In today’s digital age, a website is one of the most critical assets for any business. It serves as a digital storefront where customers can browse products or services, learn about the company, and make purchases. However, they are not just static entities that you can create and leave alone. To stay relevant and competitive, it’s important to revamp your website design periodically. But how often should you do this?

Website design is an ever-evolving field, and what was cutting-edge a few years ago may now look outdated. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your website stays up-to-date with the latest design trends and user expectations. But how do you know when it’s time to revamp your website design?

In this article, we’ll explore the factors that determine the frequency of website redesigns.

The Factors That Determine Website Redesign Frequency

1. Industry Standards

Different industries have different design standards and trends. For example, a law firm’s website should look more professional and formal than a fashion retailer’s website. If your website looks outdated compared to your competitors, it’s time to revamp it.

2. Technology Changes

Technology is constantly evolving, and your website should keep up with the latest trends. For example, if your website is not mobile-responsive, it’s time for a redesign. With more than half of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer an option but a necessity.

3. Changes in Brand Identity

If your brand identity has changed significantly, your website should reflect that. A redesign can help you communicate your brand’s values and personality more effectively.

4. User Feedback

User feedback can be a valuable source of information when it comes to website redesigns. If users are finding it difficult to navigate your website or are not finding what they need, it’s time to revamp your website design.

How Often Should You Revamp Your Website Design?

1. Every 2-3 Years

On average, businesses should consider redesigning their website every 2-3 years. This frequency ensures that your website stays up-to-date with the latest design trends and technology changes. It also gives you enough time to gather user feedback and make necessary changes.

2. When There’s a Significant Change in Your Business

If you’ve undergone a significant change in your business, such as a merger or acquisition, it’s a good idea to revamp your website design. This can help you communicate the changes to your customers and stakeholders more effectively.

3. When Your Website Is Not Meeting Its Goals

If your website is not generating enough traffic or conversions, it’s time to revamp your website design. A redesign can help you identify the issues and make necessary changes to improve the user experience and achieve your business goals.

Conclusion

Your website is a crucial aspect of your business, and it’s important to keep it up-to-date with the latest design trends and user expectations. While there’s no hard and fast rule on how often you should revamp your website design, it’s recommended that you do it every 2-3 years. This frequency ensures that your website stays relevant and competitive and helps you achieve your business goals.

Keep in mind that website redesigns can be time-consuming and costly, so plan accordingly and work with a reputable web design agency to ensure the best results.

If you are looking for a company that specializes in website design, look no further than our expertise here at KillerSpots Inc. We are a contagiously creative full service digital marketing agency and production house serving clients worldwide since 1999. Call us today at 800-639-9728 to get the passion and ROI your business demands.

Remarkably, 28% of small businesses still don’t have a website? A website is a great way for small businesses to distinguish themselves from their competitors as well as promote and sell their services and products.

While having any old website is better than not having one at all, there are a lot of web design mistakes that can be made that can drive customers to competitor sites.

When designing business websites, there are a number of things businesses will want to avoid to ensure that their prospective customers have a good user experience rather than a frustrating one.

Let’s take a look at 10 of the most common web design mistakes.

1. Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Website

These days, it isn’t enough for a website to work perfectly on a computer. Almost everyone these days uses their smartphone or device to access the Internet. This means that a website needs to be functional on any kind of device no matter what.

2. Not Having a Fast Loading Time

Most people won’t wait around for a website allowed for more than five seconds. If a business doesn’t have a fast loading time for their web pages, many of their prospective customers will bounce off their site and had over to their competitor’s sites.

Slow loading times are often the result of inexperienced designers and developers. Sometimes sites are overloaded with animations, videos, or pictures that cause the site to load slowly.

3. Having Too Much Going On

Sometimes people try to put way too much information on one page. This can create a confusing visual environment that leads their audience to wander away in search of a more straightforward site.

Users need to be able to understand what a business is and what they do in only a couple of seconds after they show up. If they can’t, the process can become frustrating and they will just leave.

Businesses also don’t want their website to have too much text, videos, and images that slow loading time and create a chaotic visual environment.

4. Having Too Little Going On

While it is important to not have too much going on on a site, it’s also important to not have the opposite problem. If there is so little information on a website that users don’t understand the product or service, this is going to hurt the business.

Minimalism is a trend in web design and for good reason. However, it is not a good idea to have a website that leaves customers guessing. If the website only had a couple of short sentences and simple, stock imagery, there is a good chance that visitors will bounce off and find a website that has more going on.

