The Ultimate Guide to Website Design
When you’re finally ready to dive into revamping your website there are a few things you’ll want to keep top of mind. Sometimes the project can feel overwhelming just thinking about all the tiny details can make you wonder if the project is actually going to be worth it (spoiler alert: with the right designers it definitely will be). So we’ve rounded up the top elements of great web design to be mindful of as you explore your options.
The Goals of Every Well-Designed Website
Your goal with your website shouldn’t just be that it’s pretty to look at or has lots of fancy plug-ins and animations. When working on a website design, there are at least three main boxes that you want to tick off. Business owners whose websites achieve these things are getting a steady flow of prospects and easily turning them into leads.
VISITORS UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DO
Your website copy is just as important as the design. When visitors land on your site, they should be able to tell what it is you do in the first few seconds with a clear headline. According to Eksposure, “...it takes just 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for a user to decide whether they like or dislike a website" (source). Since your About page is the second most visited page on your website after your homepage, it’s important that we utilize your copy and layout to offer direction and insight into how you can help. When prospects don’t know what you’re actually offering, they won’t know if they’re an ideal fit to work with you.
FIND BALANCE BETWEEN FUNCTION AND AESTHETICS
Well-designed websites don’t prioritize one over the other when it comes to functionality and aesthetics. It’s absolutely possible to have a visually stunning yet strategically designed website. Making sure your site has a seamless navigation isn’t very helpful if the pages on your site are bland or you aren’t doing things like breaking up text, using various fonts, etc. Even very corporate, white-collar websites can have a certain level of aesthetic that doesn’t stray too far from your brand style but is still pleasing to the eye.
WORKS AS A LEAD FUNNEL
Your website isn’t just a source of information about your business, but it serves as a source of business by working effortlessly to turn prospects into leads. Prospects should visit your site, easily gather what it is you offer within the first few seconds, understand why they need you and how you can help, and make it to your contact form or call scheduler with no fuss.
Key Elements of Every Web Design
BLOG CONTENT
The benefits of blog content are invaluable and, in our opinion, non-negotiable. Blog content may not make sense for everyone and we really encourage business owners to stick to strategies that produce the best results, but a strategic content plan has the potential for so many things. By being strategic with your content, you’re able to:
Increase your SEO performance and drive more traffic to your site from Google
Nurture and engage with site visitors by establishing yourself as an expert with genuinely helpful material
Drive conversions by providing value
Drive traffic to other posts, places on your site, and offers
NAVIGATION
Ensuring that visitors are able to easily navigate through your website is critical. They should be able to find your About page, Services page, where to sign up for your email list, your contact form to reach out, etc. without having to go on a wild goose chase. This means your header and footer menus should have quick links to the most useful pages on your site
LOADING SPEED
How many times have you waited not even a full 10 seconds for a page to load before you gave up and clicked away? In this fast-paced technological age, loading speed is more important than you may think. If you’re finding your site is running slow, you may need to upgrade your hosting package, compress your images and videos, clean out your media library, and reduce your redirects.
CLEAR CALL-TO-ACTIONS
Every page of your website should have a clear next step that you want the visitor to take. If the ultimate goal is for them to book a call with you, that should be in your header menu always available, as well as scattered throughout your About page. At the end of your blog posts, direct them to the next place they can go to get more help or information about the topic (which, nine times out of ten, is to book a call with you or whatever the first step of your lead funnel may be).
The Importance of Accessibility in Web Design
In order to allow people with disabilities to be able to access the information on your website, it’s important to take accessibility into consideration. Removing unnecessary barriers that could keep them from using your site is so simple. This means:
Being mindful of how your brand colors are used together so that you have enough contrast between text and the background
Turning on captions on any video content you may have on your site
Adding alt text on all images
On your contact form, having clear labels and instructions as well as error messages if a field is missing or incorrect
Checking that your website isn’t mouse-only navigable
Outstanding Website Design Examples
Not to toot our own horn- Who are we kidding, we love tooting our horn because we’re proud of what we do, which is prioritizing intentional design to build websites that work for our clients as lead funnels. We believe in the strategy that we put behind the design and layout of each of our clients’ websites. We’ve been able to prove time and time again that it is possible to build an extraordinary website that hits all of the marks in aesthetics, functionality, navigation, copy, and conversions. Don’t believe us? Check out our track record over here.
If you want to get on the list to have a website that beautifully encapsulates your branding, personality, and mission in a way that will turn prospects into leads for you, go ahead and fill out our waitlist to book a time to chat with us right here. We’d love to hear about your vision for your site, so we can align our geniuses to bring your dream website to life!
