Nothing turns away visitors more than a poorly designed website. Let’s face it, most sites on the internet today ARE poorly designed. When I discover new sites they almost always contain basic design flaws.
Most of the clients I’ve worked with in the past think websites are a cheap method for getting a business name out there … in many ways that’s actually true. Unfortunately many business don’t think about their competitors online strategy which, could be to ensure they have the best web design for their market. Customers visiting a site are likely to base a large part of their purchasing decision on the professional perception they have about the website.
So if you want to use the online channel to boost the bottom line then you better invest some time and money into developing a professional, attractive and modern web page that will stand out.
It’s not hard, whether you do this yourself or contract an agency or designer to do it for you. The following points should always be considered when designing a website.
KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid)
Just because you have content doesn’t mean you need to add it to your site. Many businesses stick large amounts of text and look at design as a secondary priority. Go with the “less is more” approach. A basic homepage, with some bold branding. If a site overwhelms a visitor with content they will simply leave, remember the death by power point saying…well the same goes on a site, death by content! Use plenty of whitespace to break out sections, this allows the users to focus on the sub messages you want to portray and marks out the calls to action (explained below) more clearly. Another reason for keeping it simple – mobiles. More users are accessing websites on smartphones and tablets now and your website should appear just as attractive on those devices as it does on a big monitor. Whether it’s on an iPhone, iPad or Android device, you need to take into consideration how it’s all going to appear.
Consistency
Make sure you use consistent fonts and graphics that fit into the overall brand. Your logo and colours should reflect the company that you are. Keep in mind that the styles will be used offline on items such as printed stationary and signage. Select a colour palette and and stick with it. If you use the Antenna font then stay with Antenna, don’t change halfway through a design and decide to implement the rest of the site in Arial.
Calls to Action
Every website should give users an action they can fulfil as soon as they visit. It could be signing up to an email address list, putting in their information or clicking on a poll…these are the calls to action. They should feed into your design – the text should be bold and visible and stand out. A good method used to highlight a call to action is to use an individual graphic as it is more attractive to a user then plain text. Look at the use of bold colours, and then use buttons, messages and links to drive the user into purchasing or doing something else. Always remember to make the text very clear so the user knows what they are about to do. Part of good web design is to ensure these calls to action are all over the website, whether its “Get in Touch” or “Buy Now” or “Signup”, ensure it’s consistent, simple and most importantly clearly visible on the site.
GREAT! Navigation
It’s not good having a site when your users can’t find their way around it! Creating a solid and fool proof navigation system is critical. If your site is small (less then 10 pages) then opt for a horizontal primary navigation approach. It if contains many pages then it might be worthwhile implementing a control which reveals lots of different options that are triggered by hovering over or clicking over a menu option. It should be possible for your users to make their way through to the bottom page of the site in a matter of seconds. Keep sub pages distinct and purposeful – remember not to clutter! You can use different techniques to achieve great navigation but don’t forget to implement some basic principals such as the use of breadcrumbs…if your site is large with more then 10 pages and several layers of navigation then breadcrumbs are great. They are a popular way of allowing users to find exactly where they are.
Creating a great looking website is not difficult if you follow tried and tested principals. There’s no need to be a design guru just remember to keep it simple, clean, consistent and clear.