Hiring a web design agency is often the best way to avoid these mistakes. Here are 7 factors to consider when choosing a web design service.

5. Not Having a Solid Digital Marketing Strategy

A beautiful website is a wonderful thing, but if a brand doesn’t have a solid digital marketing strategy no one will ever know that it’s there. It can be a good idea to hook up with a professional digital marketing agency so that they can take care of their SEO and content marketing needs. This way, they can focus on driving traffic to a website while the business owner can focus on what they do best: running their business.

It’s also very important to prioritize creating high-quality content as a part of a business’s digital marketing strategy. Video marketing and content marketing are a major part of the digital marketing world, with many companies these days maintaining blogs.

It isn’t enough to just have a blog. The content a brand produces needs to be original, valuable, and useful to the reader. If it’s bland and regurgitated, or worse yet, filled with grammatical and spelling errors, it won’t give people confidence in the brand.

Content is a major part of the voice of a company. People are consciously or unconsciously deciding whether or not a brand is high-quality or obviously unprofessional from the content produced. This includes both the visual aesthetics of the blog as well as the tone of voice and quality of the writing.

As a side note, another common web design mistake is to design a website before having a fleshed-out brand identity. It’s important to have consistency in branding across a website, products, and physical storefront or office. If there isn’t, it can create a disconnect and sense of unease in the audience.

6. Neglecting to Include Contact Information

It’s hard to believe, but one common web design mistake is to neglect to include contact information. If there is nothing else on a website, it should always give the customer information about how to contact the company. This is particularly true if a business has an incredibly sparse website that leads customers with many questions they want to be answered.

There should always be a “contact us” page that is only one click away. It’s also a good idea to have the contact information listed at the bottom of every webpage on the site.

7. Having Broken Links

When launching a website, it is essential to make sure that there are no broken links. A website that has links that don’t work, there’s a high likelihood that the user immediately assumes that the business was at best unprofessional and at worst a total scam. This is the last thing that a brand wants is their potential customers to take away from their experience on the website.

8. Being Visually Unattractive

Web design is not a field where brands can simply throw things against the wall to see what sticks. There is a logic to web design that factors in aesthetics, tone, branding, and psychology.

When a website is filled with ugly or relevant images, has a poorly chosen color scheme, or has no rhyme or reason for the use of fonts, people will notice. It makes a company seem less legitimate and reputable and gives an unfortunate first impression of the brand.

It’s very important to pay attention to color and contrast when designing a website. It can be very offputting for a website to be overloaded with very bright colors, for example. It’s also essential that there is enough contrast between the background and tax that it can be easily read.

9. Lack of Organization

A website should be organized in a way that users can find the information they are looking for with hardly any effort. It’s important to understand how much information people have access to these days and therefore how impatient they are when it comes to searching for what they’re looking for.

It’s important to remember navigation when adding new pages. During the design and launch of the website, navigation is often planned carefully. However, one needs to consider navigation just as much if not more when they add more pages over time.

When producing content as a part of a marketing strategy, make sure that blog posts are filled with relevant visual data and images, broken up into subheaders, and utilize bullet points and lists.

Remember to keep plenty of white space around text to make information easy to digest. It can be tempting to try and use up all of the available real estate when designing business websites. However, people are easily overwhelmed by walls of text or not enough white space, so always lean towards leaving more negative space than one would think necessary.

Pages that don’t have enough white space tend to look unprofessional. People are usually scanning websites rather than reading every word.

10. Not Having a Call-to-Action

Lastly, it’s important to always have a call to action. This is going to be different for every website, but once a business has gotten a prospective customer on their site, they want to drive them to take further action. If they don’t, they will most likely leave without signing up for their email list, browsing their products, or reading about the services they offer.

Businesses Should Avoid These Web Design Mistakes At All Costs!

When it comes time to create a website, many people don’t realize just how difficult designing business websites are. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of different aspects of a site that can drive away potential customers.

One way to avoid these web design mistakes is to hire a professional web design agency. They will have the experience and the knowledge to create a functional, fast, flexible, and stylish website for a small business.

Is it time to hire a web design agency? If so, contact Killerspots Agency today!

It is no secret that owning a website offers rewards. It can increase sales, leads, and brand awareness exponentially. But there is one catch- your website design will make or break it.

