Now that we know how important having our own Website is we will start working on designing one. This is an important process so, in order to ensure that everything goes smoothly, I’ve put together some tips on how to design your business Website.
1. Start by deciding what you want your website to accomplish
This may seem like an obvious first step, but it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want your website to do. Do you want it to be a simple online brochure for people to learn about your business? Or do you want it to be a more interactive site where customers can purchase products or services online?
Once you know what you want your website to do, you can start designing the pages and features that will make it successful.
2. Decide on a layout and design that suits your business
Your website’s layout and design should the image of your business. If you’re a traditional business with a brick-and-mortar location, you’ll likely want a more traditional website design.
If you’re a new, trendy business, you may want to consider a more modern design. Whichever design you choose, make sure that it’s professional and easy to navigate.
3. Make sure your website is user-friendly
One of the most important things to keep in mind when designing your website is usability. Your website should be easy for people to use, even if they’ve never been on the internet before. The buttons and links should be easy to find and understand, and the pages should load quickly without any glitches.
4. Use high-quality photos and graphics
People are more likely to trust a website that looks professional. To achieve this, you’ll want to include only the most high-quality photos and graphics in your design. The colors should be bright and vibrant, and the images should clearly illustrate what you’re trying to communicate with them.
5. Use consistent navigation tools throughout your site
For people to easily navigate your site, it’s important to use consistent navigational tools on every page. For example, if you have primary navigational buttons at the top of each page (such as “Home,” “About Us” etc.), make sure all of these links lead back to the main home page when they are clicked on.
This will prevent any confusion about where people are located when they’re browsing your site.
6. Incorporate plenty of white space
Don’t make people feel overwhelmed when they visit your site—try to incorporate lots of white space in your design for a clean, professional look.
You can achieve this by minimizing the number of graphics and photos on each page, avoiding too many fonts or colors per page, and making sure that you don’t overcrowd buttons and links with text.
7. Keep it simple!
Try not to use more than two fonts (one for body text and one for headings) and limit your color scheme to 2-3 contrasting colors at most.
Now that we have our goals set up it’s time to start working on the most important part: content! In order to ensure that you create a website that reflects all of your brand values, it is important to be consistent throughout every aspect from the color scheme down to the smallest details such as sizing! The key to this is creating a style guide.
What You Should Include In Your Style Guide:
Every website should house a style guide for the sake of cohesiveness and branding! This can be run through any number of channels: an internal group with the final say, or your clients. Either way, you need to create some sort of documentation that designates these standards. This section will give you some pointers on what to include in your brand style guide.
– Logo –
Descriptions and examples of how elements within the logo should be used (e.g., colors, placement)
– Primary Fonts –
An explanation of which fonts are best suited for body text, headings, etc.; font recommendations
– Colors/Schemes –
What colors correspond to which functions; color suggestions
– Icons/Graphics –
Descriptions and examples of how elements within the graphics should be used (e.g., colors, rotation)
– Backgrounds –
An explanation of what styles of backgrounds are best suited for different sections of your site (e.g., home page, product pages, etc.)
– Photography –
Descriptions and examples on how the photos on your website should be used
– Text Formatting & Alignment –
Proper ways to use text formatting tools such as bolding, italicizing, underlining, etc.; proper tool etiquette (i.e., how often/where you should use bulleted lists)
Some Must to Do Website Design Tips:
This section outlines some tips for your design process simple. This way you can ensure that you will be creating a website that is cohesive and on-brand.
1. Start with your logo
When starting the design process, it’s always best, to begin with, your logo. This will help to create a look and feel for the site that is consistent across all pages.
2. Use a grid system
Using a grid system as you build out your site will help to keep everything organized and looking neat and tidy.
3. Stick to a limited color palette
Limiting yourself to 2-3 colors will help to create a cohesive look across all pages of your website.
4. Use simple fonts
Too many different fonts can be overwhelming and make your website look cluttered. Stick to 2-3 fonts max, and use them wisely!
5. Use graphics sparingly
Don’t go overboard with adding graphics to your website; they can be overpowering and distracting from the content. Use them strategically to support your text, not overwhelm it.
6. Keep page layouts simple
Try to stick to a simple layout for each page: one or two columns are usually best. This makes the site easier to navigate and less overwhelming for users.
7. Use whitespace effectively
Whitespace is key in creating an organized and visually appealing website. Utilize negative space to separate different elements on the page and give each section its visual identity.
Now that you have all the points covered, you should have a great foundation for creating your website. Your style guide will be an integral part of your project moving forward so it’s important to keep everything up-to-date as your site changes over time.