If you are a web developer or web designer, you would probably be familiar with all the phases we’ll be discussing in this article today.
The web design process is not as complicated as some people think of it to be. With so many tools and platforms available in the market these days, a website can be designed and launched in just a matter of a few hours, and by somebody who is not even familiar with programming languages. These tools come in different forms. Some of them are open-source platforms while others are cloud-based. Some are SaaS (Software as a Site) websites that charge a monthly subscription fee, while others start with a free plan to offer the most basic website designs.
Strikingly is one such website building platform, where you can create a simple website absolutely for free, without having to write a single line of code. We offer a variety of website templates for you to choose from, which serve as your website design. Our templates are almost ready-to-use and save all the time that you would otherwise need to spend in designing your website from scratch.
Image taken from Strikingly
Let’s talk about the phases you have to go through to build a full-fledged website on Strikingly after you have signed up for your free account with us. Website design process is not so complicated with our tools.
7 Steps to Design a Website
1. Choose the Template Carefully
At Strikingly, we offer website templates for different categories of websites. Whether you need to build a blog, an online store, a portfolio website, or just a landing page to showcase your brand, we have a suitable design that you can preview and use in your web design process.
When you sign in, you will be directed to the template selection page. Here you can choose the template that suits your business needs. Most of the basic features are available in all the templates, but the layout and color theme is different for each. Nevertheless, all templates are responsive, smooth flowing, and easy to navigate. You can further customize the design that you select by adding sections to your web pages, which we will discuss in the next steps of your web design planning.
Image taken from Strikingly
2. Add Your Website Content
The way you add content to your website in your web design process contributes to its overall appearance. Keeping proper spacing, aligning the text neatly, using a combination of text and images, using contrasting colors, and balancing the way different content elements are placed, all play a role in making your overall web design.
It is very easy to add content to your Strikingly website. When you are in the editor, just click on any place where you want to add or edit the content. Use the drag-and-drop feature to upload pictures. Instantly change or edit any text you like.
Image taken from Strikingly
You can even add videos by embedding them from third-party video hosting sites (such as Youtube and Vimeo). To add a video to your Strikingly web page, follow these simple steps as part of your web design process.
- Upload the video on Youtube or Vimeo.
- From the site editor’s left panel, click ‘Add New Section’.
- Select ‘Image & Media’ and then ‘Gallery’.
- Take your cursor to the top and click on ‘Add Videos’.
- Paste the link to your video into the field that pops up.
- Click ‘Save’ and that’s all.
Image taken from Strikingly
3. Add Extra Sections to Your Site
Strikingly allows you to add different sections to your website’s home page. This is an exciting step in your web design process. By adding sections, you make your website multi-purpose. For example, you can add a blog section by clicking ‘Add New Section’ and then selecting ‘Simple Blog’.
Image taken from Strikingly
You can use this blog section to post articles relevant to your niche. Producing high-quality content in the form of blog posts builds your repo as an expert in your field. This attracts customers as they begin to trust your brand and get enticed to buy from your business.
In the web design process, you can also add an online store to your website. From the store, you can sell products or collect payments for digital downloads. It is very simple to convert your products-showcasing website into a products-selling website in Strikingly.
To set up a simple store, again click ‘Add New Section’ and select ‘Simple Store’. In this section, you can upload your product photos and select suitable payment gateways to sell directly from your site.
4. Customize Your Header
Your website’s header is among the first few spots your visitors will look at in your web design. That’s why it is worth it to pay attention to it in your web design process. It should be neatly designed with your brand logo clearly placed either on a side or at the center.
Headers are used for multiple purposes. They help classify your website and can be used for marketing purposes too. If your website is monetized with Google Adsense, you can choose to display a banner ad at your header.
Most of the Strikingly templates give you the option to choose between a fixed and floating header. A fixed header is one that stays on top and does not follow your browser as you scroll down. A floating header, on the other head, flies down with you as you scroll down the web page.
Technically speaking, your menu bar is also part of your site’s header. The most useful thing about a floating header is that you never lose sight of the site’s menu. The menu is used by site visitors to navigate your web design. Having a floating menu bar makes it easier for visitors to browse through and navigate your site.
5. Prepare the Footer
The footer of your website is one of the handiest and resourceful spots in your web design. Decorate it with icons and text in this step of your web design process. You can insert all the necessary pieces of content on the footer, such as your brand logo, a brief about your company, your contact details, a site map, any affiliated websites, and even social media icons.
The good thing about the footer is that any information you put on it is accessible from all pages of your site. The footer remains the same and static as a visitor browses through the site.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
6. Add Social Media Handles
Integrating your website with social media helps to drive traffic back and forth among all your marketing platforms. Adding social media handles is a critical part of your web design process. First, there were only a couple of social media sites. These days there are so many.
You can now add an entire series of social media icons to your web design. Some of them are as follows.
- Google Plus
Social media integration is done in two ways. In one way, you can insert social media feeds, such as your Facebook page feed, into your landing page. In the other way, you can add social media handles on the side or bottom of your site, so that your site visitors can share your content on their social media profiles. The latter is particularly common for blog websites. Adding social media handles at the bottom of each blog article makes the article easily shareable by readers on their social media profiles.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website
- Check the Site’s Responsiveness
Once you have completed all the previous steps of your web design process, it is time to check how your web design looks from different devices. It is important that your web design is responsive enough to be browsed from all kinds of devices, including iOS phones, Android phones, tablets, iPads, laptops, mac, and desktop computers.
No matter how beautiful your web design is, if our website becomes scribbly or if content elements overlap each other when it is opened from a smaller device, your web design will be useless.
Over 50% of your site visitors will browse the website from their mobile phones, at least for the first time. It is, therefore, critical that your mobile website is as neat and clear as its desktop version.
A responsive website not only looks appealing and organized but also increases the browsing time that each visitor spends on it. This reduces the bounce rate and ultimately enhances your site’s search rankings.
These were the 7 steps of an effective web design process. In case you didn't notice, there is no need for you to have any coding or programming skills to go through any of these steps. You also do not need to hire a web developer or web designer to build and design your site. You can have such advanced features in your site, which can make it look more professional and appealing than many other websites that are actually built from scratch.
Using Strikingly reduces more than half your burden. That’s why everyday we get positive testimonials from our customers, informing how much of a relief they feel when they find out that they can now create a website on their own.
If you have any queries about our tools or our web design templates, you can contact us through our live chat feature on our website. This live chat feature can also be added to your Strikingly website so that your visitors can get in touch with you instantly whenever they need it.
