Have you ever clicked on a link after you’ve searched for something and immediately disregarded a website for the way it looks? I’m pretty sure we’re all guilty of doing such a thing. The way a website is designed is critical in attracting users to a website, and something you should consider greatly when creating one.
I’m almost certain that the majority of people have heard of the term web design, but what does that entail exactly? Web design is the process of planning, visualising and organising content online. However, in today’s world, web design goes beyond what a website looks like and adds focus on how a website functions.
So what are the main reasons you should care about web design? Firstly, to reinforce the point at the beginning, what impacts a customer or visitor to a website the most is how it looks. First impressions are everything to someone surfing the web. If your website doesn’t catch the eye of your user, then it may become just another piece of data that exists in the vast expanse of the world wide web. On the other hand, if your website grabs the attention of the visitors to your site, you are more likely to retain their interest and have them actually explore your website and become a customer or regular visitor. Not only will your fantastic looking website gain the affection of all the people who visit, but it will also catch the eye of the ever important search engine algorithms. This is very important. This will enable you to climb further up the page of results when someone searches for things related to you, meaning that you will gain more visitors and or customers.
When speaking about web design, the main focus is usually centred around user experience. This includes how the site appears aesthetically and how the site will function overall. Maximising these factors will ensure that the usability of your site is the best it can be and will perform to the best of its ability. The usability of your site refers to aspects such as the ease of navigation, the choice of images and graphics used, how the text on your site is written and placed, and of course the colour scheme you choose for your site. How your site performs refers to how fast it is (ensuring you don’t add elements that will make it sluggish), how well your website ranks, searchability and how well your website captures your audience
There are 2 main types of web design elements: visual elements and functional elements
Visual elements are elements that are included to improve the aesthetic of the page. This includes elements such as font, shapes and colour. Fonts are an important choice when it comes to the design of your page. The font should be one that compliments the overall design of the page – pairing with the graphics, colour and images that are included on your site. Colour is one of the most critical aspects to consider when crafting a vision for your website. Choose a colour scheme that aligns itself well with your brand and the overarching message that you want to send to your audience. Utilising shapes effectively enables you to easily create an attractive and eye-catching website that will grab the attention of all visitors. If all these elements are used well together, the success of your website is a no brainer. If you want the best from your website but aren’t sure how to do it, we at Stylistic would love to help you out.