In the not-so-distant past, many believed web design was all about simply how a website appeared on-screen and nothing more. However, with Google’s pursuit of optimal user experiences for those who use its search engine, it quickly becomes clear that appearance alone will do little to help a website’s rankings and subsequent performance. The term ‘user experience’ (UX) is now very much at the forefront of every web designer’s mind when they are designing websites. Whilst many might say that is purely to keep Google happy, the reality is that good web design that creates websites that visitors will like and enjoy will in turn, show Google that a website deserves a higher ranking anyway. Besides, suppose a website design is catering for its users. In that case, it should follow that those users will stay on the website longer, follow the calls to action that exist there, and are far more likely to return to that website and recommend it to others. Getting a website to a point where users are provided with an enhanced experience relies greatly on the website’s design. Several web design techniques can help website designers achieve this objective, and here are ten of them that most of today’s web designers will consider using. Nostalgia/Old Fonts People of all ages, even those considered young, love nostalgia, and this fact is being used increasingly by today’s web designers. One example of this is some websites being given aesthetics that remind users of ‘Y2K’ and in truth, this is occurring in many industries, not just web design where there is a resurgence of styles mirroring the early noughties. On the same theme, some websites now have fonts that have not been seen for ten or more years. The reason is not that web designers have no modern fonts to use, but rather that users have a desire to see fonts they remember fondly.
The homepage is arguably the most important of all the pages within a website that web designers create. Given that most visitors to a business website land on the homepage first, this page has the job of instantly connecting and engaging with visitors. If it does so, it will keep those visitors on the site, hopefully with them then taking the desired action. If not, they will click away almost immediately and likely never return. With this in mind, website owners must ensure that when their business website is being designed, they know what elements should be included on the homepage to maximise visitor engagement. To help them, we have selected some of the most effective ways of doing so in the seven tips outlined below. Make It Obvious What Your Website Is About Before they land on your website, visitors will have clicked on a link on another website, such as social media, an online business directory, or even a paid ad. When they do so, they will have an expectation of your website, so the homepage must immediately make it clear what your website is about.
