Worldwide, there are more than one billion websites, and most of these compete against each other. But if you’re observant and used to seeing different websites, you’ll notice that some sites are not well-designed, especially those created earlier. Aside from the knowledge and skills earned from school, web designers should have innate creative talents, a feel for visual appeal that will make their creations stand out. Experts from reputable Houston web design firms can give you plenty of design ideas to ensure your site can compete with the best.
A wide range of web design elements
The websites you see are products of hard work and the combination of many elements to ensure that the site contains all the features and functionalities that users expect. Experienced web designers say that these elements are the primary features that you should include in a website:
- Visual appeal and layout
- Color scheme
- Navigation
- Typography
- Content
But despite all the information available on the internet, the accessibility of web design courses, and the available technology and tools, there are still websites that do not make the grade.
Web design mistakes to avoid
Some websites fail because they are not well thought out or well built. You should not rush the process of creating a website. Define the purpose of the website and use research and analysis, so the design matches the company’s needs. Here are a few of the design mistakes to avoid when building a website.
- Slow loading of website
This mistake plagues many websites even today. When a site takes a long time to load, it frustrates the users, especially since internet speeds are faster today and numerous similar websites are easier to access. Even if you have the product or service that the web user looks for, you can bid them goodbye if the person cannot immediately access your website. Web users have a short attention span. If a site takes more than three seconds before the entire site is loaded, the bounce rate (or site abandonment) increases.
- The website is not mobile-friendly
Many customers rely more on portable devices because they are often away from computers. Google bots now check the mobile versions of websites before crawling the computer versions. You are losing marketing potentials, and conversely, possible sales if you do not make your website mobile-friendly.
- Poor layout and design
You may see websites that can make your eyes teary because of the clash of colors. You’ll also find some sites heavy with elements that do not give off the creative appeal that the designer tries to achieve. A website must have the right balance of colors and other creative elements, making the product or the content the page’s focus. A website should have the right place for all the vital elements.
The user should quickly see the navigation buttons, link to the contact page, sign up for a newsletter, add to cart button, call to action, and other functionalities for the users. It should have the right color combinations in the graphic elements, background, and typography. Typefaces must be easy to read, and images should be expressive and elicit emotional appeal. They should represent the company’s spirit and personality.
To conclude
Designing a website requires expertise and creativity. A website does not need to be colorful but should have complementary colors to show the product to its full advantage. A variety of fonts makes a site attractive, but it should be limited. The design elements should be balanced and creatively positioned to lead the viewers to the pages where they can find the products they need and want to purchase.
