’s removing dead links, making the site more mobile friendly, or using smart SEO strategies, our team can help your business’s site have a smooth user experience and more leads. You can give us a call at (888) 231-9764 or request a digital strategy session today.
