7 Do’s (and 1 major don’t) of Web Design

Regardless of whether you’re a new business or you’ve been in existence for a while now, it’s extremely important to nail the design of your website. For many businesses, this has become the first and most important touchpoint between them and their customers. 

In fact, your website design can have a major impact on your conversions and the overall success of your business. Statistics show that 21% of small businesses report that their main website issue is low traffic. This is frequently caused by poor design that doesn’t set users up to gain value from the company website.

In the following article, we address some of the best practices for web site design so that you can maximize your company’s return from your company’s website. 

Do: Research your target audience 

Whether you are going to design your own website or you are looking to bring in a company to help you with your website design, one of the first things you need to take into account is your target audience. Who are you trying to reach and what style will best connect with that audience?

Good design engages the target audience with a brand personality that users want to interact with. Research your buyer personas and use design elements, functions and colors that make your target audience feel right at home.

Do: Focus on layout

The layout of your website is what gives your customers the first look and feel of your business. This is your chance to make a first impression that your customers will remember. Some tips for upping your layout game are:

• Create a focal point: Make sure that your homepage directs your customers towards the main thing you want them to do. Whether it’s a software demo or buying a product, ensure that your homepage is clear in taking customers there.
• Have a clean layout: One of the worst things you can do is bombard your target audience with too much information that distracts them from what you actually want them to do. Have a clean and clear layout that furthers your main company objective.
• Employ catchy headlines and CTAs: One of the simplest ways to drive website success is to have clear headlines and calls to action. If you don’t direct your customers to do what you want them to most, your conversions will suffer.

Do: Consider your colors carefully

One often overlooked portion of website design is that certain color palates correlate with types of businesses. By aligning your website color palette to other successful businesses in your field, you can use their years of marketing efforts to bolster your company.

Also, when considering color in your website design, make sure you don’t overdo it. The rule of thumb is to limit your website colors to a maximum of three. This makes for a cleaner look for your website and helps your customers not be overwhelmed when they visit. 

Do: Make your website easily scannable 

The way we read has collectively changed. Gone are the days when people want to read long paragraphs until they have a more confirmed view of your value. Avoid long paragraphs in your website design to make it simpler and more digestible. 

Use design elements like bulleted lists and short paragraphs so that your readers can easily scan your website and assess the value for them. If you can convey your business value in a concise way, the more likely you are to get potential prospects to enter contact information where you can send them longer format content.

Do: Understand the importance of UX

With good UX, your website tells the world that you think clearly about the end user. UX stands for user experience and is a piece of web design that focuses on the experience of the customer at every stage of your website.

Everything on your website should be easily searchable. No matter the content that your user is looking for, readers should not have to spend more than a few seconds finding it. To make things even easier, include a search box so people can find things that don’t align with the page’s primary focus.

Do: Optimize your mobile capability

As of March 2024, 61% of all website traffic is from people using mobile phones. This is also a trend that has been steadily growing, so every year it becomes more essential that your website is optimized to run its best from mobile viewing. 

Additionally, audit your mobile viewing experience for speed. People searching from their phones are mostly likely browsing on the go, so they tend to have less patience for websites that load slowly. To speed up the mobile viewing, you can do things like removing large images and videos that may slow down the user experience.

Do: Test your website

Let’s face it, even to professionals, building out a great website can be a tedious process. As such, small portions of the website might not be perfect so it is important to make sure that you spend the time checking your work.

From checking to make sure that every button works to looking at the mobile viewing, spending the time to check your new website’s features can save you from embarrassment and losing customers.

Make sure that you also check your website from multiple devices and browsers so that you have the most thorough examination possible.

Don’t: Underpay for your website design

Whether you think you can do it in-house or you turn to a source that says they can execute what you need under market price, the design of your website is too important to not put adequate value into. 

Make sure that you have a talented partner helping you with your website’s design and updates. Here at D2Next, we have years of designing high-quality websites for clients in various fields. We listen and lend our expertise to make the vision of your website come to life.

Reach out to us to help with a new design or update what you have and let’s get to work on maximizing your return from your online footprint.