Think about why you started your business in the first place. What made you start your business? Was it because you wanted to help people? Or was it because you had a passion for something?
That’s the essence of your business. Figure out what your business is about and then you can build a functional website around it.
Creating a functional website can be a complicated process; You need to consider several aspects including the content, design, and functionality of the website.
However, with a few simple tips, you can design a functional website in just a few easy steps.
Among the essential steps to make a website effective is determining the landscape, which is the process of determining what the features of the site must be and which are desirable.
That process involves referring to your goals, market, and desired features.
In short, your website must have the necessary features in order to accomplish its intended purpose. Once these are determined, the next step is to select the right design elements.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a functional website that’s user-friendly and looks great in a few simple steps.
Improve Your Page Load Time
One of the best ways to reduce page load time is to optimize your HTTP requests. HTTP requests are essentially the way that web browsers request content from a server and get it on a page. Every file on your website makes separate HTTP requests.
The more files that you have on your page, the more HTTP requests your browser will need to make to render them. The more files on your page, the longer it will take to load.
Increasing your page speed is essential for search engine rankings and the user experience. A website that takes too long to load can drive visitors away and increase bounce rates.
By reducing the page load time, you’ll be able to attract more visitors, and attract more qualified leads – the kind of leads that can turn into customers.
According to pingdom.com, your web page should load within 2 seconds. Anything more than this can result in an increase of 32 percent in bounce rate.
Google Analytics is another great tool to measure page speed. You can see which pages take longer to load, and compare them over time. Then you can make alterations that will increase your page speed.
By using the right tools, you’ll likely notice improvements that you’re not even aware of. You’ll know which pages are causing the slowest page load times, and what you need to do to improve them.
Make Your Navigation Clear And Simple
Your navigation should be easy to understand for your visitors. Using dark colors for your links and buttons can confuse your visitors, which will only make them work harder. To make navigation easy to use, consider the following steps.
Make the labels for each menu option bright and prominent. Ensure that the color of each menu item is brighter than other links. Using a heat map tool like Crazy Egg is an excellent way to learn where visitors are looking and where they’re getting lost.
Adding search functionality to your website is an essential component of good navigation. You can customize the existing navigation menu by adding additional pages.
You should have an easy-to-use navigation menu that guides users to what they’re looking for.
The next step is to test how your navigation looks on different devices. Try to optimize your navigation menu on smaller screens. You should also keep the titles clear and avoid riddles.
Use White Space For Legibility And Simplicity
How to use white space for simplicity and legibility on a website? First, define the purpose of whitespace. The term white space is used in many contexts, including art, printing, and web design. It refers to the emptiness around content.
The objective is to make content easily readable, yet avoid clogging the space with unnecessary elements.
A proper balance of negative and positive space on a website is essential. The use of positive and negative space is important to create a user-friendly experience.
A proper balance between negative and positive space is crucial to achieving the end goal of communicating effectively. By following these seven simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a website that will be easy to read and navigate.
When designing a web page, you need to avoid clutter and cluttered content. Use white space to break up multiple content elements. Make sure that the content on each web page is no more than 15 points. Anything beyond 15 points is best placed on another page.
Also, be sure to prioritize the content by priority, not by size. For instance, a long-tail keyword should be listed first and then a link to a related topic.
Make Your Design Accessible With Alt Text
In order to create an effective and accessible design, you must ensure that your images have appropriate alt text. Alt text can be read aloud or transcribed elsewhere to accommodate people who cannot see or read.
Alt text should be informative and succinct, but should still convey the same message as your visible copy. This will increase the overall user experience as well as accessibility. Read on to learn how to write effective alt text.
When writing alt text for informational images, make sure that it is informative and useful. Informational images such as graphs and charts need complete text equivalents.
A further explanation should be given in the image caption or body copy. Images of text aren’t allowed in web content accessibility guidelines. Use the same text as the image’s alt attribute.
Functional images, on the other hand, are images that initiate actions or provide information. These include buttons, links, interactive elements, and other types of images.
