Websites are made up of lines of complicated codes. It’s so much more than just strings of letters and numbers on a screen. It requires creativity and passion to make a website which resonates with visitors. To become a website designer which stands out from the crowd, bear these 10 strategies for designing great websites in mind.
Hook the Viewer
Getting a customer is like fishing. You need to have some bait to hook them in. A great first page is the way to do it. Your landing pages should have something which stands out and differs from what everyone else is offering. What you use depends on the type of website, but a good way to do this is to research other websites in the same sector first.
Find out about Krug’s Law of Usability to understand more about this theory.
Keep Them There
Now it’s time to actually keep them there. Simply putting up a unique offer in bold letters won’t hold them there long. It must have substance. Continue hooking your reader by applying this principle to every page. Gently lead them along and they’ll soon find themselves wanting to discover more.
Just beware about going too far. Sometimes you can go overboard and put them off, or even make them concentrate on a certain aspect and ignore all the relevant content.
Content Over Flash
Flashy banners and intriguing images are good for bringing customers in, but it doesn’t actually translate into anything else. You have to make sure you have great content to go along with your design.
Keep everything short and simple. Get to the point and explain what you’re offering and what your site can do for readers. Make sure you implement Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to ensure it’s visible via Google. Part of the appeal is engaging written content.
Point Them in the Right Direction
Everything must have a point. The website needs to quickly transition from fancy graphics and bold writing to a point. Your design should highlight the unique selling points of a website. It must display its value to the visitor within the first few seconds.
Time is Crucial
Assume every visitor is in a hurry. They only have a few minutes to spare before they hop off somewhere. With this in mind, design your website so it gets to the point quickly. Keep everything short and sweet to join them all together.
One tactic is to combine pages. Think about whether you really need to add additional content pages. It slows down progress. Long-winded descriptions should always have a summary above it so visitors have a choice as to whether they read it or not.
Most of the time, content can be combined together and simplified without taking anything crucial away.
Simplicity is a Virtue
Website design has always maintained a number of important principles. One of these is the concept of simplicity. Simplicity means not going over the top with colors and animations. A web designer isn’t there to show off how many codes and tricks he knows. He’s there to design a useful website. As a general rule, your website shouldn’t cause eye strain.
Special Effects
Special effects are dangerous. In the early 2000s, when the wider population was still discovering the magic of web design, spinning titles and bright colors dominated websites. It turned many visitors away from the Internet. Now, this doesn’t exist. It isn’t done, and for good reason. Most of the time, you can get away with avoiding special effects completely.
TETO
What’s TETO you ask? It stands for Test Early Test Often.
Carve this into your computer desk with whatever sharp implement you can find. Whenever you pass a major milestone, debug the website. Spotting problems reduces the amount of time you spend searching for issues later on. It doesn’t just stop any immediate problems. It stops any problems you didn’t anticipate from springing up later on.
Communication
Some web designers get so wrapped up in their work they forget someone is paying them to do it. The client is the most important part of the equation. Keep updating the client on the situation, and it’s also good to send a few screenshots along. It allows them to make any requests or last-minute updates. And they’ll appreciate you making and taking suggestions too.
Load Quickly
No website should take longer than five seconds to load. If it does it can knock it down the Google search engine rankings. Furthermore, visitors won’t waste time on a website which takes too long to load. If there are any problems with loading times, reduce the load by compressing images and removing special effects.
About the Author
My name is Korah Morrison, I’m a student at the University of California, Los Angeles studying political science, and I work for College-Paper.org as a writer. I love blogging, guest blogging, writing, etc. and want to become a guru = ))