Your website is the foundation of your digital marketing efforts. It’s where customers go to learn more about you, your products, and your services. That’s why it’s so important to have a website design that supports your overall marketing strategy. Here’s how you can create a website design that helps you achieve your marketing goals.
The purpose of website design is to create a user-friendly and visually appealing website that reflects your brand and attracts your target audience. Your website should be easy to navigate, informative, and engaging. It should also be designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind so that it ranks high in search results.
It might sound easy to design a website that ticks all these boxes, but a lot of thought needs to go into the design in order to achieve everything you need it to from a business perspective. There is a lot of research out there on what kinds of designs are best for all sorts of things, including accessibility and user experience (UX).
Here are some of the critical things you need to think about with your website design to ensure it will help you deliver on your marketing.
Use The Right Technology
The first rule of creating a well designed website is to use a content management system (CMS) and create templates that will technically help rather than hinder your marketing efforts. This means using a platform that is easy to update with new content and pages, as well as one that will allow you to integrate the tools and features you need to support your marketing goals. You’ll need to use a CMS and website code that will support your SEO too. If you’re at the website design stage, you could consult with an affordable SEO company to find out everything they would need in order to maximize their SEO efforts.
Design For Where Your Audience Finds You
Your website should also be responsive, meaning it looks and functions just as well on mobile devices as it does on desktop computers. This is important because more and more people are using their mobile devices to search the internet. In fact, Google has even said that they are moving towards a mobile-first index, which means they will be prioritizing websites that are designed for mobile devices over those that aren’t. Make sure your website design takes this into account and focuses on delivering a good experience for users regardless of the device they are using.
Think About The User Journey
When someone comes to your website, you need to think about what their journey will be and what you want them to do. This means having a clear understanding of your marketing goals and designing your website accordingly. For example, if you want people to sign up for your email list, make sure there’s a prominent sign-up form on your homepage. If you want people to buy your products, make sure the purchase process is smooth and easy. The user journey should be considered at every stage of website design, from the layout to the content to the calls-to-action (CTAs).
Make It Easy To Navigate
Your website should be easy to navigate so that users can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. This means having a clear menu structure, using breadcrumbs, and including a search function. It’s also important to use clear and concise language throughout your website, instead of using jargon or technical terms that might not be familiar to your target audience.
Use Engaging Visuals
Your website should be visually appealing as well as easy to navigate. Use high-quality images, videos, infographics, and other visual content to break up your text and add interest. Make sure your visuals are relevant to your brand and target audience. While many people use stock photos, you will want to plan to create some of your own visual materials in the future too. This will help to cement the look and feel of your brand.
Include Calls-To-Action
Your website should have CTAs that encourage users to take the next step, whether that’s signing up for your email list, downloading a freebie, or making a purchase. CTAs should be clear, concise, and visually appealing. They should also be placed prominently on your website so that users can’t miss them. You may want to ask your graphic designer to create different kinds of ‘buttons’ to help with your CTAs.
Conform To Accessibility Guidelines
This one is really important. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it can also help your website rank higher in search engines. Google has said that they are working on making their algorithm better at understanding a website’s content and delivering results to users based on that. One of the ways they are doing this is by taking into account a website’s compliance with accessibility guidelines. So, if you want your website to perform well in search results, make sure it is designed in an accessible way.
Do User Testing
Last but not least, don’t forget to do user testing. This is where you test your website with real users to see how they interact with it and what their overall experience is. User testing can help you identify any areas of improvement for your website. It’s a good idea to do user testing at different stages of your website design process, from wireframing to the final launch.
If you keep these things in mind when designing your website, you’ll create a site that not only looks great but also supports your digital marketing efforts. If you invest in good web design, you will make your life easier down the line when it comes to gaining customers and loyalty.