It takes less than a second for an individual to decide whether to stay on a website. So, how do you convince visitors that yours offer something unique, compelling, and worth their time? An organized layout, visually appealing color scheme, and informative content can ensure visitors stay on your website and get to know your organization! Yet establishing these elements requires expertise and creativity, so turn to a digital marketing company with award-winning website design services. Such a team possesses the skills and experience to ensure your website generates traffic and conversions.
KME.digital works tirelessly to put our Washington, DC, clients at the forefront of their industries. We leverage content marketing, paid advertising, UX design and development, and more to boost your organization’s website visibility. These efficient strategies allow us to create customized digital marketing solutions that suit your company’s goals. To learn more about our high-impact digital marketing services, call (703) 585-3321 today.
Below, we highlight the top 6 elements of an effective website design:
1. Layout and Visual Appearance
As in all things, first impressions are critical for attracting visitors, keeping them engaged, and guiding them through the sales funnel. Therefore, your website’s layout and visual appearance are integral to its traffic and success. An experienced web design team can help your organization create a website that reinforces its branding and value points.
Generally, website layouts should be clean and accessible. Incorporate ample whitespace so critical elements have “breathing” room, and utilize grid-based designs for a sense of organization. Incorporate appealing and appropriate images, icons, and graphics to provide visual information supplemented by content. Speak with your web designers about the types of website visual hierarchy to direct visitors’ eyes to certain areas of your design.
2. Color Scheme
Your chosen color scheme directly informs visitors’ opinions of your website and brand. Research and brainstorm crucial factors—industry perspectives, mission, services, and target audience demographics—to determine the best color palette for your brand.
For example, a law firm might select blues and greens for its website to signify professionalism and a sense of security. Meanwhile, a photography company could use black and white to highlight its vibrant photographs. For a professional’s input, hire a website design service to curate mood boards, color palettes, typography, and more within a branding guide.
3. Typography
Words encapsulate only part of your messaging—their appearance also plays a role. While typography may seem inconsequential initially, it affects visitors’ impressions of your website design. Determine your typography style based on your branding, tone, and audience.
You should seek an intersection of readability and style: find a contrast between the copy and background to ensure the text’s visibility. Unique typography may create an eye-catching website and brand, but overly elaborate or strange fonts might alienate audiences. Try pairing a serif font with a sans-serif font. You can use a stylish font for headings since they should stand out, then apply something more conventional for the body text.
4. Navigation
While creativity is critical to website design, it should not be the primary goal of navigation. Keep the main menu straightforward and intuitive—a website with unusual navigation easily confuses and loses visitors. Further, your headers, body copy, and footers should guide visitors throughout the page. Direct website traffic to the relevant information quickly rather than overwhelm them.
For example, many businesses debate adding a “hamburger menu” to their website because it is recognizable, clean, and helpful in navigating users to other pages. Yet hamburger menus generally have low engagement, are inefficient, and signify other pages as unnecessary. That said, it should only be used for mobile responsiveness.
Seamless navigation extends beyond a main menu header. For instance, a “back to top” button can quickly send users back to where they started. You might also add a supplemental footer navigation menu. Users scroll more than we might expect, and many brands see a massive increase in conversion rate by adding a call to action in their footer. An expert website design service can help you track conversions on your website and interpret that data to boost conversions.
5. Content
To bring all the website elements together, include compelling website content! Pay attention to how your messaging interacts with your design. Your copy should be informative yet direct. Visitors want to know if your business is trustworthy and offers valuable services.
So, prioritize clear communication with easy-to-read, digestible information. Look closely at each word you write—be concise and stick to your brand messaging. Use visually appealing headings and succinct text to avoid overwhelming your audience. Moreover, look beyond your homepage—ensure your “About Us” and “Contact” pages have the correct tone and convey the information needed to garner trust and generate high-quality leads.
6. Mobile Responsiveness
So, you finally have the perfect website—but how does it look on a smartphone? How about a tablet? Responsive digital content these days entails building a website that can fit multiple screen sizes. It’s not a compelling feature anymore—it’s a necessity for SEO.
Furthermore, track and improve your core web vitals to measure how well your site delivers a high-quality user experience across devices. Responsive websites rank well in mobile and organic traffic results.
Creating a mobile-friendly website entails:
- Developing a responsive layout
- Optimizing site speed
- Compressing images
- Using a large, readable font
- Changing button size and placement
- Using links sparingly
Always test your site on mobile devices before you go live. Hire a website design service to help you create a website that resonates with your target audience, shows up on search engines, and represents your company well.
Award-Winning Website Design Services in Washington, DC
KME.digital’s in-house web development team and suite of marketing services make us the digital marketing company for you. Washington, DC, businesses turn to us for stunning website visuals, compelling content, and effective advertising to promote their brand and generate leads. Our website design services keep you ranking high on search engines and increase conversions on your website. To learn more about how we can transform your company’s website, call (703) 585-3321.