10 Tips for Website Designing and Development
Website designing is a great career choice. There are so many companies out there who want talented designers to work with them.
Every day, we’re presented with a new challenge. Whether it’s a task at work or home, our brains are constantly working overtime to figure out how to best approach it. While there’s certainly no substitute for experience and practice, some proven ways to help increase efficiency in your tasks and boost your creativity. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite methods for staying ahead of your game. Check them out, and feel free to pass them to friends, family and coworkers.
You need to consider several things when designing and developing a website. These are the most critical factors for your online presence .
1 – Create a website that is functional and responsive
Creating a website that is functional and responsive is quite a task in itself. But if you take care of these few things while website designing, you’ll have a much better experience.
A responsive website adapts to different screen sizes. The reason why responsive design is necessary is that the web is now a significant part of life. People browse the web on their phones and tablets, expecting their websites to be easy to view on their mobile devices.
Let’s look at responsive design and what it takes to create a responsive website.
What is Responsive Design?
Responsive design is one of the most recent trends in web design . Responsive design is designing a website so people can view it on various screens, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. It is also known as a fluid or adaptive layout. The website will automatically resize and fit whatever screen size you use.
There are many benefits to having a responsive website, one of the main ones being SEO. This means that search engines like Google will read your website on a larger screen and know what the website is about. This improves the chances of your website ranking high on search engines.
Responsive design is also easy to implement. You don’t need to create multiple versions of your website. When ready to make your website responsive, you simply upload the site to your server. After that, you do some minor edits to your theme, and you’re done.
In summary, a responsive website looks good on any screen and works well on any device. It’s easier to create, and it’s more SEO-friendly.
2 – Don’t sacrifice design for performance
Performance and Design are two words that aren’t usually associated with each other. Performance is the aspect of a website that focuses on its speed, functionality and responsiveness, whereas Design is the aesthetic elements that make up the user experience. This is one of those rare occasions where the terms are used interchangeably, with little distinction between the two.
Performance Is What Counts
Performance is key to how a site functions and looks to users. Performance should always be the top priority, especially on mobile devices, where the time it takes for a page to load can significantly affect the user experience .
Design is Important
When we say Design, we mean the overall look and feel of the website. You can have a beautiful design, but it will be slow and frustrating for visitors if it’s not optimised for performance. There are many ways to improve performance, such as:
- Reducing the number of HTTP requests.
- Using CDNs.
- Minifying and combining CSS files.
- Optimising images and removing unused code.
Which One Should I Focus On?
There is no definitive answer to this question, but focusing on performance in website designing is vital, as this is the only aspect of design that will be visible to users. While it is true that you can improve a website’s aesthetics through appropriate design, these changes are not visible to the user and therefore do not affect the user experience.
3 – Use visual hierarchy
A web page design comprises many elements such as text, images, icons, graphics, and backgrounds. These are the building blocks of the website. They help in creating a website’s overall look and feel. But they do not tell us anything about the structure of the website. This is where visual hierarchy comes into play.
Visual hierarchy is a way of presenting the different elements of a website or webpage. For instance, a website may contain a navigation bar, main menu, header and footer. The visual hierarchy tells us how these parts are related to each other.
This is the way it works. Let’s say we are planning to design a new website. We first need to understand what we are trying to accomplish. Then we must decide what parts of the website we want to emphasise. Finally, we create the hierarchy by rearranging the elements of the website according to their importance.
So, how does a visual hierarchy work?
Let’s look at an example: Imagine you are creating a website for a tech company . On the homepage is a picture of a man holding a tablet device. Below this picture, you place the headline “About Us”. Beneath it, there is a picture of the company logo and the company name, followed by a sentence stating what the company does. And finally, beneath this text, you place the “Contact Us” link.
Now, this is how a visual hierarchy works. The picture of the man holding the tablet device is the essential element of the website. Therefore, it is placed at the top. To emphasise this element, we need to make the other elements smaller. So, below the picture, we place the text saying “About Us”, and so on.