According to Standford’s credibility research, web design determines 75% of company credibility judgment. Will your website make the cut?

As there is so much riding on your business website design, do not cut corners. Hire a web design service. There are so many benefits to doing this but do not just pick the first company you come across. 

You need to find the right company to envision the web design experience you want visitors to have. And there are several factors you can consider to help. Trust us— there are over 83,150 web design businesses in the US and plenty more freelancers.

Keep reading to pick the right web design service for you. And so you can save your time for other important matters, such as growing your business!

1. The Service You Need

There is a difference between web developers and web designers. Designers focus on designing business websites, whereas developers build them. Some companies offer both services, but it is an important place to start.

Many companies offer more than a web design service. They will provide packages with, too, such as to optimize site speed. Remember, you can use a service even if you already have a website to improve your current design. 

2. Time and Cost

What is your budget? There is no use blowing all your money on a popular option out of your price range. You might need to save some budget for other areas, such as social media advertising. 

There will be a web design service that is affordable for you. If you are not sure what is an acceptable rate, start by comparing designer fees. 

Also, how much time do you have? And how long will it take the company to create your business website design?

Small companies may have lots of clients when you need your site, so always check how long it will take them. And if the quoted price includes all fees! For example, do they offer ongoing customer service if you run into a problem?

3. Online Customer Reviews

A company can make big promises and look great on paper, but how do you know they will deliver? Online customer reviews. 

Online customer reviews will tell you a lot about the company’s reputation. Do not just look on their site. Be sure to check out independent review platforms and customer testimonials. If there is not much information out there, reach out to one of their clients. 

You can also ask about their office space. There are plenty of competent freelancers out there, but a company usually has a location too. Be wary of scams if there’s no reviews or location listed. 

4. Mobile-Friendly Business Website Design

Around 50% of all web traffic is from mobile users. And with the human attention span now under ten seconds, you need to engage visitors quickly. Otherwise, watch your bounce rate soar.

If the service does not offer mobile-friendly options or experience, look elsewhere.

Often you will see a mobile-first web design experience. This is when the company focuses on a mobile design first. It is not a required web design skill but a good indicator of their web design experience. 

5.  Their Style

What type of business web design do you want? Your style can make or break user engagement. Your website can be a fantastic way to build brand awareness or drown in the Google ocean of competitors. 

Pick a company that can match the design you want as much as possible. If you are not sure what you want, ask them for ideas. They should be able to offer ideas and draw-ups.

After all, according to Adobe, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if it is unattractive. So you need a web design service that can get it right!

It is no good going with a site designing business websites in a minimalist way when you want the opposite look.

Consider if you have any specific requirements. For example, do you want video content, lead generation features, or animations? With so many web design companies out there, you do not have to settle for a ‘no.’ 

Always be upfront, and keep searching if it does not feel right. There is a company with the expertise out there to fulfill your vision (as far as web design can go, at least!)

6. Similar Web Design Experience

So, you have a company in mind that has the skills and web design experience. But do they have similar clients to you?

Checking out the company’s clients will give you an idea if they can fulfill the promises they are making. If they do not have similar clients to you, it does not mean you should not use them. But it certainly helps confirm whether your business website design can be done. 

Do not be afraid to ask for a portfolio. Usually, web design experience is on the web design service website. 

7. Rapport  

You want to feel comfortable with whoever is creating your business website design. What happens if you are not happy with something, but you are too afraid to tell them?

As they say, the customer is always right. The web design service should make you feel comfortable sharing your goals. 

If you ‘click’ with the web design service, they are more likely to understand what your wants and needs are. And make them happen! You might have to work with the company long-term, so if it does not feel right, it is best to move on now. 

The Best Web Design Service for You

It is worth the search for a web design service. The road may feel long, but like many areas of business, you cannot cut corners if you want results.

Do not choose a cheap service with limited credentials. And do not opt for a business website design style not authentic to you. You will end up more out of pocket long-term when you realize how damaging it is to your business.

So, consider these factors for a positive web design experience!  

Killerspots agency offers award-winning web production with no commitment. Are you interested in learning more? Contact us today! 

An impressive, eye-catching website can make a big difference to your overall business success. In fact, about 50% of customers say a website’s design is the main factor they use to determine a company’s credibility. Another 38% will leave a website if it’s unattractive. With more people staying home in light of COVID, you need to reach customers online. Hiring a professional website company can help you stand out and expand your reach. Otherwise, you could risk falling behind the competition. Still on the fence about spending money on web design services?

