The best websites put the customers first, while meeting your business objectives. We want websites to be beautifully designed, but starting can feel like learning a new language without a teacher. So, what is it that great designers know that we don’t? The key to a killer website is really, really simple. These nine tips that will give you the direction you need to go to get the results you are looking for!
1. Figure out your site’s objective.
First of all, your website should share the same goals as your business, and should be viewed as an extension of your business. In fact for many companies your potential customers may only see your website before deciding not to do business with you. That can be a sobering thought…How many people have looked at your company that you never had the opportunity to talk to or discuss working with?
2. Add an About Us page.
Adding an About Us page is a great idea, in fact on a majority of websites, it is the second most visited page of a site. The most visited page is nearly always the homepage. Not only does it help your customer get to know you, but it provides a way to make a great first impression. Make sure your About Us page isn’t too wordy because shorter is better. A word of caution, ensure you always include your contact information, even if you have a Contact Us page. Experience has shown that many potential customers never make it to your Contact Us page.
3. Make your site mobile friendly.
This is a necessary trend that has been happening over the past few years. Mobile website views have risen. Therefore it’s important that your website offers the same features on a mobile that it does on a desktop. In fact you will be penalized by Google and other web companies if your website is not mobile friendly. Mobile friendly websites require mobile friendly content, this blog post is a great place to start for your mobile content creation: Mobile Friendly Content and How to Create It
4. Use images.
Images can make or break a website. Since photos have the ability to let your visitors know what you and your company are all about. You should focus on images that are high-resolution, but also that load fast. This is a very delicate balance of technology, patience, and needs. Make sure that you avoid cluttering your website with too many images, icons, clip art, banners, etc. No one wants to sort through a messy page. You should have images but if they do not add something of value to your site you are better off only having text.
5. Add links for social media.
Since social media is one of the main communication methods today, be sure your links are provided, and easily accessible, on your website. Social media icons can be added to your site in different ways. As a result, this allows visitors the chance to quickly access all of your social media profiles.
6. Condense your menu.
An effective website comes down to a concise one. The more clear-cut your pages are the easier your website is to navigate. Most of all, make sure that all of your most important content and images are kept above the fold, or above the bottom of the screen when first opened for non website gurus, where your viewers eyes will most likely see them.
7. Stick to no more than two typefaces.
When it comes to picking a font-face its key to pick something super easy to read. However, choosing a whimsical second font-face will help with showing a more unique side. Keep it Simple and you will win.
8. Focus on a streamline design.
A streamline design leaves no room for clutter. Consequently the less clutter, the better. This is because customers need room to breathe while also being able to easily navigate your website. In addition, it’s important to make sure it’s easy to navigate. It should always be clear what the next steps that you can and should take, on every page on your website. Some people call these Call-to-actions however they are more a desire for the website to not lose their visitors.
9. Limit your color scheme.
Finally, just like with the font-face, limiting your website to two colors will make a better impact on your customers. In addition, adding appropriate and large amounts of whitespace also helps. In a nutshell you can think of it like this, limiting the amount of colors can make your website easier to take in, and if you are going to add colors, do it because there is a good reason. You can use free online services such as Coolers.co to generate simple yet attractive color palettes for your website.
If you’ve already followed these tips it can be very beneficial to have your website audited by a professional web design agency such as Section 5 Media. Contact Us for more information on our website Audit services and add that final touch to your website’s design.
Here are the 9 things that we think will make your website really stand out against the millions of other websites out there. What about you…do you have any tips that have helped you in your website endeavors…sound off in the comments!