You may wonder what happens if you place a headline before the picture and a paragraph below the picture. This may look more visually appealing, but it does not matter much. You may have noticed that the above example is written using three paragraphs. However, the visual hierarchy will always be one-dimensional and usually written in a single paragraph.
Why is a visual hierarchy important?
A visual hierarchy is important because it helps to organise the website. It gives it structure – without structure, website designing looks messy.
It helps the website visitor to navigate easily. When visitors land on a website, they expect a specific type of website, but it does not necessarily mean that the website is laid out in a specific order.
When a website has a clear structure, getting the information you need is more straightforward. A website with a clear structure is also more search engine friendly.
There are many ways to create navigation menus. But how to choose the proper navigation structure for your website designing? What should be your main focus?
When creating a website, one of the first things you need to consider is choosing the navigation structure. For example, if you are creating a food website, you can use the three columns navigation menu. It’s straightforward to create and will be suitable for the site’s content. Another option is a five-column menu. You can use this for a business website , which will look neat and attractive.
The most important thing is to choose the navigation structure that will attract visitors to your website. The navigation structure should not be confusing for visitors and should be understandable and relevant. The navigation structure should be clear, neat, and attractive.
1: Use icons
Use icons to represent different food categories if your website is about food. For example, a hamburger icon can represent the fast-food category.
2: Use colours
If your website is about sports, use different colours to represent different types of sports. For example, red and blue can be used to represent football and cricket.
3: Use subcategories
If you have a website that has a large number of pages, then you can use subcategories to organise your content. For example, you can use the ‘Home’ category as a parent category, and then you can use the ‘Food’ subcategory as a child category.
4: Create a separate page for each category
For example, if you have a sports website, you can create a separate page for each sport category, such as football, basketball, cricket, etc.
5: Use a drop-down menu
If you have a long list of categories, you can use a drop-down menu to help visitors navigate your website.
5 – Make it easy to find what users are looking for
There are many ways to make a website simple and easy to navigate. Here we will talk about some of the most important ones.
It is better to make navigation a part of the homepage design and not after doing all the other work. Keeping the visitor’s interest is crucial to creating a simple but informative landing page .
Designing for mobile devices
Mobile-friendly website designing is essential for today’s users. Nowadays, everyone is using smartphones and tablets, which are being used for both work and leisure purposes. So if you are designing a website, make sure it is responsive and looks good on all devices, big or small. If you do not, you may lose potential visitors.
Avoid clutter
It is imperative to keep your site clean and clear. Avoid unnecessary clutter by removing the elements that are not necessary for your visitors. Avoid using large font sizes and bold text because it can be challenging to read.
Make the colours more vibrant
The colours that you use in your design should be bright and vivid. Dark colours are more suitable for displaying images, but they look dull on a dark background. It would help if you tried using light and bright colours like blue, green, yellow, and pink.
Use the right fonts
A good font can make a difference. The font that you choose should complement the design. You can use a large font size and bold text if the design has much white space , but if you have an image on the page, you should use a smaller font.
Make sure your website is user-friendly
Always keep the site user-friendly and easy to navigate. Always remember that the user experience is essential in every aspect of your website design.
Now you know the different ways in which you can make your website user-friendly. You should also be aware of these tips before you start designing your next project.
6 – Make sure your content is readable
Making sure your content is visible on screen and read by people can be difficult. The problem with web designers is that they don’t know much about reading text on the screen and reading for long periods. Here are some tips to make sure that your content is readable:
Know your audience
Understanding who will be viewing your website before you start designing is essential. What kind of information do you want to communicate? Is it informational text, for example, or are there interactive elements like buttons and links? Do you want simple text, or is your site meant for people who might not be familiar with coding? All these things can affect how your website is designed.
A good designer should anticipate what content the viewer needs to read before reaching the website.
Keep the font size consistent
When website designing, font sizes are often too small. It can be frustrating for people trying to read your content. You can always increase the font size if you struggle to read something on a website because the font is too small.