Here are nine amazing benefits you can experience by hiring a team of web designers right away. Discover how web design can boost your business with this guide today!

1. Strengthen Your Digital Marketing Strategy

What do you have in store for your digital marketing strategy this year? Are you trying to reach more search engine users using search engine optimization (SEO)? Perhaps you’re using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising instead.

Either way, your website is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy.

Consumers won’t choose a business they know nothing about. They want to learn about what you have to offer. Many will explore your website to determine who you are and what you do.

Remember, your web design can have a big impact on your company’s credibility. A messy, confusing website could scare off potential customers.

If people leave without clicking around, it could impact your bounce rate, clickthrough rate, and dwell time. These metrics can impact your search engine ranking.

You could waste valuable time and money on SEO and PPC if your website is old and out of date.

SEO and PPC both help you reach more online consumers. The higher you rank, the more often shoppers will see your brand. With these digital marketing strategies, you can:

• Build brand awareness
• Become a thought leader in your industry
• Outrank the competition
• Attract more website traffic
• Build brand trust and loyalty

People will see you as a credible resource.

If your website is old, slow, or insecure, however, you’ll miss your chance!

By choosing web design services, you can build a website that accomplishes your digital marketing goals instead of hinders them.

2. Appeal to Your Audience

Who are your customers? What issues are they experiencing each day? How can your business help solve those problems?

An experienced web design company will understand that it’s essential to create a website with your distinct target audience in mind. Otherwise, a generic website could fail to appeal to their needs and interests.

Working with a web design agency can help you reach customers, draw them in, and generate more leads. They’ll research customer demographics like age, gender, and location. Then, they’ll build your website with those customers in mind.

Instead of struggling to attract relevant leads, you can reel them in! 

3. Support Your SEO Efforts

Remember, your digital marketing strategy could suffer if you’re using an old, outdated website. Google considers your entire website when determining your search engine ranking.

Unfortunately for some, Google updates its algorithm numerous times throughout the year. If you’re not up-to-date with the latest SEO trends, your ranking could suffer.

Over 90% of all online activity begins on a search engine. Meanwhile, over 70% of searchers never look beyond the first page of a search. You need to reach that first page to draw in fresh web traffic.

A talented web designer can help you achieve your SEO goals.

For example, Google now uses mobile-first indexing to determine rankings. They can update your website to ensure it’s mobile optimized. Then, you can reach mobile users (instead of losing a chance at fresh leads).

4. Remain Competitive

What are your competitors doing to improve their own web design this year? Are you falling behind?

Your web design company can help you remain competitive. If you’re a small business, a stunning website could even help you look like a big corporation. They can help you wow customers and draw them in before competitors can.

If your website looks old and outdated, however, your competitors will take the lead. Consumers will choose bigger, more successful businesses over ones that look like they’re failing.

Remember, your website’s design can help support your SEO efforts. You can improve your ranking to appear ahead of big corporations. Positioning yourself ahead of these businesses can help you look like a big business, too.

Then, you can attract those customers before your competitors get the chance!

5. Keep the Lights On

It’s likely your business doesn’t run 24/7. That’s okay. With a stunning website, you can bring in fresh leads and sales whether your store is open or not.

Your website design agency can help you market your business, even when the doors are closed for the night. For example, they can make sure you have plenty of lead opportunities on each page.

Website visitors can fill out a form or subscribe to your newsletter. Without a functional website, however, you’ve missed out on these leads!

You can also ask your design team to add a chat function to your website. Visitors will see that you’re eager to help and answer their questions.

If they don’t have a way to communicate with you, however, they’ll leave and take their business elsewhere.

In fact, your website could help you draw more traffic into your brick and mortar store, too. Nearly 90% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses. Once they review your website, they’ll realize you have exactly what they’re looking for!

Are you trying to boost e-commerce sales this year? Your website can either help you or hinder you.

About 70% of online users abandon their shopping carts because of proof web design. Some people struggle to use your website because it’s not mobile-optimized, too. Since mobile conversions are 64% higher than desktop, you need a mobile strategy.

Working with a talented web design agency can help you get those sales!

6. Improve the User Experience

Considering user experience (UX) is essential if you want to keep people on your website. In fact, UX can influence your SEO success as well. 

Think about how people interact with your website. Can they find everything they need easily? Do your pages load quickly?

