Website design is something that makes many people roll their eyes, not because they do not like websites, but because it seems to hold some mystical qualities which only a few will ever understand. Whilst it is true that some technical aspects of designing and building websites require a level of training and experience, for the most part, it is not particularly difficult. Website design does have some basic principles which you should adhere to, and to help you understand them, if you are about to renew your website, here are the top 7. Ensure The SEO Basics Are In Place Being an SEO agency we had to start with this one, and no matter how large or how small a project you are undertaking with regards to your website design, in all cases, you need to have the basic SEO elements in place. This includes the title, the description, and all the other metadata such as H1 tags. Should you be unsure of this, or if the idea of going behind the scenes and dabbling with some technical SEO aspects of your website fills you with dread, then there are plenty of resources that can help you, including ourselves. Use a Clean Design When we say clean design, we mean have a website that looks uncluttered, welcoming, and inviting to anyone who lands on it for the first time, and indeed every other time after that. Whether there is a next time will vary depending on the first impression any visitor has of your website, so try to avoid neon coloured sections, black backgrounds with coloured text, and other imagery that is likely to have anyone seeing it reeling back from their screen.
Mobile devices dominate in the modern world. If you walk down the street in any major city, you will see hundreds of people with their eyes glued to their smartphone or tablet. And, the chances are that a large percentage of these people will be browsing the internet or catching up on the latest updates from their favourite website. With this in mind, you should be able to see how important it is to keep mobile devices in mind when you’re thinking about web design. One of the best ways to do this is to use responsive design techniques. What Is Responsive Design? Basically, a responsive website is one which renders differently on different sized devices. Using responsive CSS code (or a website builder or template with responsive design built in), you will be able to create a versatile website which looks great on pretty much any phone, tablet, computer, or other device. To put things simply, an optimized website is one which will respond to a user, the device they are using and their actions. In some cases, different elements will be displayed in different positions on different devices. Similarly, some elements could be absent altogether on the mobile version of your website.
Whether you are starting a new business and need a website for it, or have an existing business and wish to improve or even replace your current site, unless you are a website developer, you will need to employ a website development company to do the work. if you do some research you will see there are literally hundreds of them out there. Some of these will be one man or woman operations, whereby the person designs and develops websites on a freelance basis. Whilst many of them are excellent at what they do, and can often design a very impressive website, they are not what most businesses need. They often cannot back up the design with elements relating to SEO or conversion, for the simple reason that they specialise only in design. For a more comprehensive service that can not only design your website but also ensure it has every chance of ranking and converting well, you need the services of a website development company. One huge benefit they have is a team with all the skills required to ensure that every necessary element is optimised. Such a company will also be more able to offer you continued support after the website has gone live to implement any updates which be necessary.
Any business which has an online presence will almost certainly do so using a website. With so many templates now available you could literally have one up and running in a day. However, contrary to the mantra, ‘build it and they will come’, without an effective design, proper website development, and conversion factors addressed, you will struggle for traffic. More importantly, any traffic you do get, will not take the desired actions you hope for. Web design and development consist of a multitude of principles and best practices, which sadly all too many businesses are unaware of, or simply do not know how to implement. This is why using a website development company to build or redesign your website is almost always the best route to take. One of the most important reasons is that they will up to date and fully aware of the current best practice and guidelines, especially as it applies to SEO and ranking on Google. These guidelines could literally take up an entire book, however, there are some which take precedence.
Technology makes the world spin. In the modern world, things like smartphones, computers, and the internet have changed our lives, and we rely on different aspects of technology to guide us through almost every single part of the daily grind. The internet is something that nearly all of us use daily. It allows us to browse our favourite websites, connect with friends and family, and purchase goods from the comfort of our homes, among other things. However, many of us don’t realise just how much work goes into creating a high-quality website. People like web designers and web developers can spend hours putting a single page of a website together, and large sites are usually built by large teams. As someone who is heavily involved in the website creation industry, I’m often asked what the difference between web designers and web developers is. I decided to put this article together to answer this question. Enjoy!