Here are a few tips to help you adjust the font size:
- Increase the font size on the text elements within your website, for example, your header.
- Include a @font-face rule at the top of your stylesheet.
- Use a browser plug-in like Web Zoom that allows you to zoom in on a webpage and view the text at any size.
- Make sure that the font size you choose is a good balance between legibility and readability. A good rule of thumb is that a font size of 10pt should work for most websites.
Use contrast
Contrast is essential for reading. Using two different colours on a webpage makes reading and understanding the text more manageable for your eyes. The text on a website will not appear well if the background colour is the same as the text.
You can use a contrast-testing tool such as Contrast Checker to ensure that your content has enough contrast. You can use this tool to find out whether your website design is formatted correctly.
7 – Focus on usability when website designing
Focusing on the site’s design, including the layout and colours, is critical to getting visitors to stay on the site, but it can make it hard to keep your visitors engaged and returning. This article covers some ways to ensure you focus on what’s important to your users.
Usability is one of the main aspects of a good user experience. A website that’s easy to navigate and understand keeps users on the site. It’s also essential to think about how you can encourage people to share and use your content.
The two main elements of usability are discoverability and accessibility. Discoverability means making it easy for users to find the information they need, while accessibility means making it easy for users to use the site.
For example, if you’re creating a site for people who love reading, you might want to focus on the readability of the content on the site. You might also think about how people can interact with the site – perhaps they can choose the best articles they like.
Another thing to think about: The less likely a visitor is to come back to your site, the more critical it is that you get their attention. A great example is a site with a straightforward design but many videos. People are drawn in by the captivating video, but if they don’t find the videos helpful, they may never return.
The most important thing is to ask yourself how your audience uses your site. What types of users do you have, and what are they trying to accomplish? For example, a site for teachers may have different needs than one for a family.
One of the most important things to consider is how easy it is for new users to learn the basics of your site. Do they need to sign up to access everything? Do they have to look up how to use a feature? Is there anything they need to learn before they start using it?
8 – Add some personality to your website
Website design can add personality to your business by giving it an image and voice. A company with a fun and unique identity has a competitive advantage, so why not invest in making your site a bit more attractive?
Designers can be creative, but they must be conscious of the business they are designed for. They need to understand how they can work with the requirements of the site owners and ensure that the final design will meet those needs. A successful website should be appealing and engaging, easy to navigate and easy to use. The design can use visual cues to draw the user’s attention to features and navigation.
Web designers can create a more personal appearance by using fonts , colours and pictures that can enhance the content and images of the site. The design of a website is not limited to the layout and look of the pages themselves; it should also include the overall style and feel of the website.
If your website is easy to use, it will not just be more attractive to visitors but also help increase sales. The usability of your website should be one of your primary concerns, and web developers should have some experience in creating websites that are easy to navigate and work with.
The look and feel of a website can be pretty personal. Business owners have their sense of style and should choose colours and other site features that suit their brand. However, if a client is unhappy with the design of their website, they can usually make changes.
Your website should be easy to update, so if you add new content, you can easily update the design. You must update websites frequently to keep users returning and reflect the company’s latest developments. If there is a lot to update, consider hiring a web developer to help.
Your website is the first impression people will see when they visit your company, and you want it to be a good one. Website designing can be expensive, and getting the most out of your money is essential. Designing your website is an excellent way to ensure you get the look and feel you want.
If you’re looking to find a professional website designer for your company, ask around your business associates and colleagues. There are many freelancers and small businesses that offer their services, but not all of them are reliable.
9 – Be accessible to search engines
Making your website accessible to search engines is a general question everyone wants to know about. We’ll present you with the best guide on how you can optimise your website for search engines.
Most people searching for something online don’t even read the results list. They scroll down to the first few pages. This is what makes SEO so important . Search engines are the only way to ensure that your website appears at the top of its lists.
