Have you ever wondered why web design is important, especially for your business. Well I have thought of the same thing and it might help especially If I’m going to dedicate my life and skills to the field of web development and design.
So I did some research and I found, what I think to be some good points, on what is considered essential or vital for good design practices for websites. This not only relates to businesses but for those who are trying to communicate a brand, product, or a service through their website. So without further ado lets get into the message.
So what makes a good website?
Well I found there are about 5 components that encompasses the idea of making your site convert more traffic. Before I begin though throughout these 5 points I think the overall goal your site should convey is a simple and easy to use User Experience. If you don’t get anything else from this article about design just remember to ask yourself “how will this effect the users experience?”.
So starting with number 1
Navigation.
Through every article I read a consistent theme kept showing up, and its how users or your audience will navigate through your site. People are always looking for direction, I know I am, and a simple GPS system can be the answer to all your problems. Thus introducing your navigation bar. From placement and location of where the bar is positioned, the links are what help visitors travel through your site. They should express ease of travel. The most frustrating thing I’ve come across on a site is how do I get to where I want to? Whether it be the help section, a FAQ page, or just simply contacting the business.
How visitors find what you want is extremely important. An oversimplified navigation maximizes the use for a wide range of users. Not to mention your navigation bar, or nav bar for short, should be intuitive, meaning easy to use and understand, so that your 80 year old grandma who knows nothing about computers should be able to. That’s of course after she finds her glasses.
the second point will be…
Brand Consistency.
What this means is, or should I say ask the question, is your brand being represented throughout the whole site? Your website is the face of your business on the internet and the first impression of what visitors see when they land in your domain. Not to forget a means of connecting with your audience or customers. Therefore, you should be intentional when it comes to brand positioning. What this entails is all of your content: from your logo, to colors, to the fonts you use, imagery, and the content written, should all point to how you want to tell what I call your “Brand Story”.
According to Jared M. Spool “A brand is an investment that grows over time” he also says “brands are perceptions and the elements are shortcuts to those perceptions.” So if the brand is the perception than your WEB SITE is the element that leads to your brand. Consistency is key and attractive, so from your business cards, brochures, pamphlets, letter heads, and website should all lead back and help to tell your brand story.
the third point will be..
SEO.
This subject can sometimes be tricky for some, but is vital for drawing and bringing customers, visitors, and your audience to your site. A good web designer knows the importance of SEO and knows how to implement it into their design. For those who don’t know what SEO is it simply stands for Search Engine Optimization. In other words, its a way for people to find your site easier through search engines like google and bing.
A brief intro to how it works is sites like google with have what they call “crawlers” crawl through your site and find specific information to help give your site more ranking on the search engine. One way to improve your site is through reading patterns.
This technique is new for me and thought it was pretty insightful.
People are known for reading from left to right and from top to bottom. So actually placing content in these specific areas will help the crawlers to identify these specific keywords or content based on the amount of activity users spend on the site to help rank you. How you create your content is important as well. The crawlers will search your site and look through your written content and based on how you composed certain keywords around your business this will help improve the status and overall visibility to your site.
This leads to my next point…
Content.
Content is important because it communicates your brand position as well as its promise. It tells your “Brand Story”. From a web designers perspective, when it comes to content it’s not only important what you say but how you present it. If “Content is King” I think “Content Presentation is Queen”. If we think how users interact today online we have to remember people’s attention span is short.
Therefore not only should your content be short, direct, warm, and welcoming, but design wise, a designer will create that info with negative space in order to give readers eyes time to rest. Too much content or info cluttered will lure visitors away from your site. A designers goal is to minimize as much distractions as possible.
And last but not least…
Trust.
People are drawn towards brands they trust and buy when they feel as they relate with a product of high brand strength. This affects your overall brand strength and marketing position. Going back to what Jared M. Spool said about your brand perception. Your web site is not your brand it is an element of your brand. This leads to how your site is designed and creates trust for your audience. Some factors that can lead to mistrust on a site are:
Busy or complex layouts
Pop up ads
Small print that’s hard to read
Boring web design/lack of color
Slow intro or load times
Building trust comes from engagement through dialogue with your customers or audience. So to help build that trust within your site the design should represent not only your business ideals but what your customers needs are. Not only will this attract new visitors but have old visitors coming back for more. Visitors like sites with content that is informational, relevant, fresh, clear, and unbiased. Also age or content specific information and frequently asked questions can give a boost in traffic visitation. I believe, simply put, trust through your website is built by how well you are able to meet that persons wants or needs.
There you have it 5 points that are essential to good web design.
Here’s a fun fact I think you should know and be aware of when thinking of designing or redesigning your site.
Did you know that there are over 1.5 billion web sites live on the internet today. So 2 questions I think you should ask yourself about your site.
1. “How do you want to convey your brand story?”
and
2. “How do you value your site?”
Most think of their site as an expense, but if your serious I would look at your site as an investment for yourself or your business. Remember its an element on your brand perception to help tell your Brand Story so don’t skip on the quality of how you want to represent your brand.