Tip #6: Treat web design like your firm depends on it – it might
A 2021 survey by Top Design Firms showed that 50% of buyers believe website design is vital for a company’s branding and 38% looked at a website’s overall layout and navigation when visiting a website for the first time. This is why it’s critical that you build a website that is based on best practices, not misguided myths. Here are some areas to consider when improving your website’s user experience:
- Use consistent color schemes that match your firm’s logo.
- Create a good 404 page so broken links aren’t dead ends.
- Ensure your website is optimised for mobile devices and responsive on different browsers.
- Rewrite your website content so it’s clear and concise with no unnecessary words.
- Break up long paragraphs into bulleted lists and shorter paragraphs.
- Use subheadings to break up content into sections
As a part of your website design, you should also consider the overall page load speed of your website. Speed isn’t a typical concern for website designers, but I include it because it affects the user experience, which is the overarching metric you’re trying to improve for your website. According to Google Search Advocate John Mu, you should aim for between two and three seconds. However, my time around website agencies tells me that you can design an engaging site with a clean, modern design that loads in under two seconds. Of course, fast websites don’t happen by accident. Here are some aspects of your website to optimise, so it loads quickly:
- Choose a good website hosting provider.
- Compress images and choose formats such as PNG or JPEG.
- Minify your website’s HTML, CSS, and Javascript code.
- Remove any unnecessary website plugins.
- Reduce the number of redirects
Implement these recommendations as you can, and you’ll surely see more interest from prospects!
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This article originally appeared on the Firm of the Future site by Adolfo Marquez.