Thinking about the best website design can be a tough job especially when you don’t have proper skills and training. You will find yourself stuck and even frustrated because there are so many things going on with your designs. This situation can happen to anyone. Whether you are a professional or a beginner who’s working for a website design company, there will always be dull moments in your work. There are times when you run out of creative ideas or inspiration for website design. Truly, having a designer’s block is normal. That is why we have sorted some website design best practices that will help you overcome this point of your career. In this article, we will also tackle the benefits of having a good website design. What good does it bring to your business or personal online space? If you’re planning to build a website, stop by for a few minutes and read what we are about to share.
Benefits of a Good Website Design
A good website design means a welcoming homepage, too. There’s no way you can welcome a visitor in your home with the main door shut. What do we mean by this? You have to keep your website open to possibilities that could lead to conversion. A simple homepage can be the best way to welcome your audience. Adding a bit of complexity should not ruin the whole idea of an excellent user experience. These benefits of a good website design will help you go in the right direction in creating website designs. Also, it will lead you to your priorities and goals in setting up a website. What do you want your visitors to do on your site? Is it shopping, reading blogs, joining a membership, or appointment setting? Knowing the basics will help you arrive at the results you are expecting. So, here are some of the benefits of a good website design.
- A good website design helps you connect with your target customers.
- A good website design can help convert guests to customers.
- A good website design improves the user experience of your website.
- A good website design makes brand awareness campaigns a lot easier.
And the list of benefits goes on. Let us take a deep dive into the website design best practices this time. Knowing what good it could bring to your business or personal space online makes it more exciting.
Image taken from IMAD website
10 Website Design Best Practices You Must Do
Here are some of the most exemplary ideas for custom website design and even when you’re creating with a template. These website design best practices will open up more opportunities for your online store, personal portfolio, or business website.
- Start with a Step-by-Step Plan
- Keep the Web Standards Present
- Create Simple and Visible CTA
- Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Design
- Give Importance to Content Formatting
- Consider Minimalistic Website Design
- Try a One-Page Web Design
1. Start with a Step-by-Step Plan
Starting anything without a plan is like throwing stones in the meadow. You don’t have a fixed direction to where any stones would drop. Just like throwing away these stones, you’ll be wasting resources, time, and energy without a step-by-step plan in website design. Starting with concrete and complete plans is one of the website design best practices. Here are some of the questions you need to be prepared to answer:
Image taken from Inspire Organics website
∙ What kind of website are you building?
Make sure that you know what kind of website you are building before you even start designing. It is accessible to custom website design when you know what it is and whom you are doing it for.
∙ What are your website’s goals?
Define your website goals before anything else. Do you want high conversion in traffic, sales, membership, subscription, bookings, etc.? Then, you should align the website design to your goals as well. For instance, making your call-to-action information clearer and visible is significant to achieving these goals. Adding a ‘Buy now’ button on your online store will easily help customers go to your shop.
∙ Is your brand and marketing strategy strong enough?
Create a strong brand by being consistent in the elements you use in your website design. Stick to the same color themes, font styles, and business content. You have to be mindful of how your brand will appear to your customers, even with your communications or ads. This way, your brand is easy to be recognized.
∙ Do you know your target audience very well?
Have some research in terms of the demographic orientation of your target customers. You can visit online forums or communities that discuss people’s interests and opinions on your chosen niche. It is easier to develop a custom website design if you have all the information you need about your target customers.
∙ Have you come up with a style guide?
There are a lot of website design companies offering freestyle guides for web designers and even ordinary people who want to learn the basics. With Strikingly, you don’t need to learn them all, but you can also ‘do-it-yourself' or choose our customizable templates. They’re free.
∙ What are your SEO plans?
Having SEO plans is one of the most important website design best practices that you can plan. Before creating any content, make sure it’s aligned with your SEO plans.
2. Keep the Web Standards as Much as Possible
Some online users are used to specific web layouts on the websites they frequently visit. It’s okay to be creative and apply originality in your website design. It is natural to experiment with elements that could make the user experience less hassle as a designer. But, you also need to consider the familiarity and functionality of your web layout. Let us check what the typical website design layouts you can see are.
- Brand theme consistency on every page.
- Website logo is placed on the top or upper left of the homepage.
- Besides a ‘Site search’ box or a ‘Sign in’ button, contact info on the top right part.
- Call-to-action buttons are placed across the home page, and some put them on the lower left side where it is visible.
- Social media icons are usually placed on the last page or footer.
Image taken from Bondi Bandits website
3. Create Simple and Visible CTA
When you know what you want your site visitors to do on your website, it is easier to come up with simple and visible CTA ( Call-to-Action) information. There are many website design templates that you can choose from Strikingly. You can select the most suitable design for your website goals, and we got it covered. Just take a look at one of our user’s websites below.
Image taken from Runway Prints website
4. Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Design
Having a mobile-first website is not just one of the website's best practices but a must-have design standard indeed. We all know that mobile devices have taken the world by storm. More people use smartphones, tablets, and laptops in their daily lives. It’s no wonder why Google favors mobile-friendly websites because they also want to cater the best to online users who are searching for information. Here at Strikingly, all our websites are mobile-ready.
Image taken from PackPoint website
5. Give Importance to Content Formatting
Did you know that content is a vital element of your website? It serves as your website's core because most people rely on descriptions, copies, and blogs before purchasing online. If you have a blogging website, give importance to content formatting as much as colors and themes. You can't underestimate the importance of properly positioning your online content on every page. You can do the following to create an effective content marketing strategy.
- You can include headings and a short description.
- Make a list of your blog content and testimonials.
- Add visual images and multimedia clips if possible.
Image taken from DrumPants website
6. Consider Minimalist Website Design
Simplicity is beauty. It’s how the old saying goes but still very accurate in our time. Many people embraced the minimalist themes rather than too much complexity. If you want to start from scratch and develop an appealing website design, go on. Remember not to compromise the brand identity, content format, and user experience.
Image taken from Founder Mastermind website
7. Try a One-Page Web Design
Building a business or personal website? Make it a one-page website design. It’s one way of establishing a comprehensive approach to marketing your website. Keep it short and simple. That is what a one-page website is all about. You’ve got everything you want your customers to know on a single page. Try it with one of our one-page templates here at Strikingly.
Image taken from Pet Milestone Cards website
Wrapping Up
Arriving at the best website design is not an overnight task. You can’t do it all at once. Instead, there’s a process of constant changes and testing so that you can come up with the most effective web design and layout.
Moreover, website content plays a big role in achieving your goals. Strikingly has the best tools and features you need to create the best website design. We’ve got intuitive web services and a supportive team to help you along the way.
