Web Design Secrets
Web design is the foundation of all businesses who wish to maintain an online presence. With the growth of e-commerce came the business boom of the internet. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find any successful company anywhere that does not have a stake online. Everyone from local florists to hardware stores have a website. Industry leaders such as Coke and Disney also have a web presence, although theirs is a little more commanding, of course.
However, by succumbing to the trends set by Big Businesses, many smaller companies feel as though they cannot compete. This way of thinking is wrong because small companies can compete. The internet allows for your vision to come first, the size of your company to come second.
That’s right: Even the smallest of companies can seem mighty online. As long as your web design is up to snuff.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT WEB DESIGN?
There is a myriad of components that factor into what constitutes a great web design. Everything from your site’s layout, imagery, UI (user interface), and content, and more all factor into this equation.
UI & LAYOUT
Your UI is extremely important, as it facilitates the means of navigation and interactivity.
NAVIGATION
Navigation is important for several reasons: To start, it demonstrates a strong internal link profile. Your internal link profile signifies the number of links you have on any given page, that point to other pages of your website. No, your navigation bar doesn’t really count.
This is because the pages most commonly referenced in your navigation bar lead to what are known as, “common” pages. These common pages would naturally be your contact us page, service pages, blog section, etc. A strong link profile will include links to the inner reaches of your website. This is, to speak, the road less travelled. Links pointing to your resource pages or “info” pages add immensely to your link profile, thus, granting you higher rankings in search engines, greater engagement from your site’s visitors, and finally, improves the user experience.
INTERACTIVITY
Your website’s interactivity simply means the things in which a visitor can interact with. This can range from media (videos, songs, montages, video tours, etc.), to drop downs, to things that spin or pop out or make a sound when hovered over.
Interactivity, to an extent, is needed on most every website. To put it rather bluntly: People want cool things to do on a website. There it is in a nutshell.
IMAGERY
Make use of imagery, because it paints a picture and adds depth to any page.
INFOGRAPHICS
Infographics are a great use of imagery that combines aesthetic appeal with informative facts. Infographics help by explaining complex or long ideas in a fun and visual way. This helps visitors by providing them with the information they need in a consumable and fun way.
PICTURES
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Do you know why they say that? Because it’s true! Images can evoke an emotion, tell a story, or simply be an object of beauty. While usually used to convey a message, they can also be used to point someone in the right direction.
CONTENT
Your content is the foundation of your website’s overall design element. It should be the first thing your customers see, and the last before taking the desired action. It should be optimized for search rankings and conversions. It should be error-free (this includes misspellings, grammatical errors, and issues with proper punctuation), and written in the tone that is targeted at your audience.
