An effective website design is about finding the ideal balance between beauty and usefulness.
An excellent site gains the confidence of users and directs them to take decisive action while also providing a delightful user experience.
Website designs are always evolving, hence the emergence of many companies, like the Mesa web design company and others, that offer awesome websites at affordable prices.
This makes things easier for those who want to establish their website without investing much effort and time.
While there are certain fundamental principles, such as the demand for relevant, current, and interesting content, new concepts that could enhance a website’s effect are always emerging.
Most of these principles contribute to telling narratives and explaining the core of a business.
Others, meanwhile, seek to instantly pique users’ attention or enhance the overall user experience on any platform.
To know some essential design concepts and learn how to apply them to create an effective website, keep reading.
Functionality goes first
Your website’s functionality is more important than its visual appeal. But how can you create a website that’s functional for your users? (1)
Begin by developing a solid user interface.
Avoid wasting your consumers’ time with clutter. Create a powerful website where each subsequent component is connected to the previous one.
Also, maintain consistency in the information you convey and avoid self-repetition in any form. (1)
Likewise, enhance the usability of your navigation. Do this by creating a tight hierarchy for your site’s structure, with each piece correctly positioned.
A well-designed navigation system enables users to access information and quickly obtain what they’re searching for. (1)
A well-designed website must load fast, function effectively, and provide useful feedback in the event of an error or delay. You may improve your site’s speed by altering picture sizes or any other background functions that may cause your website to slow down. (1)
Simplicity is superior
Ensuring simplicity in your web design means eliminating any superfluous features from your site. This is often accomplished by having a simple layout, minimalist color theme, and abundant negative space. A simple layout uses a few prominent components but depends heavily on the color palette and negative space to provide drama and appeal. (2)
If you aim to create a website that’s both simple and user-friendly, consider omitting anything inessential. Every element on your webpage must have a clear function. Each component should contribute to its visual appeal or functionality, but preferably both. If a component seems to have no effect, it’s best to remove it. (2)
After getting rid of all unnecessary elements, polish what remains to a mirror finish. Make your information and features as plain and noticeable as possible. This method may help attract more potential audiences.
The simplicity of the design must, however, go hand in hand with functionality. Adding valuable features, like interactive calendars and better search tools, would simplify your users’ experience and engagement with you. On the other hand, removing any necessary functionality would make your users’ experience inconvenient and difficult. (2)
Typography is key
Most businesses have a distinctive typeface or typography that enables clients to differentiate them from their competition instantly. Nowadays, web designers have gained access to a wider variety of typefaces, providing a way for companies to convey their identities more effectively using typography.
Typography is a distinct design component that creates a consistent appearance throughout all of a website’s pages. When developing a brand for your business, the font you choose might convey subtle messages about what you stand for. (3)
Whichever font you pick, take account of cross-browser and cross-computer compatibility. Selecting a typeface that’s not compatible with popular browsers and computers may cause your website to display incorrectly on various platforms. (3)
Mobile-friendliness is the way to go
The first-era websites were created for desktop computers. Hence, they were designed to support bigger displays and mouse operation through point-and-click actions. But the advent of mobile gadgets implies that online traffic may originate from a variety of sources.
More than 54% of global online traffic originates from mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. This means if your website is not mobile-friendly, you risk losing 50% of your potential clients. (4)
Hence, your website should provide the same user experience throughout any device. This means designing a responsive website that dynamically adjusts pictures, content, and interface so they fit the screen size of the device used to visit the site.
Mobile-friendliness also has to do with search engine optimization (SEO) to help enhance user experience. Hence, having an SEO website design must be considered. For instance, use a mobile-first approach in website design. It involves creating a web page’s mobile version and then utilizing it to create the desktop version.
Benefits Of Effective Website Design
Now you’re aware of the effective website design principles. But what do they contribute to your business success? Here are the benefits of having an effective website design:
- Boost in traffic
- Improved lead and conversion rates
- Higher return on investment
- Better customer experience
- More business opportunities
Hire A Website Designer
Hiring an experienced website designer is advisable to have a great website. While many website builders and tutorial resources are available online, nothing can beat a business website crafted by a pro.
Experienced website designers use the most advanced tools and techniques to help individuals and businesses create competitive, user-friendly, SEO-friendly, secure, and appealing websites.
Moreover, working with an expert can help increase your knowledge of web design as you learn how it works along the way. So, choose an expert web designer from a reputable web design agency that offers other services, such as SEO, branding, and content writing to create a standout website.
Bottom line
As a website owner, you need to make sure your site is visually appealing, has interesting information, and provides a consistent user experience across all devices for your visitors. Following these principles can help you build an attractive, well-organized, and fast-loading website that will pique your visitors’ curiosity and increase your revenue. Moreover, creating effective websites requires a thorough understanding of fundamental design concepts and the smart use of these principles.
References
- “Web design: A key factor for the website success”, Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220419456_Web_design_A_key_factor_for_the_website_success
- “The role of visual complexity and prototypicality regarding first impression of websites: Working towards understanding aesthetic judgments”, Source: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en/us/pubs/archive/38315.pdf
- “THE PRINCIPLES OF BEAUTIFUL WEB DESIGN”, Source: https://www.mbit.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Web-Design123uo00es0523.pdf
- “Percentage of mobile device website traffic worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 4th quarter 2021”, Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/