Principles of Good Website Design

As we’re now living in a digital age where almost everyone seems to be spending their time online, digital marketers find themselves placing more emphasis on web design.

While strong branding and solid SEO have always been major factors of a successful digital marketing campaign, we’re now seeing more and more businesses exploring new and unique ways to reach their audiences - and good web design is one of them.

According to Google, it only takes visitors 50 milliseconds to form a first impression of your website. That impression alone can create a ripple effect on your marketing efforts. In other words, your fate lies in your web design.

A polished website design not only sets the first impression, but it also benefits SEO campaigns, encourages users to take action, helps establish trust, bolsters PPC ads, and allows you to stand out from your competitors.

With a multitude of free and cheap website builders available online, starting your own site has never been this easy. However, having a professional Miami web design company create your site can bring significant benefits a do-it-yourself project won’t.

Then again, if you’re really keen on doing it on your own, or at least, try to, go ahead and craft your website!

Regardless of whether you’re hiring professional web designers or not, it’s important to know the principles of a well-structured and user-centric website.

With that said, here’s a list of nine essential web design principles that can attract your target audience and ultimately convert them:

1. Simplicity

You can’t go wrong with a simple website. Simplicity always works when it comes to an effective web page design.

Not only does a fresh and flawless design make your website more appealing to the eyes of your audience, but it also helps them seamlessly navigate from one page to another.

On the other hand, incorporating too many elements on your page can only distract your visitors from doing what you intend them to do. A website with design features that aren’t exactly serving the purpose tends to drive people to another site, most likely to that of its competitors.

Keep your design as simple as possible so that your visitors can navigate their way smoothly. Besides, no one likes the sight of a website stuffed with animations and irrelevant images. 

2. Consistency

Like simplicity, consistency is key to a successful web design.

Focus on matching design elements throughout all of your pages. See to it that your fonts, sizes, headings, sub-headings, and button styles are the same throughout the site.  

Set the appropriate fonts and colors for your text and buttons. Stick to them throughout the development. CSS can be super useful in keeping the complete info on design elements and styles.

You don’t want to confuse your visitors with a website that displays inconsistent design styles. Instead of getting them to take the action you desire, you’ll get them to leave your site in a rush.  

3. Color

As you’re mapping out your web design strategy, make sure to include a section on color palette and visuals.

A perfect color combination captures the attention of your audience and creates a pleasing atmosphere, thus leaving a good impression. What’s more, color has the power to evoke emotional responses and communicate messages.

That’s why you need to take time finding a color palette that suits your brand. You might also want to enhance the user experience by choosing a complementary color palette for a more balanced look to your website.

Avoid using too many colors. Three or four tones are enough to present a pleasing design. Also, don’t forget to use white spaces as they can prevent your site from looking messy.

4. Imagery

Imagery comes in the form of still photography, illustration, videos, and all sorts of graphics. It’s pretty much every visual aspect used to communicate messages.

Since most of the initial information people consume on sites is visual, you should use high-quality, and relevant images so that your visitors will see you as professional and credible.

Remember, all imagery must be expressive. They should embody your brand’s personality and show your audience what you’re all about.

5. Typography

Another principle of good web design is using the right typography. It acts as the visual interpretation of your brand’s voice.

Along with the tricky use of metadata, keywords, and other SEO elements, you should pay attention to your typography.

Choose typefaces that are clear and legible, such as Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, or Calibri. Limit to using three fonts only. And, make proper typeface combos for each design element, including your headlines, body text, and buttons.  

6. Faster Loading

Any website, no matter how beautifully designed it may be, will lose visitors if it fails to load within three seconds. Don’t let this happen to you by taking all the necessary steps to speed up your pages’ loading time.

Optimize image sizes, choose the right hosting option, enable compression and browser caching, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN). As much as possible, avoid using redirects and reduce the number of HTTP requests.

Such practices will get your website loading faster than ever.

7. F-Shaped Layout

Did you know that the F-shaped pattern is the most common way people read text on a website?

Researchers who studied eye tracking found that most of what we see on our screens would be the top and the left area.  And so, this explains why the F-shaped layout works best for everyone. It mimics our natural pattern of reading from left to right and top to bottom.

By applying this pattern to every page on your website, you’re providing your audience a pleasant user experience. This will keep them longer on your site, increasing your chances of converting them.  

8. Easy Navigation

Website navigation plays a crucial role in retaining visitors. For instance, if your navigation is designed in such a complicated way, anyone checking out your site will find what they need somewhere else. That’s the last thing you want.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: Your website navigation structure should allow any visitor of yours to find what they’re looking for within three clicks.

Your goal is to have people on your site stay for a bit and explore further. Keeping your navigation simple and intuitive is one way to achieve it. Here are a few hacks:

• ‍Keep your menu minimal, with at least seven categories, so that users will be able to reach their desired pages faster.‍
• Avoid dropdown menus for two reasons: They encourage visitors to skip important pages and they can be difficult for search engines to crawl.‍
• Add a search bar for users who are too lazy to explore the navigation menu.‍
• Prioritize the order of items in your navigation menu. Position the most important things in the most visually prominent places.   ‍
• Label your menu clearly so that users will quickly understand what you’re talking about.‍
• Make sure that visitors can reach any page they desire, wherever they may be on your site. It’s best to place the website menu in exactly the same spot to avoid confusion.

9. Mobile Compatibility

The number of people using their smartphones or tablets to browse the web continues to rise. If your web design doesn’t support all screen sizes, expect your visitors to leave for another site.

The good news is, many web design studios can turn your desktop design into one that’s adaptive and responsive for screens of all sizes.

Planning to Invest in an Effective Website Design?

Think you’ll need a talented team of web designers and developers to bring your brand to life and boost sales through your website? Look no further than Digital Resource!

A leading Miami web design agency, we can help you build the website of your dreams! Whether it’s creating an aesthetically pleasing site that stands out, optimizing your site’s loading speed, or even helping you rank high on search pages, we got your back.

Call us today at 561-429-2585 or click here to book a free consultation to learn more about our services.