A messy, cluttered, confusing website page design can confuse your customers. They’ll leave without clicking around. Your SEO ranking will take a hit as a result.

Improving the user experience will keep people on your website. They’ll explore, find what they need, and convert.

Ask the web design agency you choose if they have UX design experience. They can improve your website with the users in mind.

For example, it’s important to make sure your website loads quickly. Old plugins, heavy images, and clunky pages can slow the site down. In fact, a website that takes 10 seconds increases the probability of a bounce by 123%.

Adjusting your website’s page design can improve your content’s readability. You can use shorter sentences and paragraphs to make your content easier to skim. Headings and subheadings can better organize your content as well.

What about your page navigation? Is it easy to explore your pages? Does the navigation make sense?

Considering these design elements can help you keep people on your site.

7. Keep Up With Trends

Web design trends change every few months. If your website is behind the times, consumers will take notice. They’ll think of your company as old and outdated as well.

For example, you can add:

• Big, bold headlines
• Motion and animation
• Personalized pages
• Dark mode
• 3D and visualized data
• Chatbots and assistants

Consumers will start expecting these features across every website. By working with an experienced web design company, you can keep up with these trends.

They’ll make sure you never fall behind.

8. Build Trust and Loyalty

Remember, your website page design can speak to your company’s credibility. What message do you want to convey to your target audience?

For example, you might have a fun, playful brand. You can use an array of colors, fun animations, and cute doodles across your site.

Do you want to look professional instead?

Either way, your web design company can help you achieve these goals.

Using a DIY website builder, on the other hand, can make your company look small and cheap. Conveying the right message will help you build brand trust. Ensuring visitors find what they need with ease can encourage consumers to trust you as well.

In time, that trust will turn into loyalty, allowing you to retain long-time customers.

9. Improve Your ROI

How can people convert on your website? Do you have a form or chat option? Is the button big, eye-catching, and easy to click on?

Think about your links, too. Broken links could cost you conversions.

Your web design team will improve your website with lead generation in mind. They’ll make sure you capitalize on every opportunity to gain a conversion.

With their help, you can boost leads and conversions, improving your company’s ROI.

Design It Right: 9 Reasons You Need a Professional Web Design Agency

Don’t fall behind the times! Instead, update your website with help from an experienced web design agency. With their experience and expertise, you can stand out from the crowd and boost sales.

Without them, however, your website could fall flat.

Ready to get started? Discover the website you’ve always wanted. Get a quote from a team of talented web designers today!

We live in an increasingly connected world; the internet has shaped every aspect of our lives, and is so pervasive it’s almost impossible to avoid doing anything online. Social media and web design are the easiest ways for a brand to connect with a wide audience. However, the web can be a difficult place to navigate for consumers with disabilities. Hearing or visually impaired users may find there are large swathes of content online that are inaccessible or difficult for them to use. Making sure your website is accessible is one of the most important ways you can avoid alienating potential customers. 

“Accessibility” is an umbrella term that is used to describe aspects which influence a person’s ability to function within an environment. In web design, this translates to how easily your site can be navigated by someone of differing ability.

It may be a legal requirement for your business’ website to be accessible. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses that fall under two different distinctions (Title I and Title III) must have accessible websites. 

Title I businesses are defined as businesses that have 15 or more employees and operate 20 or more weeks per year. Title III businesses are categorized as “public accommodations” such as banks, public transport, or hotels. 

The ADA does not have specific guidelines for web accessibility, but there are many ways you can ensure your website is accessible to all users. These 7 tips below will get you started:

1. Add Alt Text to Images

Images on your website help to visually break up text and add meaning to your content, but what about users who are visually impaired? Any important images or graphics used on your website should have alt text embedded into the code, so people who use screen reading software can have a meaningful description of the image. This is especially important for infographics; make sure your alt text includes not only a description of the visuals of the infographic, but a transcription of any words contained in the infographic, as well. 

If an image used is purely decorative, you can leave the alt text empty. This will allow a screen reader to ignore the image entirely.

2. Add Captions or Provide Transcripts with Video or Audio 

Any video or audio that appears on your site should contain text captions. Many online platforms offer the ability to generate captions automatically, but adding captions to your produced videos is the best way to display an accurate script for your audio. This ensures users with hearing impairments (or even people who prefer to watch video without sound) are able to understand your video content. If you cannot add captions or your content is audio-only, you can provide a transcript of the audio the user can download to understand the meaning of your content. 

