Today, having a website is just as important as having an office, a shop, or a phone number. Research shows that 60% of customers expect businesses to have an online presence. The major benefits of having a website are:
- It allows customers to find you anytime, from anywhere
- It is a quick and easy way for you to communicate information such as your opening/closing times and your services/products
- It represents your brand’s aesthetic value and gives your business some credibility
- It saves you money by providing a cheap advertising method, an easy way to handle customer service, and by eliminating overheads associated with brick-and-mortar stores
- It allows you important consumer insights such as who your typical customer is, what they like, and how they found you
- It helps with market expansion and ensures you do not lose out to your competitors who are already online
However, some websites are more effective than others. It all boils down to the quality of the web design. Below are important tips for effective website design:
Minimalistic Home Page
The homepage should be minimalistic and free of clutter. In a world where we quickly scan web pages and pick out images, keywords, or sentences, your site should communicate your core message instantaneously and appeal to emotions. According to a recent Times Magazine Study, web users today have an attention span shorter than that of a Goldfish. The less site visitors have to click, read, or remember, the better they will process and evaluate the content. Important tips for a minimalistic homepage are:
- Space out the content, employing whitespaces between elements
- Keep the important content above the fold
- Add high-quality media such as icons, vector art, or beautiful photos
- Always include a call-to-action
Have Visual Hierarchy in Mind
Designing with visual hierarchy in mind is important as it helps display the content in a clear and effective manner. A recent study by Google showed that websites with low visual complexity and high prototypicality were considered hugely appealing. You will better lead visitors’ attention, starting with the page elements that are most significant. The main components of visual hierarchy to consider are:
- Make your logo and business name more visually prominent
- Do proper element placement, such as placing the call-to-action button at the center of the screen or positioning the logo at the header
- Use strips or grid layouts
- Apply color, spacing, and contrast for further accentuation
Easy to Read Content
“Readability”, which is the measure of how easily people recognize words, phrases, and sentences, is very important for an effective website. Readability enables users to effortlessly scan and skim-read through content. To achieve readability:
- Ensure there is sufficient contrast between the background color and the text color
- Keep the body text at least 16pt
- Use Sans Serif fonts for lengthy online texts, mix different fonts for interesting font pairings and use decorative display fonts such as script fonts that look like they are handwritten, depending on the need
- Do not use more than 3 different typefaces on a single website
- Use text themes
Easy Navigation
Ensure easy navigation to help users quickly find what they are looking for. Solid navigation is also important for search engine indexing and improving user experience. You can achieve this by:
- Linking your logo to the homepage
- Ensuring the website menu is prominent, structured, and easy to find
- Using an anchor menu for viewers to quickly jump to any section and ‘Back to Top’ buttons to take visitors back to the top of the page
- Place all important links on the footer, such as your contact info, social media icons, and shortened version of the menu
The website should be designed for different screen sizes and browsers, leverage social proof, and have high loading speeds. At Triple Threat Success, we have an experienced team with all the necessary state-of-the-art tools and techniques to deliver highly efficient websites. Call us today for all your digital marketing needs in Denver, CO.