Website design is more than choosing a layout and adding pretty photos. It’s about creating something that will resonate with the consumer, educate them on who you are, and ultimately guide them to make a purchase. Whether you’re looking into a website remodel or starting from scratch, here are five of our top tips to help get you started.
Eliminate the Clutter
Our biggest website design tip is to keep your site as simple and clutter-free as possible. When consumers visit your site, they shouldn’t feel overwhelmed with options. Remember that whitespace is okay, so don’t feel like you have to fill in every open space to get your products to sell.
Above: Example of a clutter-free website [image: google]
Write Legible and Engaging Copy
What does it take to create a compelling website? Compelling copy…that you can actually read. Without words that move you to feel something, your website could be lacking in substance and connection. Great websites pull you in with to-the-point headlines and quippy one-liners. Clear and engaging copy will set you apart from the rest.
Make sure your website visitors can easily read your text. We recommend going no lower than 16px for the main copy and no more than 32px for H1 headlines. We also suggest sticking to dark-colored fonts over a light background, and vice versa.
Above: Clean and legible copy example [image: Lume]
Use Stronger Call-to-Actions
Submit. Buy. Sign up.
These are some of the most common call-to-actions (CTAs) you’ll see floating around the internet, but studies show that these vague CTAs aren’t converting.
Instead, CTA’s that offer more detail into exactly what you’re going to get when you press the button or click the link are seeing better results.
Examples of how to transform your CTA include:
- “Submit your email for a chance to win a free iPad”
- “Start your free trial”
- “Sign up to receive your free ebook”
Above: Strong call-to-action example [image: Spotify]
Create Effortless Navigation
It’s important that your page is easy to navigate, especially on mobile. We’ve found that lower-quality websites that aren’t mobile-optimized have a significantly larger bounce rate. This happens when your website is difficult to use or isn’t engaging enough.
Also, site speed matters. If your page takes more than 3 seconds to load, your visitors may abandon your site before they even reach your homepage. Luckily, there are many resources to help you shave off some time.
Use Original Photography Rather Than Stock Images
Although stock images are easily accessible, we advise the use of authentic images whenever possible. This gives your website a more personal feel. Anyone can make a website full of stock images, but including images of you or your employees can add that extra touch.
Above: Example of using a real photo [image: simply go]
Make it Fun
Just because you’re a professional company, doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. Implement a scroll effect to bring your page to life, no matter what your product or service is. Take, for instance, Bear Grylls website. The gorgeous mountainside backdrop pulls you in immediately. Continue to scroll down and the screen moves with you.
Above: Example of the scrolling effect [Image: Bear Grylls]
At Commit Agency, we’re proud of the websites we’ve built including Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, Camelot Homes, SpotRx and many more. To learn more about how we can help build or rebuild your website, drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you.
