Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Nowadays the majority of companies and freelancers have their very own website. Yet, unfortunately a big percentage of these websites do not boast great web design. As a matter of fact, many of these websites are simply WordPress templates which have only been slightly adjusted and if you want your business to differentiate itself from its rivals, this is for sure not going to do the trick whatsoever.
Visuals matter a lot! Therefore, great web design is indispensable. Your website’s appearance will actually indicate to people if they want to support your business. This major decision is made in a split second. All it takes is one look at your web design and you have either gained a new customer or lost one to your competitor.
First Impressions Are Important
The success of your web design will be determined on-the-spot. Yet, to decide where which element should be placed will take significantly longer. In fact, it is not frowned upon for this process to take a couple of months!
Now your visitors’ first opinion will be the deciding factor in whether or not they continue to browse your website and do business with your company. Web design that is pleasing to the eye will help visitors to stay on your website longer which is needless to say excellent for business.
Luckily, there are specific visuals that will help to capture people’s attention in a flash. For example, the use of sharp contrast, the placement of an illustration that showcases your business, catchy copy or just something that is unique will all help to get the job done.
The Image of Your Business
In web design terms – you are what your images depict. When you include a strong illustration and your web design boasts a clean, well-structured look, the website of your business will be taken more seriously. On top of that, these web design elements will make your brand more trustworthy and if you want to convert more sales, credibility will really go a long way.
The experience that your business website offers to its visitors will serve as an indication of what your visitors can expect from your business in real life. If your web design is all over the place and your website has a slapdash appearance, your visitors will come to the conclusion that you simply just do not value your own business. They will be more reluctant to click on the different call-to-action buttons such as “Buy Now” or, even worse, will avoid your business completely.
People will look at your web design and reach countless different conclusions regarding your brand and business. So, it is your responsibility to see to it that the message your website communicates to its visitors is in fact what you want your target market to learn about your brand.
This probably sounds like a daunting task. So, whenever you are not entirely sure about how to continue with your web design just adhere to the basic web design principles or, better yet, enlist the services of a pro who really grasps what your business is all about.
The Importance of Hierarchy
Hierarchy is one of the fundamental elements of great web design. With the help of good hierarchy, your website successfully communicates to your visitors what is the most important. Let us be honest, most of us lead busy lives, so prioritising information for your customers is key. Most visitors will only spend a limited time browsing your website, so your web design should find a way to tell all its visitors what is really important.
Your Brand
Websites are great as they help you to portray your brand publically. Thanks to a quick online search, countless people from all over the globe can find out more about your business. Your website will tell people more about your brand and what it can offer them (in other words, the services or products that you are best known for).
You are the one who gets to control this message. Yes, you are not able to control every piece of info regarding your business, but with the help of your website you can share all the information that tells your target market more about the kind of brand that you really are.
So, all the images and concise, targeted copy that you have used in your web design should gel well so that it accurately depicts the general character of your brand. At the end of the day, your website content should tell any visitor more about the products or services, target market and unique qualities of your business.
The Need to be Mobile-friendly
Mobile-friendly design is one of the essentials of successful web page design nowadays as more people are using their mobile devices to access the Internet. Even though every single company has its own set of requirements, it is strongly advisable that its website should be responsive. You do not need to spend money and time developing an app, but having a responsive website is a must. Plus, when you see to it that your website is responsive, you will no longer have any issues that come with trying to maintain two websites (one for mobile devices and one for desktop users).
In short, the mobile market is expanding every single day and therefore current websites should be responsive. This is not open to discussion!
A Few Last Thoughts
Even though individuals all have their own opinion of what constitutes as great web design, there are still basic web design principles. Your business can design a website that is very pleasing to the eye and super functional when you apply the basic principles and actually take the time to think about what exactly it is that you want your website to accomplish.
So, while you are still planning your web design, consider which info is the most important, the overall image of your business and brand as well as how people will interact with your website. By doing this, you are providing the foundation that will enable you to come up with the best web design.
