Best Website Design Practices To Create User-friendly Websites
One of the easiest ways to get users to return to your website is to offer them an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use website. If an element does not help visitors to grasp what they are expected to do next on your website, well, then quite frankly that element should not be included in the best website design. Luckily with the help of the following five best website design practices, that dreaded task of simplifying your website will be simplified for you.
Stick to Standard Navigation
It is not always the best idea to be different, especially when it comes to navigation. A navigation style might look impressive, but that does not mean it will necessarily impress your visitors – particularly when they find it too difficult to navigate your website. So, web designers should rather play it safe and opt for seven different menu options max.
Use a Colour Palette
You do not want your website to overwhelm any visitor and while you may think that there is no harm in using a wide range of colours, it can in fact weigh down your visitors.
There is nothing wrong with sticking to a monotone colour palette. By just opting to use a couple of tones and tints of a specific colour, your website designs can actually look more organised than what it really is.
Select Your Typography Wisely
Just like with colour palettes, it pays to use less. If potential customers cannot read your text, then what is the use, right? So, your biggest concern when it comes to selecting your typography is to find a typeface that will not make your visitors squint. It should have a standard shape and contrast well with the background. Also, to ensure that it is easier on the eyes, opt for bigger lettering (even when you are designing for mobile devices).
The ideal is to stick to only two fonts. You will use the one typeface for the main chunks of texts, while the other font should be used for display purposes.
Include Call-to-action Buttons
Every single visitor needs to know what you would like him/her to do when they visit your website. Should they sign up for free trial? Should they book a live demo? Should they subscribe to your blog? Whatever it is that you wish them to do, it should be clear.
To help you achieve that, double-check that all your different call-to-action prompts are big enough and placed in more than one strategic place. This will help to ensure that no potential customer will stroll (or rather scroll) too far away from that shopping cart.
Reduce the Number of Pages
There is no need for your web design to have too many pages. Instead, your website can still be just as successful (if not more) when you take that brave, bold step to remove any pages with information that is no longer relevant. Also, while you are at it, take the time to assess if all the related content has indeed been grouped together on the same page. This simple exercise will help you to improve your web page design so that the content becomes effortless to read and digest.
At the end of the day, website designers should not be afraid to remove any website design element that will just make it more difficult for visitors to do what they are supposed to do. It does not get much simpler than that!
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