Your business website is an evolving creature that always has the potential to be better. The rapid pace of change in digital trends requires that designers stay ahead of the game. Keep your business website in the “relevant” category for web users, and make sure your design is up to par.
If you’re not sure about the design aspects of your business website, start from the foundation. Here are a few vital, foundational design elements that every business website should contain.
Elements of communication
Every business website designer is fairly familiar with the addition of a “Contact Us” page to their design, but there’s more to enticing communication than that one page. Learn how to use a call to action to encourage people to share their thoughts and experiences regarding your organization.
Listening to the people is a powerful tool for improvement. Web users will tell you what is good and what is bad about your organization’s whole digital process and presence. Use the information to move to the next level of service in business.
Navigational design is key
Web users need a simple way to move around your website’s content and explore. Traditionally, designers add a stationary navigation bar to the top or side of their site’s layout. Creativity in this department is great, but make sure to keep it simple enough to quickly follow.
If you’re having trouble seeing what you want to design, check out a few excellent example pages for reference. Here are a few viable suggestions. Take the time to explore several different suggested methods, and choose what best fits your vision.
Integrate social media sharing
Social media sharing icons are all over the internet, and that’s a good thing for your business website design. A simple icon is all that is needed to convey a very clear message, and web users are savvy to that message.
You can probably see it in your head already; a string of small icons with various symbols affixed to the design. Popular culture knows what to do with a little white ‘f’ inside of a blue square. Share. Check out how this Denver Law Firm integrated social media sharing icons into their website’s layout for an excellent visual example.
Mobile optimization is crucial
Web designers can no longer ignore the digital masses using mobile devices to access the internet. Designing content for a 15-17” screen is no longer a viable standard for a well-built website.
To rectify the discrepancy in size, add media queries to your website’s design coding. Media queries will set your content up to automatically adjust to the size of the screen currently viewing the material.
Learn the concepts of SEO
Search engine optimization is just as it sounds. It is a collection of concepts that will optimize your web content positioning in the search engine results pages (or SERPs). Ranking higher in the SERPs means more visibility for your business.
