A company’s website is a true reflection of their practices

In the era where businesses are becoming “digital,” do you think yours can survive without an online presence?

Is your website bringing in the “right” kind of traffic? The traffic that not only generate leads but converts?  Today we see many entrepreneurs either spending lavishly on their websites or having a budget cut solely in this arena. To find the perfect balance, the blog will discuss the must-haves for your website.

An aesthetic and functional website can influence people to interact and do business with you

To make this first impression a lasting one, it is essential that you create a website to dazzle. The design of your website can make all the difference between your company blooming or dying in the corporate world.

According to studies, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. In this article, we will discuss some primary considerations a good web designer usually takes. This helps to ensure that the company does not only survive but also thrives in today’s intense corporate competition.

1. Cut down on your page loading time

The first rule to create a successful website is ensuring the fastest page loading time possible. In the modern, fast-paced life, nobody has the time to hang around and wait for a slow website to load – especially when there are so many alternatives available at the distance of a single click. To make sure that your audience sticks around once it clicks on your link, you need to appreciate the fact that people are impatient.

As a general rule, your page should not take more than three seconds to load fully. Any longer than this and a big chunk of your audience will be going to your competitor to do their business. Cut down on loading times by keeping the images used to a minimum.

2. Avoid unnecessary and complicated designs – keep it clean and simple

When it comes to continuous text on a website, always remember: less is more. Instead of writing whole blocks of text to say a particular thing, try conveying the gist of that information in a well-worded summary.

A well-designed website is always free of clutter and is simple to read. A website with paragraphs upon paragraphs of continuous text can feel like an information overload. Make effective use of white space to make it less overwhelming for the viewer to read through your content. If you are a newbie in the clan of web designers, it is preferable to master the basics of web design first rather than jumping to the advanced level.

3. Be big on branding

Another piece of information that should be as conspicuous as possible is your brand logo. Branding is critical in web design.  The right kind of branding will gain you loyal customers and build a powerful image of your company. Hence, it is not only the position of your brand logo that requires special attention but also its design.

As a general rule of the thumb, your brand logo should be placed somewhere where the customer’s eye is likely to go naturally. Most often, this is the top left corner of your web page. Incorporating your customized logo at the same place on all the pages on your website does not only make you memorable but also provides valuable consistency. Hiring a proficient custom logo design service will definitely work in this case.

Understand that this is the logo, your company will be recognized with and it is the design that will be your face ten years down the lane too – when your brand is much bigger than it is today.

4. NEVER overlook the navigation on your web design

This may sound like a no brainer, but so many poorly designed e-commerce websites lose customers due to ineffective navigation. When a person visits your site, he or she should not require a map to guide them around. Proper navigation is the key to getting your audience to stick around long enough to convey the information that you want.

Poor navigation brings down the overall user experience and cuts down interaction with the users as well. Nobody wants to stay on a website where they cannot find what they are looking for. A navigation bar and page hierarchy are essential components of a well-designed website.

5. Improve readability and accessibility

To further enhance the user experience, make sure that you are catering to all kinds of audiences when designing a website. Clever use of colors, combinations, and font styles can genuinely bring out the best in your website.

When picking the color of your content, take into consideration people with disabilities such as color blindness and epilepsy. Flickering text and overly bright colors can often bring about an undue seizure in susceptible individuals.

Choose color contrasts that are not straining to the eyes, and make use of fonts where you want to put emphasis. Increase the readability of your web content by using short sentence structure and breaking long paragraphs down into smaller ones. Make use of headings and subheadings to make your document easily scannable.

6. Make the code uncomplicated and straightforward

An essential aspect that is often not considered is keeping the code for the website as uncomplicated as possible. Many people believe that since the code is a background technicality, it does not matter if it is cluttered or complicated – as long as the website works the way it is supposed to. However, having a code simple is more important than you might think.

Taking time out to keep the code simple allows you to update and modify the web design quickly in the future. A crisp code keeps the maintenance a breeze and altering the design a pleasure.

7. Know where to best place valuable web content

When a prospective customer visits your website, he is expecting to find the information he is looking for without much scrolling. A visitor will not scan your entire site to get to the content that he wants – if that content is not available to him at first glance, he is likely to leave your page and go to another website that caters to these whims.

Hence, it is incredibly essential that you display all the necessary information in a highly visible place on your page. Make sure that your contact information and the services you offer are effectively advertised and easily perceptible.

Final Word

The website should be reflecting the essence of your product/service, and hence, it needs to be designed with sheer perfection and dedication. To create the perfect website that truly represents you and your company, hiring a quality service is the first step you can take!

Evie harrison is a blogger by choice.  She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs. Find her on Twitter:@iamevieharrison