Web design doesn’t always have to be as complicated as it sounds. In fact, the most important aspect of website design is to make sure that it delivers the best customer experience possible. It’s a common misunderstanding that leads many companies and small businesses to believe that a website has to be designed around a search engine—on the contrary. Rather, if you design a website that is attractive to your customers and provide them with an easy to navigate and utilize site design, your website will actually already be designed for search engines.
Keeping Your Web Design Simple
That’s because search engines have made constant strides towards providing the searcher with the best experience and suggestions possible. That means giving them a website that they won’t “bounce” from right away and where they will find exactly the information, product or service they are looking for. That’s why search engines like websites that are simply designed, properly laid out and easy to read. When your customer has an easy time on your site, Google and Bing also have easy times indexing your pages, giving you a better ranking in the search engine result pages (SERPs).
Here are some brilliantly simple web design tips that will boost your visibility online by increasing your customer experience factor:
- Use a Simple Tree Layout on Your Site
- Keep the Navigation Bar Familiar
- Use Lots of White Space
- Don’t Distract from the Prize
- Keep the Flow of Information Logical
- Don’t Offend—Even the Senses
A tree layout is simply having the home page contain general information and then each additional page “branch” out from there, providing more specific information at each step. This is your typical “Home” “About Us” “Contact Us” “Blog” etc. layout. Not only is it easy to navigate for viewers, it’s also to index for search engines.
In the same vein of keeping things familiar for your viewers, keep the navigation bar across the top of the page or down the left-hand side. Viewers don’t want to search around for how to navigate your site. Make it familiar to them so they already feel at ease, thus upping the chance they’ll complete your call-to-action (CTA).
By having empty white space around the website, it’s easier on the eyes and doesn’t take away from the information or CTAs. Of course, you don’t want too much or else it will look barren, but you certainly would rather not have someone miss where to buy your product simply because it was buried in a mess of content.
Your web content should be arranged in the form of your typical sales funnel, drawing your leads in further and further at each step. Just be certain you don’t distract them from the goal and lead them away. For instance, some websites have links you can click on that take you away from the page—that’s just insane. Why would you lead your customer away?
In addition to keeping the content informative and flowing towards an eventual closing sale, it should also be arranged within the tree format to make sense logically. For example, you wouldn’t describe what kind of warranty you have on the home page without even telling people what the product is, would you? Keep everything flowing in a natural, logical order. Most often, this involves being more general and less detailed on the home page and then more detailed as you get into the sections. Still, every page should have some sort of call to action.
Of course, it goes without saying that your website content shouldn’t offend—and not just verbally. Make sure the layout and images aren’t too busy. Choose colors that are easy on the eyes or at the very least, represent and convey your company’s brand message. The last thing you want to do is have someone take one look at your website layout and design only to click right off of the page to keep their eyes from bulging out of their head. Be inviting if you want people to stay on your page.
Finding the Best Web Design Services
Of course, with the right web designer, you won’t have any problem with these types of issues. A knowledgeable website designer will know these tricks and more, helping you improve your satisfaction and conversion rates exponentially.
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Author Bio – This article is written by Chris Mather from CMather.com, a popular Australian web design company offering affordable website design, hosting and marketing solutions. If you’re on the lookout to save money on web design and development, don’t forget to check out their DIY website builder today.