If you want your business\'s online presence to last for years and then some, you're going to need a website that will stand up to the test of time. With every new website built, web design is always a must-have to consider. In today's article, we're going to explore web design a little more and then go over the elements that are absolutely a must-have for any business website that wants to thrive online.
So, What is Web Design?
There are two ways to define website design, one of them being straight from Wikipedia:
"Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; user interface design; authoring, including standardised code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization."
Basically, web design is the entire website's layout, appearance, and content (in certain cases) as seen from a user's point of view (aka your customers). Not only does that mean your new business website should look nice, but also it should be 100% user-friendly and accessible at all times. Design is what can make or break a website, and some of those web design elements should absolutely be included. It's what keeps your business\'s online presence consistent, trustworthy, and reliable.
What Elements Does My New Website Need?
If you're itching to get your website off the ground and your company more well-known, you have to keep in mind that several of the elements we're listing below work best in sync with each other—think of it as a similar act to knitting a sweater. Without one element of design, the rest of the site may end up falling apart in some way or another. Maybe not all at once, but very gradually indeed.
Now, these are the elements that typically make for an excellent business website:
- User-friendly Navigation
No matter how pretty you make your business website look, if people can't use it or make their way around, it's a failure. User-friendly navigation is essential for any website. Your customers need to be able to access every page you want them to reach, and they should be able to find exactly what they need without having to work for it too hard.
One thing you can do to achieve this is by having a site map created and then implemented by your web development agency. A site map will allow everyone involved with the web building process to understand what should go on your company's website and how best to reach each page. By having a site map figured out, you'll add that much-needed functionality to your website which goes hand in hand with the navigation.
- A Solid Layout
This element needs to be completely aligned with your company's brand in order to help your customers understand its values entirely. It only takes a customer a few seconds to determine whether or not they want to stick around on your website or to leave immediately.
By producing an eye-catching and user-friendly layout from the get-go, you'll ensure that the experience of using the website will be a great one. It helps that when it comes to developing a website, you can experiment and innovate with the design. Take note of your customers' preferences in terms of likes and dislikes and then feel free to experiment with the typography, menu usage, etc. to really nail the user experience.
- Written Text
As pretty as a website can look, if it says nothing in text about who you are and what you have to offer, you're going to make everyone very confused. The written text on your website matters just as much as all of the imagery combined. You need to tell customers what your business is all about in words, from explaining what your services are to using the right keywords that answer their questions and then some.
The text doesn't have to be designed into lengthy essays, either. Websites enable you to present written text in an engaging manner, and you can play around with placement of the text vs. the imagery and headlines you want to provide before making these elements live. There's a lot more to writing than most people give it credit for, so give that to your customers and never forget to use this element of web design.
- Response
As time has passed, people have been engaging more frequently with tech that responds to their every command. You know you have an effective website when a customer is interacting with every page and not just the home page. You can see this sense of interaction when you use your mobile phone or tablet to access the Internet.
In order to accommodate this increasing interest with interactivity, businesses are going to have to make their website responsive across all known platforms. Building these kinds of sites can be expected from our agency.
- Web-friendliness
No matter how beautiful or information-rich you make your website, it's useless if it can't be found online. That's why you need to have as web-friendly of a website as possible. Inserting search engine optimization (SEO) takes some time but the results are always worthwhile. Your website needs to have rich meta tags, alt tags, and title tags, and your site needs to work across all major search engines. It's worth hiring an agency as opposed to trying to do this yourself, because there are a lot more other tasks that involve SEO more so than you may realize.
As you can see, web design does not simply involve choosing pretty colours and imagery that catch your customer's eye. It involves a great deal more than that. Yes, graphics matter, but they will not carry your business forward online if they are the only thing your website has going for it. The way a website can be used and accessed also matters. Keep all of these elements in mind when discussing a new site's development with your agency.
Experience in Web Design for 30+ Years
If you need a new website for your business, you can't go wrong with choosing V3. We've been around for over 3 decades, long enough to understand when to use each element in web design to your advantage and when it's okay to break the rules slightly and really make a website pop for it. If you think we're the best fit for your needs, feel free to give us a call. We look forward to making your business prosper online!