9 Website Design Tips To Get Things Rolling

Before we get to the meat, we’d like you to spare some time on the following websites:

1.      Because

2.      For the love of bread

3.      My free taxes

Why though? What makes a good website?

Let’s start with the first one in this website design list.

Because came into existence in a dorm room. 23-year-old Muslim fashion designer Hawwaa founded the brand believing that “fashion is supposed to be fun for everyone.”

The website is a colorful amalgamation of her designs and quirky, wearable pieces. The navigation is straightforward and intuitive and the filtration system is uncomplicated. Although not on the center of the page, the search bar is visible, making the website easy to navigate.  

The takeaway: Beauty is everywhere. We just have to look closer. From modern website designs like Hawwaa’s passion project, we learn that even small businesses can excel with the right platform by making the customers’ lives easier.

If you’ve watched Street Food on Netflix, you’ll instantly draw parallels to “For the love of bread.” The stories of life and food intermingling and bringing people together from across the world are the essence of the series. And the website that celebrates bread aims to do just that.

What greets a visitor first is the monochrome magic. In subtle hues of black and white, the website makes a statement with the text “life’s key ingredient” on the banner. Until you hit episodes to watch, there are no other colors used.

The takeaway: The strategic blend of color, contrast, and typography can play a pivotal role in the success or failure of the website.

Now, let’s talk about filing your taxes.

GROANS.

Okay, we won’t. But we must talk about My Free Taxes. Few things are as distressing as filing taxes, but this website makes even the world’s most boring activity seem like a breeze.

Whether you file taxes by yourself or need assistance, the website helps you out in easy steps. With a humble interface and serif typography, the website looks almost bland. But it does what it sets out to do – make filing taxes less mundane.  

The takeaway: A great website isn’t one that looks like the interface version of Beyonce on a computer screen or a mobile device. It digs deep, discovers the user’s pain points, and offers a solution.

While we can take inspiration from these websites to design our own, these are only a few of the pillars you should keep in mind while designing a website. Here are a few other ways in which you can make your website a successful one.

Before anything else, we must talk about the four basic principles of web design – contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity – all of which we will cover in due course.

9 Website Design Tips To Get Things Rolling

1. Define the purpose of your website

Start with the basics of website design.

Answer the burning question – what is the purpose of my website? If the answer isn’t satisfactory, go back to the drawing board to simplify the website’s objective.

Whether it’s an e-commerce website, a platform for collaborators to come together, a website that advertises events, or any other kind of website, ensure that your mission is unambiguous.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Amazon? Online shopping.

When you think about, Ikea what do you think about? Furniture.

And Netflix? You know where we’re going with this.

Your website should be synonymous with the service you’re offering. There are no two ways about it.

2. Choose a website builder

One of the most crucial things to consider when building a website is choosing a website builder that’s easy to use. Without this, you’ll be scrambling to fix niggly issues that may arise now and then.

Once that’s out of the way, consider your budget. Now is not the time to be stingy. It’s a good time to loosen your purse strings. Keep your priorities in check and how much help you need to get started. If you’re already a professional, choose a basic builder.

Another vital feature to look for is how many themes the builder comes with. Finding out later that the themes aren’t as customizable as you’d like isn’t a great place to be.

In the excitement of releasing the website, we often forget to keep tabs on what happens after. Choose a builder that provides post-deployment services too. The builder should ideally provide an in-depth tutorial for all the different functions and features of the website.

3. Select your domain name

Settling on the perfect domain name doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a careful blend of many tried and tested options. Choose a top-level domain extension carefully and ensure that the domain name is easy to spell and pronounce. If you can, avoid double letters and hyphenated words.

Most importantly, keep the domain name short. Another quick tip while selecting the domain name is to make it easy to type and try to avoid numbers as much as possible.

It’s a struggle to stay on trend and find a unique name while also inserting high-ranking keywords in the domain name. You’ll have to find that delicate balance if you want more visibility.

4. Build a visual hierarchy

"Visual hierarchy is the principle of arranging elements to show their order of importance. Designers structure visual characteristics—e.g., menu icons—so users can understand the information easily. By laying out elements logically and strategically, designers influence users’ perceptions and guide them to desired actions.

There are several ways to leverage visual hierarchy. Sizing and scale are pivotal in drawing attention to specific elements or areas. By increasing the size of an element, you can immediately attract the viewer. Another way to emphasize a component is to paint it a different color. Brighter colors typically draw more attention. Using a singular bright color as a focal point can also draw the user’s eye no matter where you place it.

Stick to a simple color palette and use contrast whenever possible. When too many colors merge, they may clash and cause visual noise that’s hard to drain out. Following a visual hierarchy is also an excellent way to improve usability.

5. Choose typography carefully

And keep it consistent throughout the website while using a standard font. Experimenting with unfamiliar fonts may be a tad too cocky if you're starting out. Stick to around 60 characters per line for a good reading experience in your website design. Select a font or typeface that looks consistently good and clean in various sizes.

Ever accidentally sent out a message in all caps and immediately had a friend respond with, “Why are you yelling?” Capital letters evoke the same feeling if not for a sense of urgency and alarm. Try and avoid blinking text. It’s annoying, sore to the eyes, and may even trigger seizures – remember that inclusion matters in all designs.

6. Be inclusive

Speaking of inclusion, here are a few quick tips to ensure that your website is inclusive and accessible. A designer must remember that an inclusive design considers varied communities, genders, races, and geographies – all of which require different approaches. So, a designer must not view participants from various pockets or communities as participants but as people looking for a solution.

The designer must also keep an open mind to the possibility that the same solution may not work for everyone. Involve your users at every stage. The user-testing group should be diverse and equally represented across all genders, groups, and ethnicities. By making your design inclusive, you can also attract new visitors – a diverse range.

7. Soar with SEO

Sprinkle relevant keywords all over the website but ensure you don’t overdo it. If you have enough content to work with on several pages, hyperlink them to drive more traffic. Using high-quality images isn’t enough. You can further leverage them by adding alternate image text to optimize them.

Focus on quality and produce long-form content as much as possible. Here’s something to chew on. 74% of posts read are under 3 minutes, while 94% are under 6 minutes long. Designing isn’t just about the visuals; it’s also about what you can create to supplement it.

8. Design keeping the future in mind

Here’s something else to chew on -- 41% of adults use voice search at least once per day. 

In 2020, the Metaverse market was worth $478.7 billion and is expected to rake in $800 billion by 2024.

You're missing a lot if you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet. AI and chatbots, immersive 3D visuals, pageless websites, and augmented reality are only a few things that will shape the future of web design.

9. Optimize the website for mobile

When dealing with mobile devices, real estate shrinks significantly. So, start small. One of the best design strategies for small screens is avoiding all the clutter. For the mobile version of the site, get rid of non-essential plug-ins, pop-ups, and other screen inhibitors.

If a potential customer finds navigating on a mobile device difficult, they may leave the website forever too. In addition, a negative mobile user experience affects the website's search engine rankings. It makes it harder to discover through Google search.

Parting Tips:

• Make the webpage design easy to navigate. It’s the most important thing.
• The ideal website load time for mobile websites is 1-2 seconds. Keep the user waiting for two extra seconds, and 53% of users will leave. Google aims for under half a second. Be like Google.
• Keep your contact information above the fold – yes, the fold still exists.
• Create Call to Action Buttons and place them where the user can’t miss them.

Designing a spectacular website can feel like rocket science, but it doesn’t have to be.