When writing the text for images, use punctuation. This will help people who have visual impairments read the text. It will also help people with learning and sensory processing disabilities.
Screen readers are assistive technologies for those with visual impairments. They read screen elements aloud or in braille. If a user can’t read the text, the alt text will appear.
In addition to this, your design will become more search engine-friendly when people with disabilities can view it.
Use Consistent Colors And Fonts
Your website design should be consistent. Match colors and fonts across all pages, including headers (H1 to H6), main content paragraph text, links, navigation, side-column text, and buttons.
Use CSS to maintain the same style and color palette across the entire product. You should also adhere to a grid. If you have multiple contributors to your website, consider defining a hierarchy for each page.
The colors you choose should be complementary to each other. While red is often a great accent color, you should stick to black for your longer copy and white for your headlines.
Black fonts are also best for highlighting key points, such as the call to action. Use a similar color scheme on your navigation bar. The same color scheme is also helpful when it comes to headings, but they should not be too small.
Avoid using too many fonts on your website. Studies show that consumers judge the credibility of a website within 3.42 seconds.
Therefore, consistent color and fonts are crucial to making a functional website. For example, Amazon uses the same Amazon Ember font on its homepage.
When you are making your website design, make sure to use only two or three fonts and colors. This site uses the same font across its site pages.
Make Your Website Content Informative And Relevant
When writing for your website, it is crucial to understand your audience.
Do you want to position yourself as an expert in your field or sell products? Or are you trying to build a relationship with your visitors?
Then you should use the appropriate tone and content for each. Speak the language of your audience. If your audience is technically-minded, use technical language.
However, if your target audience is not, avoid using too much jargon. The language you use should be conversational.
You can also demonstrate your expertise in your industry by using language that is clear and understandable.
In addition, make sure your content is easy to scan. Using short paragraphs, instructive headings, bullet points, and anchor points makes it easy to understand the context in a quick glance.
Secondly, make sure that your content is easy to read and share. Try using lists, how-to lists, and best-of lists. People like to share information they find useful.
Adding bold titles and subheadings to your content will make it easy to read and share. You can also use a good font that is easy to read.
You should also make sure that your website is mobile-responsive. This way, it will be more likely to rank highly in Google search results and push your competitors down the list.
Keep Your Website Up To Date
It’s important to keep your website up to date so it remains relevant. This will help customers find you and contact you easily.
When your website is outdated, your customers will assume that your business has closed or that you’re not around anymore. By updating your website regularly, you will maintain your business’s credibility and avoid falling behind your competition.
You can do this by following a few easy steps. Here are some of those steps.
The first step in updating your website is to make sure it is compatible with all the latest versions of popular browsers.
If you’re designing a website for thrill-seekers, you may want to go for colorful graphics, while a website for other businesses should be more professional.
In addition, you should make sure the layout of your website is inviting enough to encourage visitors to explore every page. Lastly, make sure your website is secure.
HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP, and all respectable websites are using it. If your website is dealing with sensitive information, make sure it’s using it. Dead links on a website are a big turnoff to visitors.
The next step in keeping your website up to date is to make sure your content is always up to date. This includes content on your blog, FAQs, and contact page.
Your content should be consistent and reflect your business’s values. It’s a good idea to review the security and SEO of your site regularly.
It’s also a good idea to consider upgrading your website’s infrastructure every two to three years.
Conclusion
Writing a good website copy is harder than it appears. It is beneficial to hire a copywriter who can make your website more effective and impactful for your business’s brand.
Great web design is about more than having a nice-looking site; it’s how you communicate value to your visitors and clients.
By following these seven steps, you will have a functional website that your customers will enjoy visiting and that search engines will rank highly on SERPs.
Taking the time to develop a clear message can help your company grow and be successful. It’s important to know who your target audience is and what your business stands for so you can develop the right message for your customers.
By focusing on your target audience and message, you can develop a brand that will help your business grow and succeed.
