In an era where technology is advancing exponentially, we constantly look for convenient ways to complete each and every task. Millions of websites are at our disposal to help by providing us with vital information and digital platforms to exchange ideas. But have you ever wondered what the most important aspects of a website are?
If this question has never crossed your mind, your business website may not flourish. Having a well-organized website can help you reach new customers and retain the old ones. And we are here today to inform you of everything you need to know to make sure your website effectively serves its purpose.
7 most important aspects of a website
Before hiring a website development professional to design your business website, remember to have the following factors on your checklist. Although the hired web developers will know what they are doing, you must also be aware of what your website requires so you can collaborate with them to create a website that will work best for you.
Ensure easy navigation
To improve the functionality of your website, focus on navigation first. Your main goal should be to create a layout or structure that allows visitors to swiftly find the information they are seeking. The information displayed must be visible and easily accessible to everyone, regardless of how tech-savvy they are.
A visitor must know where they are when they first land on your website and where they must click to find what they are looking for. Streamline product categories and service listings. Properly align all web pages to make them structurally consistent. When hiring a website developer, ask them to emphasize user-friendly interfaces so your visitors feel compelled to explore your website further, lowering the bounce rate in the long run.
Tips for an easy-to-navigate website:
- Add home to every page
- Use headings/subheadings
- Use descriptive texts
- Add buttons with easy-to-read labeling
Utilize the power of white space
White space refers to the blank spaces you see between texts, images, and designs on documents, visuals, and websites. Although it may seem they are not adding much to your website, the white space helps you focus on the displayed content.
Benefits of sufficient white space:
- Gives breathing space to viewers
- Creates a clean look and feel
- Brings attention to important details
- Balances out colors by creating contrast
Enhance visual appeal
If you want visitors to take their time and go through your website, you must make a strong first impression. Some studies suggest that visitors take less than 10 seconds to decide whether to stay on a website or not. Your choice of color plays a significant role here.
Color essentially sets the tone for your business or brand. It influences people’s perceptions of your business. Each color signifies something; blue represents peacefulness, red represents passion, green represents nature, yellow represents happiness, black represents sophistication, and so on. The color is what first grabs the attention of the visitors. The right color combination can help your website, as well as your business, to come off as professional and credible.
Things to keep in mind when selecting colors:
- Use bold colors to focus on emergency contacts/featuring products/interests
- Use subtle colors for backgrounds
- Colors should complement one another
- Colors must be consistent with your brand
Furthermore, don’t forget to add dynamic content, such as animations or short videos, against a subtle backdrop. Vibrant and saturated backgrounds can overpower the important content, making it harder for visitors to look at the screen for long periods.
Make your website mobile-friendly
More and more people are choosing to surf the internet via smartphones due to the convenience they provide. Therefore, building a website only for desktop users would put you at a disadvantage. Drive traffic to your website by making it mobile-friendly.
To make your site mobile-friendly:
- Use a mobile-responsive theme, template, or custom design
- Use brief and to-the-point text
- Add easy-to-navigate buttons and features
- Keep sufficient space between links
Maintain typography
If the text itself doesn’t look pleasing to the eye, no visitor will bother reading it. Organize your text from most important to least important. For instance, headings should always be bigger or bolder than the body copy. This is helpful for people who are skimming through a website, looking for something in particular. The right typography can quickly bring their attention to the information they are searching for.
To optimize your website typography, visit any professional website and examine how the text is organized. You’ll notice the more important a piece of information is, the bigger it is. This makes it easier to navigate through text-heavy content, giving visitors a smooth reading experience. After analyzing your competitor’s website, implement a similar typeface, font size, and hierarchy of information for your website.
Tips for a professional business website:
- Make headings bigger
- Make important information bolder
- Avoid the typeface Comic Sans
- Avoid using more than 2 typefaces
- Choose sans-serif fonts to increase the readability of large bodies of text
Do usability testing
Before launching your website, make sure to test it by asking representative users, preferably ones who were not involved in its development, to go through your website. Give them a task such as finding a particular piece of information or adding products to the cart. Observe their reaction and how long it takes them to complete the task. After completion, ask them to share their experience and opinions. Constructive feedback will help you understand the mindset of unbiased visitors, allowing you to identify areas of improvement on the website.
Conclusion:
Your website’s main goal is to draw the attention of potential clients. When you have done that successfully, your next step is to give them exactly the information they are looking for as seamlessly as possible. Your client will engage with your business only when your website is fully functional, informative, visually appealing, and professional.
Now that you know the most important aspects of a successful website, you can now assuredly work with an expert web developer to get the website you desire. Remember, your website is the face of your brand, it has the power to build up and tear down your business. So make the right design choices and establish a strong online presence.
