They say your business website is like your virtual handshake – the first impression you will make on a potential client. With this in mind, it is vital that your website is seamless, easy to maneuver, and on brand. Whether you are building your website yourself, or you’ve reached out to an agency for support, there are some major aspects you want to make sure you cover. Read along as we break down our top four tips to keep in mind when creating or revamping your website.
1. Brand Consistency
When you begin to create your website, it is very easy to get carried away with different fonts, colors, and imagery. But just because you found a template that’s super artsy doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you. If you are starting fresh, or if you are rebranding, remember that every visual aspect aids in telling your brand’s story, so it’s best to make sure it all aligns with who you are. A website with tons of random fonts, colors and imagery makes for a poor user experience. Keep things simple, clean, and consistent. If you want to go the extra mile, create a media kit with all of your fonts, colors, and imagery listed in a clear and concise manner to make sure all of your content stays within brand guidelines. This kit can also apply to aspects beyond your website, such as social media, business cards, emails, and more.
2. Make Good Use of Visuals and Text
You’re building your website, and you happen to have a surplus of readymade content. Having tons of content to pull from can be very beneficial, but it’s vital that you organize this content in a strategic and seamless manner. You want to offer resources to your users without overloading them. It’s best to break up your webpage content so that scrolling is easier both on desktop and mobile devices. Most users will be drawn to visuals, so it’s important to have a health mix of copy, imagery, videos, and white space.
3. Keep Mobile Devices In Mind
In a study done by Statista.com, it was discovered that in the third quarter of 2020, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 50.81 percent of global website traffic, consistently hovering around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017. With this in mind, it is vital that your website looks just as sleek on a mobile device as it would on a desktop. Some things to consider with your mobile website design are scroll depth, image rendering, and page speed. Once you’ve perfected your site for both desktop and mobile, make sure to check it on multiple devices. Be sure to check every page, submit forms, and look out for any one-offs that might need revisions.
4. Use Clarity In Your Call To Actions
You can have the prettiest website in the world, but if it lacks clarity, users will become easily frustrated. It is vital to lay out clear steps for your users to take in order to navigate your content. Once you have given them all the information, you need to tell them where to go next. Whether your users are directed to a form, phone number, or newsletter signup, you want that CTA to be clear as day.
Designing or rebranding your company’s website can be extremely daunting. With so many factors to consider, it’s necessary to have a clear plan in place. As you take on this new venture, make sure you are hitting these four aspects in order to guide your website in the right direction. Have a team working on your website? Try using Punchlist to clearly list goals, assign tasks, and seamlessly communicate needs.