10 Commandments For Web Designers
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Top 10 Tried & True Commandments for Web Designers
In the contemporary world, you do not need to be a professional web designer or a web developer to launch your own project on the web. There are plenty of different opportunities that you can choose from. For example, you can create a website with a ready-made website template, work with a visual page composer, etc.
Tweaking the layout of your future web resource and uploading its pages with content is easier than it seems. However, in order for the design of your web project lure a wider web audience instead of making them leave for a competitor’s website, you need to be aware of the fundamental principles of the creation of a web page that appeals to the most demanding web user. This is when you need to be aware of the 10 core commandments for web designers, which we are going to discuss in this post.
#1 Go Responsive
The first and foremost thing that you need to do as a web designer is making sure that every piece of content that you share on the pages of your site will adapt to all screen sizes and resolutions flawlessly. With almost 50% of the consumer interactions happening from mobile devices, it’s vital to make your web project fully responsive. With Google having changed its search algorithm, the necessity to go responsive became more crucial to all sites striving to become more noticeable on the web.
#2 Design Content-first
As an owner of a website, you are the only one who is responsive for the content that will represent your brand/company to the online community. The way your web page is designed is important. However, the content that people will find on it – that’s exactly what will make them stay and browse your page, subscribe to newsletters, take some actions, and keep on coming back.
The content that we are talking about includes but is not limited to the written data only. For a more captivating and interactive online presentation, you can also make use of images, videos, blog posts, audio materials, podcasts, animations, infographics, etc. All these and a lot of other pieces of content can gear up your web page, making the web users keep coming back over and over again.
#3 Make Navigation Simple & Intuitive
People need to feel comfortable and relaxed while browsing the content on your web page. That’s why, it’s crucial to make website navigation as simple and smooth as possible. When it comes to the creation of the proper on-site navigation, there are several crucial elements that you need to pay attention to.
The site structure should be clear and well-balanced, featuring a clever content hierarchy.
The most crucial pieces of content should be placed above the top. For example, if you run a blog, then you will need to take care of placing the latest articles at the top of the page. Owners of web stores should better prioritize the newest products/special deals.
#4 Choose the Right Color Scheme
A properly chosen color scheme of a website is a half-way to a success of your online business. There are lots of factors that influence the proper choice of a color scheme for your online project. These include your target audience, your business niche, the goals that you pursue, etc. The color scheme of your website is intended to set the mood of your project on the web, as well as reinforce the message that you want to convey. So, whenever choosing colors for an online resource, one needs to be informed on the color psychology, usability, compatibility, etc.
#5 Pay Attention to Fonts
Website owners often pay little to no attention to the proper selection of fonts. The typography that you use to present your content is no less important than the colors or any other component of your site. Simpler fonts provide for a better readability and scannability of the information, thus growing the chances that the web users will stay engaged with your data for longer.
Make it a rule of thumb not to use more than 2 or 3 types of fonts on your site. Also, pay attention to the proper spacing and the size of your texts. Each font has its own personality and the tone of the voice. So, do not let it contradict with the message that you want to deliver by means of your web resource.
#6 Keep Pages Clutter-free
Do not clutter your web page with unnecessary elements that would only distract the users from your content. The ‘less is more’ rule will be always relevant to the businesses that want to look professional and recognizable on the web. Adding too much types of content to the pages of your site, you will end up with screens being crowded with texts and image, without leaving any negative space for your site to breathe. As a result, this will end up with a poor UX and an overall messy look of your online project.
#7 Keep the Audience Engaged
We’ve already said so much about the importance to keep the audience engaged by means of your site. So, what are the most tried-and-true ways to establish a better relationship with the users and keep them interested in the content that your brand provides? Well, there are many popular ways to keep the audience with you for a lifetime. For example, you can keep them engaged by means of social sharing buttons, social media widgets integrated into your site, email newsletter, push notifications, etc.
#8 Keep SEO in Mind
A well-designed web page is important. Still, all efforts will be worth nothing unless the pages of your websites are properly optimized for a top-notch performance in the search engines. Most of the contemporary ready-made templates are SEO-friendly. However, it’s always better to play safe and take proper care of the optimization of images, texts, meta data, and pages of your site. If you run a multi-page site, adding a sitemap you automatically grow the chances of making all content of your site better ranged by the search engines.
#9 Keep the Content Fresh & Updated
A website is one of the main faces of your company. This is the first place to which the prospective customers will refer in search of the information about your brand, the story of its establishment, as well as the latest updates. So, make sure that you keep the content always updated in order not to appear of date or (what’s even worse) out-of-business.
#10 Check Load Times on Multiple Devices
This is the last but by no means the least important commandment that web designers need to take into account. Not all devices and web browsers are built the same way. So, it’s of crucial importance that every element of your site design performs in all web environments equally well. This tip is especially relevant to those webmasters who have separate versions of sited for desktop and handheld devices. So, take your time to run extra A/B tests in order to feel confident that you have a fast-loading, clean, and easy on all devices web resource.
Keep in mind all of these 10 tried and true commandments for web designers in order to make an engaging and noticeable site with crowds of the web users. Save your time and money on the web development by means of pre-designs themes, and make your online resource be a trend-setter in your niche.