3. Use Proper Headings for Organization

Screen readers can pick up on headings and subheadings to better organize website text. Marking sections with <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc is a simple way to ensure visually impaired users will be able to hear your content as intended. Don’t skip around in numerical order, however. Going from <h1> to <h3> might look nice visually, but it can confuse someone using a screen reader and make them think there is content missing. Keeping content in a logical sequence makes it easier for screen readers to follow; skipping numbered heading formats may be disorienting or confusing. 

4. Simplify Navigation

Organize your menu options to be the same on every page. This makes your site predictable and easier to navigate. Some users are not able to use a mouse due to movement difficulties. Including the ability to navigate your website by keyboard could make navigation easier for them. Users should be able to follow internal and external links with ease, and be able to go forwards and backwards through content without getting stuck. Test your web page by trying to navigate without using your mouse to check that navigation is intuitive and simple.

5. Be Mindful of Color

Using color to distinguish parts of your text may give your website a polished look, but solely using color can run you into trouble for accessibility. Approximately 8% of men and .4% of women around the world have some form of color blindness; red-green color blindness is the most common deficiency. Add other design elements, such as patterns or different fonts to better visually distinguish different parts of your content. You can also utilize borders or whitespace to separate out sections. And be sure to use enough contrast between the background of your page or image and your text; there are many tools available, like this color analyzer, that will test contrast levels to make sure they are within accessibility guidelines. 

6. Use Readable Font

Set your default font size to something reasonably large. Users can use their browser’s settings to increase or decrease as needed. However, your design should ensure that enlarging fonts won’t interfere with readability or functionality. Choose a typeface that is simple with distinct letters and wide enough space between letters. Users with dyslexia will have an easier time tracking text that is spaced further apart. Use plenty of space between paragraphs, as well. 

Avoid using images of text instead of text for headers or other text assets. Screen readers won’t be able to read them without a well-written caption, and it makes editing content more difficult.

7. Make Links Descriptive

A simple “click here!” might be catchy clickbait for some links, but it can be confusing to screen reading software. Make your links descriptive with phrasing such as “check out our about page to learn more” or “contact us here”. A little bit of description goes a long way, as screen readers typically don’t read links within the context of the rest of the page. If you’re using an image as a link, include a description of the destination page as the image’s alt text. 

What More Can I Do?

Many content management systems, such as WordPress, have accessibility settings built-in to themes and templates. This can help get you started, along with the previous tips above. In addition, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has created a system of guidelines to better help developers with accessibility. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, are a detailed list of actions you can take within your web design to make your website fully accessible to users with disabilities. There is even a quick reference guide with examples you can use to get a better idea of the types of accommodations that can take your website to the next level of accessibility.

Of course, if you need assistance, you can always contact us for help! We can be there with you every step of the way while you build a website that is sure to wow and be accessible to everyone. 

Are you establishing your online footprint for your business, but you’re having trouble attracting attention? It’s time to let your website do the work. A well-designed web page helps you solve business goals because of a combination of high-quality content that speaks to your audience and an emphasis on clear, defined goals. 

Then, it’s all about knowing a few design rules of thumb in order to create an attractive web page that people want to visit and engage with! If you’re ready to improve your website, we’re here to help. 

Read on to learn how to design a web page the right way in order to attract more traffic and encourage engagement! 

Start With Purpose

Designing web pages is similar to designing entire websites. You’ll want to begin by determining the purpose of the page first. Each web page of your site should have only one goal. This will help create a simplified experience for your users so that they don’t encounter information overload.

Defining one purpose also helps you include a call to action on every page. When you include a clear call to action, this can help reduce bounce rates on your website by giving viewers a clear path forward. 

Here are a few common purposes of web pages to get you started: 

• Sign up for a mailing list
• Increase organic traffic through SEO
• Encourage viewers to make a transaction

Consider your own purposes when you’re browsing online. When you type in a search term in a search engine, you’re usually trying to learn more about something, navigate to a specific web page, or you’re ready to make a purchase. Consider these goals while creating your content strategy! 

Create a Content Strategy

Now that you know the purpose of each of your web pages, you’ll have an easier time creating a content strategy. A content strategy helps you with the following: 

• Defining your target audience 
• Deciding on the kind of content that your audience will connect with
• Developing the content
• Scheduling the content 

Remember that since each of your web pages only has one goal, you should focus on creating high-quality content that’s easy for viewers to read and ingest. Simplicity is always the answer. 

