Website design is a complicated subject to dive into. There are a vast amount of components and moving parts involved in the designing process. Everything from how it looks, how it functions, and how users will interact with it becomes integral to the design process.
Although website design may seem simple, it’s far from it. Much work, research, and testing go into the design process. It acts as a storefront, a portfolio, and a face for many companies. Without a site, a brand is merely a myth these days.
When creating a website, you need to consider many things, but it ultimately depends on these three factors— functionality, user experience, and purpose.
If you’re just starting out in the world of web design, you’re about to gain a few useful tips. This article will list ten things you need to consider when planning a website design. If you’re a seasoned veteran in website design, this article might help sharpen your skills and give you some inspiration for your upcoming website.
Purpose of the Site
The first thing you need to consider is your goals and the purpose this website will serve. Like everything else, a website without clear goals or objectives will be challenging to design since there’s no concrete plan or outline to follow.
To avoid wasting time, you must know what objectives, goals, and purposes you would like to achieve with this website.
Target Audience
Your target audience is the second thing to consider when designing a website. This is important because these people will visit your site and contribute to traffic and engagement.
Figure out who your target demographics are by observing competitors and customer personas. The more details you have on your potential visitors, the better your plan will be– making the website design process easier. This data will help you create a website to ensure that it caters to the right audience.
Mobile Optimization
The third thing you need to consider is mobile optimization. With so many users accessing sites on mobile devices, it’s a no-brainer that you should optimize your website for mobile.
Optimizing your site for mobile can be beneficial because it will help you tap into a large user base and show your visitors that you are keeping up with the times. Sites that aren’t optimized for mobile will have a higher bounce rate and look outdated. So, if you want to keep users engaged and scrolling on your site, make sure that you optimize your site for mobile.
Content
This includes website content, blogs, resources, and many more. Anything on your site is considered content. Do your research thoroughly and plan in advance what content you want to publish on your site.
For example, if you have a lot of data you would like to present, consider using infographics to make reading your content a bit easier. Images can help break up long blocks of text, and charts help improve your points. There are a lot of infographic ideas to choose from if you are considering using these graphics to spice up your website content.
You should never forget to create content for your audience because they will be on your website. Planning out your content well in advance will also save you the hassle of dealing with content plans in the future.
Readability
When designing a website, readability should be on top of your list of things to consider. This also ties in with who will be visiting your site. For example, if your target audience is older, you may need to use bigger fonts and contrasting colors.
It’s crucial that people can read content on your site seamlessly. So, avoid using intricate fonts and opt for readable ones instead. Remember to use colors wisely and ensure your visitors can read your website content easily.
Navigation
Navigation should be easy to maneuver through. The last thing you want is for your audience to be confused about where to go or what to do. So, when designing a website, keep the navigation simple.
Decide on how you want the navigation to be. This depends on your audience and the purpose of your site. So, before making any decisions, research and collect references of website navigations you would like your site to use.
User Experience
An important thing to consider when designing a website is user experience. Ultimately, user experience matters because all the factors we mentioned before aim for a better user experience.
So, when designing a site, put yourself in the user’s shoes. Imagine how they would feel when they are on your site. You want to give the user a positive experience after visiting your site. So, you need to keep user experience in mind when designing a website.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is imperative when it comes to website design. This matters because SEO will help people find your site and make your brand gain visibility.
There are a lot of factors that affect SEO, such as load speed, content, navigation, and keyword use. So, you need to do your research and test specific methods when it comes to SEO and website design.
Maintenance
The next thing you need to consider when designing a website is how often you will need to maintain it. Your website will go through obstacles and errors from time to time, so you must prepare yourself for these moments when implicating specific designs and methods.
Maintenance is inevitable, but you can control the frequency. Complicated website designs will ultimately require more fixes and monitoring, whereas simpler website designs might not require much monitoring. This all depends on what goal or objective you are trying to achieve with your website.
Accessibility
Lastly, when designing a website, ensure it’s accessible to everyone. When a website is accessible, it’s easy to use for every individual. Accessibility focuses on improving experiences for those with disabilities that hinder their hearing, vision, and movement.
You want to ensure that everyone can read the text on your site, navigate through your site with ease, and have a great experience overall.
Wrapping Up
Website design contains a lot of processes and can be confusing for many. To make it easier, we’ve listed ten things you need to consider when planning website designs. Although this may be far from crafting the perfect website, we hope these tips will help you in your website design journey and help you provide the best experience for your users.
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