An interesting and well-designed website makes an instant positive impression on customers, enhances the entire user experience, and boosts engagement. The following 5 aspects you should consider when building a website for the first time.
1. Design
This serves as a visitor’s initial impression and determines how they will interact with the website.
- The website’s design should reflect your brand identity and effectively communicate your message.
- Maintain a consistent look and feel across all pages, including colour schemes, typography and imagery. Colour creates visual interest, conveys emotions, and captures visitors’ attention. It is important to use appropriate font sizes and proper spacing to improve readability and make the text more visually striking.
- Use high-quality images and videos that provide experience and reinforce your message.
2. User Experience
This means designing a website with the user’s needs and preferences.
- Easy to use: Prioritize user-friendly navigation and a clear site structure
- Clear navigation: Organize content logically and ensure users can easily find what they’re looking for.
- Mobile-friendly: Ensure your website is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes, as many users access the website on mobile devices.
- Accessibility: Design your site with accessibility in mind, making it usable for people with disabilities.
3. Functionality
The purpose of a website determines its functions. Understanding the purpose will decide what features and type of content they need.
For example, you will design an ecommerce website to ensure online shopping experience for website visitors. Meanwhile, the main goal of a corporate website is to present information about the business and its products and services in a professional way.
4. Technology
- Responsive design: Ensure your website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimize your website for search engines to improve its visibility in search results.
- Security: Implement security measures to protect your website and your users’ data.
- Analytic tools: Track your website’s performance and use analytic tools to identify areas for improvement.
5. Features
Every modern website should have these essential features to improve its usability:
- Captivating and clear headline: The headline should draw readers in and provide an explanation of the website’s purpose.
- Hero image or video: A key component that aids in communicating the website’s message or theme is the hero image or video.
- Navigation menu: The navigation menu should identify sections and pages and be easily navigable.
- Call-to-action (CTA) buttons: These buttons, which urge users to perform particular actions like making a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter, ought to be conspicuously placed.
- Social proof: Social proof components, such as customer testimonials, Google reviews or partner badges, can be included to increase trust and credibility.