Seeking to design the perfect website? These five basic elements of website design will help you create the website of your dreams.
Content
There’s a reason web experts say “Content is King”. It doesn’t matter how great a website design is, if there is no quality content on the site you won’t get any visitors.
Quality content means articles, videos, and photos that are high quality and relevant to your user. No page on your site should be without at least one piece of stellar content.
User Experience (UX)
The easier your website is to use, the more likely users will stay on site. Poor navigation, aggressive ad placement, or pop-ups are just a few elements that will turn your user off from exploring your site.
Great web design is intuitive. Users should be able to find what it is they’re looking for without a second thought. And be sure your website is mobile-friendly.
Aesthetics
Your users will make a snap judgment about your site immediately upon seeing it. Sometimes this judgment is even subconscious.
Are the colors consistent with the brand and logo? Is the font too small or difficult to read? Do the color choices and other aesthetic decisions reflect a mature, modern feel, or does it seem childish or grating?
It may seem like a minor issue, but color schemes, font, and other design elements can turn off many users. Bright or clashing colors will tire a reader's eyes and crazy font choices will be difficult to read.
It pays for web designers to study modern web design, and choose schemes that are easy on the eyes and make for a pleasurable experience for the user. The visual elements of design also must be consistent with the brand and leave a memorable impression.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
All the great content and design in the world won’t help you if web users can’t find your content. Is your website well-optimized for search?
To help users connect with your content you need to make sure your website is well optimized. This means following best practices outlined by Google on website architecture, internal linking, and optimizing title tags and descriptions.
SEO also involves choosing content based on keywords that you know your users are searching for.
Call to Action (CTA)
Anytime you create a page or a piece of content, a good question to ask yourself is, “What’s the action I want the user to take?”
Some answers to that question could include:
Subscribe
Click a link
Sign up for a newsletter
Read another article
Watch another video
Comment
Share
Etc.
Every page of your website should have a Call to Action (CTA) in mind. Ensure that it is as easy as possible for the user to complete the call to action by placing buttons at the end of articles or in sidebars, or by drawing attention to subscribe and share links.
In Conclusion
Whether you’re designing a website yourself or hiring a professional, keep these top 5 basic elements of website design in mind. They will help guide you through the process and ensure the result is exactly what you’re looking for.