Thinking about starting a web design project? Read this article before starting on your project! Our team of designers, developers, and SEO experts wrote this article together to offer you the best advice!
1. Start at the beginning
It seems obvious, right?
Yet, when starting a web design project, 98% of business owners focus on details or try to copy website designs that they like, missing building the foundation of their website.
What is the beginning of a website design project?
A web design project starts with a website strategy that includes:
A Unique Value Proposition
A defined target audience
Clear goals
A clear call-to-action
Clear and concise information about the needs of the user experience
The website structure
2. Ask the right questions
Asking yourself these questions before you start your project with the web designer is important, as the answer needs to be considered in the website brief.
ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS BEFORE YOUR START THE WORK
What would you use your website for?
Who is your audience?
Are they tech-savvy?
Which integration would it need?
What marketing channel do you intend to use?
What makes you different than your competitors?
Who is going to design and maintain it and what technology will they use?
3. Understand your audience
KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE ISN’T ENOUGH
Understanding your audience is necessary when designing a new website.
Understanding your audience will enable you to find the core problem that your audience experiences and the solutions (your service or product) in a way that speaks to them.
Asking your agency to do some market research and create an audience profile could make a huge difference in your website conversion rate.
4. What’s your Unique Value Proposition?
A unique value proposition (UVP), or a unique selling proposition (USP), is a statement that clearly explains what problem your product or service solves and how it has value to the client’s life.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What makes you unique?
What do your most satisfied clients keep saying to you?
Understand that prior to starting any marketing, it is a must-do.
Defining your UVP will help you get the right message through your website and overall marketing. Want to learn how to write your UVP? Read this article from Hubspot.
5. Personalise your website design to connect with your audience
Think of the last four websites you visited. Were they a breeze or a pain? How did that impact your opinion of the organisation?
When it comes to UX, one size doesn’t fit all. Your audience might not be tech-savvy, be in a hurry, want to see a portfolio, or just want to click a button to call you.
🤓 Pro tip: Will they use their smartphone or their laptop? Focus on the UX of their favourite device first! 📱
6. Pick ONE call-to-action
In a few words, a call-to-action is “where you want the website visitor to click.”
Don’t you hate it when you visit a website and it’s all over the place and confusing? Consistency is key to User Experience. While designing a website, it’s best to stick to the one and only call-to-action.
A call-to-action can be:
Contact Us
Buy Now
Book Now
7. Keep a consistent message
Keeping a consistent message helps your website visitors feel comfortable and remember you. Keep in mind that people don’t know what they don’t know, and keeping it simple is the best way to be understood and remembered.
This is integral to your brand identity and building loyalty.
Pro Tip: Your message should be built on your Unique Value Proposition.
8. Design a clear web design structure
Good structure results in a good User Experience
A clear and logical website structure is an absolute necessity, as it provides a positive experience to your visitors. Information and pages must be displayed through a well-thought organisation. When someone navigates through your website, they expect a pleasant and easy experience.
Your website needs to be simple and the information easily accessible. If not, they will likely get frustrated and leave, increasing your bounce rate, which will negatively impact your SEO.
9. Don’t use too many plugins
Adding lots of interactive features and fun options to your website is tempting. However, plugins have their downsides.
Firstly, adding many plugins can lead to security breaches on a website.
Furthermore, plugins are heavy, and the heavier your website is, the slower it will be. Slow loading will negatively impact your User Experience and your SEO.
10. Update and maintain your website regularly
Regular maintenance helps prevent security threats and glitches.
If your website is built on a website builder and you are using plugins, you need to test your site after doing your software updates.
Your content needs to be updated regularly to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information you are providing on your website.
Ready to start on your web design?
Contact us, and we will start asking you a few questions and creating the right web design strategy before starting the work to make sure we make the perfect website for you!
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