How important is web design for your business? One eye-tracking study measured how people use websites. They formed an impression of a company based on the design in about six seconds.
The first impression you give your customers will influence how long they stay on your site, how many pages they visit, and whether or not they want to make a purchase from you.
More than half of users won’t revisit your site based on looks alone. If you’re struggling to build a beautiful website that people will love, you need some web design inspiration.
Keep reading to learn the top web design tips and inspiration to create a site that will get results.
1. Research Other Examples
There are millions of websites in existence today. Some are better than others. Your job is to look at websites in your niche to see what others in your industry are doing.
As you look through these sites, make notes of what you like and what you don’t like about them. You should experience these sites on your desktop and mobile devices. Your visitors will use both, and you have to keep that in mind as you design your site.
2. Know Your Brand
If your company was a person, what would they drive? What would they wear? How would they shop? These are questions that will help you bring your brand to life.
It also makes it easy to know who you want your site to appeal to. You can then note the core emotions of your brand and work to communicate them in your design.
3. Understand Design Elements
There are basic elements of design that are used to convey an association in the mind of the visitor. That association is translated into an emotion.
The basic elements of design are type, color, scale, line, whitespace, shape, and imagery. It’s a good idea to learn about each element and see how they can influence emotions.
Visit the websites in your niche and look at each of these elements of design. Look at how they’re used and see if you can tell how they communicate what the brand is about.
That should give you enough inspiration to use the different elements of design throughout your website.
4. Communicate Feelings
A website should be designed in a way that makes people feel something when they visit. They may feel elegance or playfulness. One site that you can visit for sophisticated web design inspiration is David Yurman. This is a high-end jewelry design store that does a great job explaining the exclusivity, luxury, and sophistication of the brand.
You want to use the design elements described above to create feelings that are consistent with your brand. A playful website will have bright colors and bubble fonts that communicate fun and play.
5. The Technical Side of Web Design
There are technical aspects of website design that you have to get right. For starters, your website has to be responsive, which will allow the site to work on any device.
Your site also has to load quickly. Websites that load quickly are more likely to close sales and increase their sign-ups. The site’s design should also have analytics to measure traffic and set up for SEO.
If you’re not sure how to get this part right, then you’ll want to hire someone to help you. You’ll want to hire a modern website design company that’s up to speed on the latest trends and technology.
6. Design for Users
Your site’s design has to appeal to users. When you design your site, you have to think like a user and know what they want from a website.
Have you ever visited an ecommerce site that makes product recommendations? The reason why is because 63% of mobile users will buy from companies that make personalized recommendations on mobile devices. People love personalized content, and they’re willing to make impulse buys.
When you design for users, you have the most relevant information front and center. You also design your site in a way that encourages one single action, whether a visitor should sign up, book an appointment, or make a purchase.
One site that does this incredibly well is GMB. It’s a fitness site that tailors content according to a visitor’s fitness goals.
7. Test and Adjust
Small business owners tend to have an idea, rush to execute the idea and launch it. Flexibility and drive are among the greatest strengths a small business has in a competitive marketplace.
That rush to get things done can also be an Achilles heel. In the case of web design, you may rush the launch of a website without testing it first.
That can do more harm than good, because the site may have navigation issues, or have other bugs. Your reputation will take a big hit. In 2014, Marks and Spencer relaunched a website that was responsible for an 8.1% decrease in sales.
Take the time to test your site on a variety of devices. Ask a small group of users to test your site. They should make notes on the speed and usability of the site, along with any other issues.
Web Design Inspiration for a Successful Website
Web design isn’t easy. You have to have a deep understanding of your audience and your brand to make it work. Get the design wrong, and you can damage your bottom line and your reputation.
Don’t be afraid to look to other companies for web design inspiration. Learn what they do well and learn from their mistakes. You can take those lessons into account to create your own stunning site.
Did you find this article helpful? Take a look at the Graphic Design section of this site for the latest design trends.
