Website Design & Development
Web Design Best Practices Every Small Business Should Use
It might surprise you to learn that there are approximately 2 billion websites on the Internet. At first, standing out from your competition might seem impossible. The good news is that there are steps you can take to help your small business cut through the clutter.
Proper website design will help maximize your online presence, and we’ve put together a brief guide of web design best practices that you can leverage. Let’s take a closer look at what you should know.
Minimize Loading Times
This is one of the most important attributes to consider.
The longer your website takes the load, the less likely it is that your visitors will stay on it. In context, pages that take more than even a few seconds to load will likely drive visitors away. Don’t be alarmed, though — optimizing loading times is relatively straightforward.
Compressing images, enabling browser caching, and minimizing redirects are all important steps to take.
Optimize For Mobile
Mobile devices account for approximately 70% of web traffic.
To take advantage of this, you’ll need to optimize your website’s formatting for this type of browsing. By default, sites that have only been formatted for desktop computers will not display correctly on mobile devices.
They will feel clunky and difficult to navigate. When it comes to lead conversion, this is a death sentence. You can’t expect someone to make a purchase or sign up for the newsletter if they can’t find the button to do so.
Instead, ensure that your site runs fluidly on mobile devices while also remaining aesthetically appealing.
Search Engine Optimization
No matter how well your site runs or how pretty it is to look at, it won’t mean much if nobody can find it.
Leveraging search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial when it comes to maximizing your website traffic. This involves having a comprehensive understanding of your audience, researching user intent, understanding the nuances of linking/indexing, etc.
For many people, this is a complicated process that is also difficult to learn. Working with a professional can help ensure you avoid mistakes you may have otherwise encountered.
Simple and Unique UI
It may be tempting to add plenty of detail to your website. However, this can be counterproductive in practice.
People want a website that is both easy to look at and easy to navigate. The simpler the user interface of your website, the easier it will be for your audience to understand. Keep in mind that this is not free reign to neglect site aesthetics.
Using the appropriate font and color choices for your brand is crucial when it comes to providing the best experience.
Proper Organization
Your site needs to be organized in a way that is intuitive.
This means that your users should be able to find what they’re looking for even if they have never used the site before. For example, let’s assume that they were looking to learn more about a specific product or product category. They might look for a segment on a menubar called “Products” that they can click on.
Or, they might look for a search bar at the top of the page. Understanding these consumer behaviors will help you resolve problems before they even arise. By extension, this will also lead to higher conversions and better site performance.
Develop Killer Content
If you want people to come to your website, you need to have something of value to offer them.
There’s a catch, though — people don’t always know what they’re looking for at first, and they don’t always want to pay for it. Offering useful information for free is a great way to drive traffic to your website. This comes in the form of developing a killer content strategy.
Not only does this provide informative content to your audience, but it also gives you the opportunity to promote your brand. Having a blog full of useful information will help get your audience on your website and establish an opportunity for them to see what you have to offer.
You’ll need to develop a content schedule, however. Search engines prioritize websites that frequently upload new content.
Consistency
It can be jarring to navigate through a website that has a handful of different formats, aesthetics, etc. Many users will find this offputting and may choose to visit a competitor site instead.
In a case like this, it can be almost impossible to get them back.
This doesn’t mean that every single page needs to look the same. You can have different layouts for different types of pages. It’s common for websites to use the same layout for all of their product pages, for instance.
They might then use a different layout for their landing pages.
In general, the layout should be consistent among related segments of your site. If you have a “Help” section, it wouldn’t make sense for each topic to have a completely different type of page layout.
Don’t Overlook Web Design Best Practices
The aforementioned web design best practices could mean the difference between whether or not you meet your goals for your site. As long as you keep them in mind, you’ll be sure to hit your target metrics and create the best user experience possible.
Feel free to get in touch with us at Forge Digital Marketing today. Our team has all the required tools and resources to help you hit the ground running.
