Lockdown Live: Web Design Tips and Front Page Layout steps

Why Is Web Design Important?

Nowadays your website is the first and most important thing, have a look below at our 10 web design tips for success. Most often it’s the first major touchpoint in your customer journey. Before engaging with you people will probably check out your website first. To showcase your business on Google, it’s recommended to create and set up your “Google My Business” page. 

Trust and Web Design

Trust takes time and patience, and it should be part of the journey. You have worked so hard to build trust through your social media, ads, Google Business page and other online marketing activities that a lot will be expected from prospects visiting your website.  If your web design is not to the expected standard, it immediately will undermine trust. 

 

Reminder, when people land on your website, they are like a fully loaded emotional piggy bank.  If, for some reason, your colour scheme is off, links are broken, fonts are all different, and any other thing that might throw them off is unpleasant, they will feel lost and very confused. Also, if you have a complicated system on your website that instantly bombards people with pop-ups or fill in forms, they will get overwhelmed and leave your site then and there.

10 Helpful Tips For Web Design

Tip 1 – Everything important should be on homepage

This is not a game of hide and seek, It’s not your customer’s job to find information on your site. You need to provide it to them on the main page. This might be your only chance of racing someone to make it easy for them to know exactly what you’re all about.  You have 4 seconds to make an impression so take note. 

 

On the homepage tell people:  

• Where you are
• What your site is about
• What in it for your website visitors
• What you want your prospective customer to do (CTA)

Tip 2 – Menu Layout Should Support The Landing Page

The menu serves as a cue of what the website is about. Let’s focus on desktop mode; the menu should be expanded and contain essential navigation and pages. Build a Desktop first site and then adjust for mobile.  People should get an excellent indication from your website menu of what you sell, all in one glance.  

 

Create a wireframe of the layout of the look and feel of the website menu and overall web design. You can easily plan your entire site using a standard document program such as PowerPoint.

Tip 3 – Create A Mega Flyout For Chunky Content On Menu

A mega flyout unpacks and expands all the relevant topics, sub-topics and categories to services or products you might provide on your menu bar. It is very appealing, and people can easily navigate where they want to be on your site. 

Tip 4 – Place Your Menu Top Left For Good Web Design

People read from left to right. The best place to put your logo in the western world is in the left top corner, where people will notice it first.

 

Your logo is a vital part of your brand identity. Thus, people should always see it. It should be part of the header and footer.

Tip 5 – Keep Your Banner Static

If you want to place a banner at the top of your page just below the menu, you should limit the information. The images can change for a nice visual effect, but keeping the sentence with the CTA the same is recommended. So that people will not get bombarded with too much information and overwhelmed by your site.  

 

You have one big, bold opening statement: “We deliver Quality. Always.” With a CTA: Contact us today. Let that sentence simmer there and if you’d like, change the backdrop image or add a video. Different scrolling images are not as overpowering as additional information every few seconds. 

 

Remember, your banner is a significant key indicator of what your website is about.

Tip 6 – Recognise Trust Cues For Effective Web Design

When new visitors start scrolling and navigating through your site, they will determine if they can trust you and your website. A great way to establish trust is through trust messaging, which can be accomplished through reviews, testimonials and customer logos.

 

Tell your website visitors, why they should choose your products or services by emphasising your position in the market.

Tip 7 – Add Footer Stacks

The footer is often very minimalistic compared to the rest of your site. Many people will find websites overwhelming, especially with too much clutter so make sure your web design is easy to read and digest. 

 

The footer stack is suggested if you offer a lot of services or products and there is already a lot of complexity on your site. It’s essential to cater for different kinds of users. 

 

You’ve got your hunter, and then you’ve got your gatherer. The hunter knows exactly what they want when they visit your site, whereas the gatherer is not 100% sure they know what they want. For example, someone who wants to buy something just for buying it. They don’t necessarily need it or have a specific product in mind. 

 

Then there’s the new customer and the returning customer. For your returning customers, the goal here is to create an experience for your customers; they don’t want to see the same thing repeatedly. For example, you can display recommended items based on returning visitors’ previous behaviour and encounters on your site.

Tip 8 – Never Remove Your Home button

Not all people are familiar with the fact that they can click on your logo to navigate your homepage. Make it easy for people to navigate and understand your website. Keep your home page button exposed at all times…

Tip 9 – Add A Human Touch To Your Web Design

A cold website is the ugliest thing to people. They want that human touch. Spruce up your about page by telling a story, what you’re about, what your companies are about, who to call when there’s a problem and everything you offer. Don’t forget to add a nice photo of yourself and your team. 

 

The about page is most often the most clicked on the button.  Your customer should be impressed and make it worth their while. Now is not your time to be MIA; step out in the limelight and highlight your strength and passion for your business. The thing that will set you apart from other companies is your company’s culture and vibe.

Tip 10 – Integrate Pop-ups

This popup can be tailored to the specific user or it can be a general invite to join your facebook group or sign up to your newsletter.

 

Pop ups keep customers in the loop of things, just don’t make a popup appear every now and then, once should be enough just to inform them about your whereabouts. Pop ups can be customised according to certain actions users take on your website, for instance, a pop up displaying all the products a user has interacted with and the phrase “we saw you check this out, get a discount on this if you sign up now”.

 

These tips will contribute to great user experience.

About Dylan Kohlstädt

Dylan Kohlstädt started Shift ONE digital in 2011 and now has a team of top subject matter experts working with her from her offices in Cape Town and Jo’burg, and clients based all over the world.

 

Shift ONE specialises in getting you customers through authenticity: creating authentic content that builds communities and turns customers into fans. We create believable top-converting websites, that rank on page one of Google SEO, and next-level social media, online advertising, email marketing, graphic design, blogging, press and PR, lead generation, writing, video, animations, and more.