To make your website accessible to search engines, follow the steps below:
1: Optimise your title tag
A reasonable title tag makes your website accessible to search engines. Search engines like Google use titles to give information about the page they’re searching. For example, if you search for “car insurance”, Google will display the page title in the search results.
The title should be concise and relevant. It should include keywords and describe the page content clearly. Make sure that your title is no longer than 60 characters.
2: Optimise your meta description tag
Your meta description tag is another important element of optimising your website for search engines. The meta description tag is a short description that appears under the title tag. This description is displayed to visitors after a search is performed.
For example, if someone searches for “car insurance” in Google, this description will appear in the search results. It will appear under the title tag but shouldn’t exceed 150 characters.
Include key phrases that can help the searcher identify the type of content you offer.
Alt tags are used to describe the images on your website. They can also be helpful for blind users that use screen readers, which read out the text from web pages. An alt tag is usually a short phrase that describes the image. It should not contain any links or other text. The alt tag may include the alt attribute, which will make it a required part of the HTML tag.
Headers (H1 and H2) are used to categorise content on a page. Search engines will use these headers to give information about a page.
5: Add keywords
Ensure you add keywords to the title, description, and meta description tags. They should be the words that describe your website. You want them to be specific to your city or town if it is a local business .
6: Create a sitemap
Sitemaps are used to make sure that search engines can access all the pages on your website. A sitemap helps search engines know which pages to crawl.
7: Make sure that your site’s URL is optimised
Your website’s URL should be user-friendly. It should be easy to remember and include keywords. If your site’s URL is hard to remember or doesn’t include keywords, then your site will be ignored by search engines.
10 – Test, test, test
You might wonder what you need to do to test your website speed . You are here because you have probably noticed that your website takes too long to load. This means that the website you created is not optimised correctly. This could affect the SEO of your website and even the quality of your content. Therefore, you must ensure that your website loads faster than it should.
Here are some tips that will help you get started.
Testing Your Website Speed
The first thing you need to do is test your website speed. This is important because if you don’t know your website’s speed, you will never know whether or not it has problems. There are many ways to test your website speed.
One way would be to use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. This tool will give you a detailed report on the speed of your website. Another way would be to use the Pingdom Web Performance Test Tool. This tool will give you a detailed report on the speed of your website.
The only difference between these tools is that Google’s PageSpeed tool gives you a detailed report about the speed of your website. On the other hand, the Pingdom tool will give you a detailed report about the speed of your website. Another thing you need to keep in mind is that your website may take a longer time to load if you don’t have a powerful internet connection.
Another thing you need to consider is the type of web hosting service that you are using. If you are using a shared hosting package, you will not be able to monitor the performance of your website. On the other hand, if you are using a VPS (Virtual Private Server), you can access the control panel and check your website’s stats.
Monitoring Your Website
Another thing you need to keep in mind is the monitoring of your website. Once you monitor your website, you will be able to notice whether or not the traffic of your website is going down or up. Also, you will be able to notice whether or not there are any problems with your website’s loading time . If you notice that there is something wrong with your website, then you can start fixing it right away. In addition to that, you can also start planning your future website design and functionality.
Website Monitoring Tools
There are many tools that you can use to monitor your website. But not all of them are reliable and efficient. To find a reliable monitoring tool, you must spend a long time researching. We have summarised the tools for you below.
- Google Analytics
- Piwik
- Yandex Metrica
- Uptime Robot
- Pingdom
- Cloudflare
- PageSpeed Insights
- GTMetrix
- WebPageTest
These are some ways you can test your website speed. Now that you know how to test your website speed, you can make the necessary adjustments to your website.
Conclusion
A good website should be user-friendly and easy to navigate so that users have no problems accessing all your business’s offerings. Also, it should be a site that visitors can spend time on. That’s why good design is essential.
Good design is about creating a site that looks good and is easy for users to navigate. Good design is about making sites user-friendly. User-friendliness means that users will have no problems accessing all the business’s offerings and have no trouble finding the pages they are looking for. This design guide will show you how to design and build a good-looking and functional site for your business.
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