If you’re new to web design, you have a lot to learn. The amount of information you can find concerning web design will quickly leave you feeling overwhelmed, but take heart. It’s not as difficult as it seems.
If you break design down to the basics, you can build on a solid foundation. Take a few moments now to start learning the elemental steps to a winning website design, and get started down the path to digital success today.
Ease of navigation
The navigational options available on your website should be easy to follow. It should be easy to see how to get around the content of your site. The most common way to add movement to your website is to add a stationary navigation bar along the top or side of your layout.
If common isn’t really your forte, creativity is fine. Just make sure you don’t go overboard and over complicate the situation. Keep navigational efforts simple. This example website shows just how useful stationary navigation can be regarding functionality.
Communication matters
Communication will go far in business, and your website should be a platform for such things. Everyone knows a good business website needs a “Contact Us” page, but there should also be other appeals for communication worked into your website’s design.
Learn the value of a well crafted “call to action.” A call to action is a short phrase that urges web users to click a button and learn more. As a matter of fact, “learn more” is a great example of a compelling call to action.
Integrate social media
Social media is a vast outlet for communication and networking online. You want your website to have a place in social media, so more eyes have the opportunity to sort through your presentation.
Add social media sharing buttons throughout your design, so web users can easily “share” pieces of your pages that they find particularly interesting or helpful. Learn more about how to add sharing buttons to your design from a quick search online.
Optimize for mobile
Mobile devices access the internet far more frequently than PCs and laptops, so your website should be setup to display correctly on a smaller screen. Learn the value of “media queries,” and you’ll quickly enable your website the ability to automatically adjust to the size of the current viewing screen.
Learn SEO practices
Search engine optimization will teach you how to craft content that works well online. SEO focuses on pleasing Google’s search algorithm and ranking higher in the SERPs (search engine results pages). Once you have a solid grasp on the concepts of SEO, your website will begin to make its mark on the digital community.