If you want to create a stunning website, you have to start with a basic set of guidelines so that you create a site that is functional and not just creative. We’re going to provide you with 10 rules we design by. Here are the first 5.
1. Be Content Oriented
Bells and whistles are great, but the content is what makes the digital marketing world go around. Plus, a pretty design will only hold a visitor’s interest for a few seconds. Engaging content is what keeps someone on your website. Don’t forget that Google gauges engagement by how long a person is on your site. This means that the right blend of text, images, and video is vital to your website ranking.
2. Be Mobile-Friendly
This is a must for two reasons. Number one, people are using mobile. In fact, more than half of searches take place on mobile devices now. If a mobile user gets to your site and it is not optimized, he won’t stay very long. That having been said, the user probably won’t find your site if it isn’t mobile optimized. Google’s Mobilegeddon update last year started penalizing sites that don’t work well on mobile devices, so if you haven’t gone mobile by this point, you have probably been penalized into obscurity.
3. Be Intuitive and Provide a Positive UX
User experience (UX) is at the heart of good web design. If your site is not easy to use, bounce rates will soar and search engine rankings will plummet. What constitutes a good user experience?
Make menus simple to navigate even for a first time visitor.
No one should have to click through more than 2 pages, 3 at the most, to get to the content they want.
4. Be Colorful (Within Reason)
And don’t forget that black and white are colors. Choosing the right palette is a vital part of design. Don’t clash with an existing logo and other branding. Be sure that the palette conveys the right emotions that should go along with the user experience. Make sure the colors don’t make the site difficult to navigate or read.
5. Be Sensible with Font Use
There should be 2 or 3 different fonts on a website at the most. They should be easy to read and not convey the wrong feeling. Font color is important too so that words can be read against the background. Don’t forget to check how the fonts look on mobile devices.
That’s the first 5 web design rules. We’ll complete the list in an upcoming article.