Building a website is easier than you think!
Whether you're a small business owner, a blogger or just someone with a message to share, designing a website can seem like a daunting task. But the truth is, with the right tools and guidance, creating a stunning web page design is well within your reach.
In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about how to design a website that looks great and meets your business or personal goals. From choosing the right website builder to optimizing for search engines, we've got you covered.
Forget about how much does it cost to build a website or any other doubts that might be holding you back. It's time to roll up your sleeves, unleash your creativity, and learn how to design your website like a pro.
Let's dive in!
Setting the Stage
The first step in designing a website is to set the stage for success. That means choosing the right website builder, picking a design that matches your brand, and setting clear goals for your website.
A. Choose The Right Website Builder
When it comes to designing a website, the right website builder can make all the difference. There are many website builders available, but not all of them are created equal. Consider factors such as ease of use, cost, and features to find the best fit for your needs.
Image taken from Strikingly
Once you've decided to design a website and chosen a website builder, take some time to explore its features and capabilities. Familiarize yourself with the user interface and get comfortable with the design tools. This will make the design process much smoother and ensure that you're able to create the website you envision.
B. Pick A Design That Matches Your Brand
There is one thing you need to remember when you design a website: Your website is the first impression that potential customers or readers have of your brand. It's important to pick a design that accurately represents your brand's personality and values. Choose a design that matches your color scheme, logo, and overall aesthetic.
As you browse through different design options, consider how they will look on different devices, such as smartphones and tablets. A responsive design is key to ensuring that your website looks great on any screen size.
C. Set Clear Goals For Your Website
Before you start designing your website, it's important to set clear goals for what you want your website to achieve. Are you looking to drive sales, generate leads, or simply provide information? Defining your goals will help guide your design decisions and ensure that your website is effective in meeting your business or personal objectives.
Take some time to think about your target audience as well when learning how to design a website. What are their needs and preferences? By keeping your audience in mind throughout the design process, you can create a website that resonates with them and drives engagement.
By choosing the right website builder, picking a design that matches your brand, and setting clear goals when you design a website, you'll be well on your way to designing a website that stands out and achieves your objectives.
Crafting Compelling Content
Once you have a website design that matches your brand and goals, it's time to focus on crafting compelling content that engages your visitors and keeps them coming back for more.
A. Write Copy That Grabs Attention
The copy on your website is one of the most important elements of your design. It's what tells your story, highlights your products or services, and drives conversions. To write copy that grabs attention, start by understanding your audience and what they're looking for.
Image taken from Strikingly
Here are some bullets to help you design a website that stands out:
- Keep It Simple
Don't use jargon or fancy words that your audience might not understand. Make sure your language is straightforward and easy to understand.
- Headlines Matter
Use headlines and subheadings to break up your content and guide your readers through your website. Make them attention-grabbing and enticing.
- Bullet It Out
Use bullet points to highlight key features or benefits. They're easy to read, and they draw the eye to the most important information.
- Show Your Personality
Inject some personality into your writing. It can make your website more engaging and memorable. Just make sure it's appropriate for your audience and brand.
With these tips, you can create a website that not only looks great but also captures your audience's attention and keeps them engaged.
B. Use Images And Videos To Enhance Messaging
Visuals can be a powerful tool in web design, helping to enhance your messaging and draw in visitors. Use high-quality images and videos that are relevant to your brand and message, and ensure that they're optimized for web use to ensure fast load times.
Consider using infographics or other visual aids to help explain complex ideas or data in a more engaging way. And don't forget to add alt tags to your images to improve accessibility and boost your SEO.
C. Create A Clear Call-To-Action
Every page on your website should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells your visitors what you want them to do next. Whether it's to make a purchase, subscribe to your newsletter, or contact you for more information, your CTA should be prominently displayed and easy to find.
Image taken from Strikingly
- Be clear and concise
When you design a website, your CTA should be simple and straightforward. This way, your visitors know exactly what action to take. Avoid using vague or confusing language that could deter visitors from clicking.
