The success of your business will depend on the construction and effectiveness of the website you build. From choosing the right domain and colour scheme to writing compelling SEO-friendly copy and strategically placing CTAs, there are many essential considerations to this process. Whether this is a task you tackle in-house or with the expert advice and helping hand of a web development agency, here are the key things you should prioritise when building your website.
First things first, we need to establish your brand identity. Cohesive branding is essential for your site to look polished and professional and have an effect on potential customers. Create a brand pack including a compelling logo design, site icons, typography, and colour schemes, all of which you will use repeatedly throughout your online presence, be it a website or social media. Your branding will extend across all pages of your new website, so take this into consideration as you will be looking at it a lot; it has to be something you LOVE! Having this consistency will not only enhance the aesthetics of your pages but also keep your visitors engaged as they navigate your site.
Crafting a compelling online presence starts with strategically choosing a domain and host. The domain you opt for will need to mirror that of your brand’s voice, be memorable and be easy to spell and search for. When planning this, consider incorporating SEO, simple spellings and aspects of brand identity – this will improve your chances of being discovered in search engine results, ultimately driving more traffic to your site and creating more awareness of your business.
Efficient navigation is key if you’re looking to retain visitors – which I’m sure you are. Once you have built the foundations of your site, this is the time to conduct a thorough site review. In this process, you will be checking for seamless navigation streams so your visitors have an enjoyable user experience. Furthermore, you may consider adding a site map to assist both users and search engines around the site. Now that you’ve conducted your review, you must eliminate unnecessary pages and streamline bugs in your navigation, which all contribute to reducing load time and improving your online presence.
Clutter is a no-go! Steer clear of unnecessary buttons, pages, and content in your layouts, as this can disrupt the user experience, hindering visitors from reaching their desired pages. Embrace white space to maintain a clean and balanced design – remember that less is more; you will thank me later.
Now, we essentially want to prompt users to take the steps towards various actions. Placing multiple call-to-action buttons throughout your site will guide visitors through the customer journey. This could result in them finding out more about your company, sending an enquiry form, or purchasing a specific product. Tailor these CTA’s based on the specific pages they are on and only place them where they make sense! Having random buttons on random pages across the site will have the opposite effect and discourage users from browsing your products.
High-quality, original content that aligns with your brand’s voice will be your selling point. When writing your content, incorporate relevant keywords for improved search engine rankings. Each webpage should contain a minimum of 150 words with links to credible resources and other pages on your site. Use tools like SEMrush to ensure your content is ranking high while remaining unique to avoid penalties.
When it comes to your fonts, we should be prioritising legibility over style. At the branding stage, choose clean, readable fonts such as sans serif; this will ensure all of your key information is easily digestible on various screen sizes.
Your images and video content should remain authentic and relatable throughout pages to better resonate with visitors. When building your website, avoid artificial images, and if you don’t own your own visuals, opt for true-to-life, natural stock photos that connect with viewers while aligning with your branding.
Lastly, design your website with a mobile-first mindset. Acknowledge the commonness of mobile browsing and ensure your site is effective across a range of screen sizes and devices. Paying equal attention to your desktop and mobile design ensures a seamless user experience for all visitors.
Remember, the world of digital presence is constantly changing, and the best practices today may not be what they were 5 years ago or 5 years from now. The key to this is staying agile, adapting to trends and continuously refining your pages for continued success. With the steps above and the rest of your knowledge and research, you should be able to build a website that impacts your visitors, sits high on search engine results and that you love. Additionally, when optimizing your website for search engine performance, consider comparing tools like KeySearch vs SEMrush to identify the most effective keywords and strategies for boosting your online visibility. Happy designing.