If you have blog posts on a web page, remember to break up the posts with visuals and keep the sentences short and easy to read. If you have a form that you’d like customers to fill out, try to keep the number of form fields down to five or less.

Page Structure

Once you have a solid content strategy in place, it’s time to design the actual web page. The easiest place to start is to decide on the page structure. The structure of a page determines where each element will go, such as blog posts, headlines, forms, and graphics. 

The most common way to determine a page’s structure is to start with wireframes. Although this is a common method designers use, you don’t need any knowledge of software, design, or coding in order to get started. All you need is a sheet of paper and a pencil. 

You’ll draw and label boxes as you imagine that the paper is your web page. For instance, on the top, you may want your website’s logo with an image on the left side of the page. You’ll then have your content on the right side. This continues until you have all your elements accounted for. 

Creating Visual Hierarchy

Keeping visual hierarchy in mind will help you determine your page structure. Because you don’t want viewers to feel overwhelmed by your web page, it’s important to design with scalability in mind. This gives people the ability to scan through the web page and move on to the next without needing to stay longer on the page than they’d like. 

Scannability is easier if you establish a visual hierarchy. For instance, many designers agree that an F-shaped pattern is better for text-heavy pages. Users will scan the top of the page from left to right, then they’ll scroll down and repeat the movement. Next, they’ll scroll down the page while scanning the left side, creating an F-shape. 

Since you know where people’s eyes will commonly go on a web page, this clues you in on where to place each element on your page. With the F-shaped pattern, you’ll know to place important pieces of information or calls to action on the left side of the page. 

Negative Space

You can see how the content on your page as well as where it’s placed makes a huge difference in whether you’ll have high or low bounce rates. However, the lack of content on a page is just as important as the content itself.

When you navigate to any popular website, you’ll find that there is blank space as well as active space. If every single area of a web page was filled with content, your audience will quickly feel overwhelmed. Remember to incorporate negative space in your page structure in order to encourage users to keep scrolling downward.

A good rule of thumb is to include ample negative space in order to divide different elements on a page, such as between text and images.

Quality Call to Action Buttons

We’ve already addressed how important calls to action are on each of your web pages, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to create them. Each call to action needs to contain a clear and simple direction so that users know what to do next. Here are a few examples: 

• Sign up here
• Download our trial
• Schedule a free consultation

Along with the right copy, make sure that each button is prominent on the page. It also needs to be clear that the button is clickable through visual cues such as a changing color when you hover over the button, drop shadows, or simply an instruction to “click here.”

Quality Images and Graphics

You’ll also want to ensure that the images and graphics you’re using are a good representation of your business. You’ll want to start by first ensuring they’re properly sized so that they aren’t too small, blurry, or pixelated. You also want to avoid uploading full-size on to your web pages because you still want the page to load quickly for users. 

When it comes to choosing imagery, focus on colors and visual representations that make sense for your company. For instance, if you know your target audience is women in their 30’s to 40’s, you’ll want to find stock images that represent this demographic. 

Measuring and Tracking Performance

You’ll never know how well a web page is doing if you’re not measuring or tracking its performance. The way you measure and track your performance is based on the overall goals of your business and the web page.

For instance, if you have a web page that’s solely to encourage people to sign up for your mailing list, you’ll want to see how many people are signing up each month. If the number is lower than you’d like, you know it’s time to improve the content on that page or determine what your target audience really wants.

Here are a few other KPIs (key performance indicators) to determine how well a web page is doing:

• Bounce rate
• Average time on page
• Unique visitors
• Sales
• Sessions
• Percentage of new visitors
• And more

If you don’t keep track of at least a few KPIs, there’s no way to determine whether a web page is doing the work you need or not. Remember that it’s not realistic to expect all your web pages to be successful the moment you publish them. You’ll need to constantly come up with new ideas, test them through A/B testing, and develop those ideas. 

How to Design a Web Page: Start With a Plan

When you learn how to design a web page, it’s important to begin with a plan in mind. For instance, consider what would happen if you designed a beautiful web page but weren’t thinking about your target audience. Even though your web page might draw traffic, it won’t be traffic that converts into paying customers. 

Ready to look into award-winning web content, design, or SEO services that can bump your website up to the next level? Killer Spots Agency provides quality, in-house services with a strategy and ROI culture. We deliver our customers complete customer service and measurable results.

Contact us today to get started!