- Use action-oriented language
Use active verbs to encourage visitors to take action, such as "Download now" or "Subscribe today." This type of language helps create a sense of urgency and motivates visitors to act quickly.
- Make it stand out
Use contrasting colors, bold fonts, or other design elements to make your CTA stand out on the page. This will help draw visitors' attention to the button or link and increase the chances that they will click.
- Add persuasive elements
Consider including social proof, such as customer testimonials or reviews, to show visitors that other people have benefited from taking the desired action. You could also add a sense of urgency, such as by offering a limited-time discount or promotion, to encourage visitors to act quickly.
Creating a User-Friendly Design
When you design a website, it can make or break the user experience. To ensure that your visitors stay on your site and engage with your content, it's crucial to create a user-friendly design that is easy to navigate, works well on all devices, and loads quickly.
A. Ensure Easy Navigation
Easy navigation is key to a user-friendly design. Visitors should be able to find what they're looking for quickly and easily, without having to dig through multiple pages or menus. To achieve this, use a clear and consistent navigation menu that is easy to understand and use.
Organize your content logically, with clear headings and subheadings that guide visitors through your site. Use internal linking to connect related content, and make sure that your search function is easy to find and use.
B. Create A Responsive Design For All Devices
In today's mobile-first world, it's essential to create a website design that works well on all devices, from desktops to smartphones. Responsive design is the key to achieving this, as it allows your website to adapt to the size and orientation of the user's device.
Use a website builder like Strikingly that allows you to create responsive designs with ease. Test your site on multiple devices and screen sizes to ensure that it looks and works well for all users.
C. Optimize Page Load Speed
Page load speed is another critical factor in user experience. Visitors are unlikely to stick around if your pages take too long to load. To optimize page load speed, use a website builder that provides fast and reliable hosting, and optimize your images and other media for web use.
Minimize the use of large files or unnecessary plugins that can slow down your site, and use caching and other optimization techniques to speed up page load times.
By creating a user-friendly design that is easy to navigate, works well on all devices, and loads quickly, you can ensure that your visitors have a positive experience on your site and are more likely to engage with your content.
Adding Value with Features
If you're looking to add more value to your website, it's time to explore the world of features. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
A. Utilize Strikingly's apps and integrations
Strikingly website builder is packed with apps and integrations that can help you take your design a website project to the next level. From adding a live chat feature to integrating with your favorite social media platforms, Strikingly makes it easy to add the features you need to succeed.
And the best part? These apps and integrations are all built into the platform, so you don't have to worry about dealing with clunky code or complicated installations.
B. Incorporate e-commerce and contact forms
If you're looking to sell products or services online, e-commerce is the way to go. With Strikingly, you can easily add a store to your website and start accepting payments in no time.
But even if you're not in the business of selling products, contact forms are still an essential feature to include on your website. They allow your visitors to get in touch with you quickly and easily, which can help you build trust and establish a rapport with your audience.
C. Add social proof with testimonials and reviews
Social proof is a powerful tool that can help you build credibility and establish trust with your visitors. And one of the best ways to add social proof to your website is by incorporating testimonials and reviews.
Strikingly makes it easy to add testimonials and reviews to your website, allowing you to showcase your happy customers and build trust with your potential ones.
With these features, you can take your website to the next level and make it truly stand out from the crowd.
Optimizing for Search Engines
Designing a website is just one piece of the puzzle; you need to ensure your site is easily found by your target audience. That's where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. By optimizing your site for search engines, you can increase your website's visibility and attract more visitors.
A. Conduct keyword research
Before you start optimizing your website, you need to understand what keywords your target audience is using to find businesses like yours. There are several tools available to help you conduct keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush. Once you've identified your target keywords, you can use them strategically throughout your website to improve your search engine rankings.
B. Optimize on-page elements
On-page optimization refers to the optimization of the content and HTML source code of a web page. This includes optimizing your title tags, meta descriptions, headers, images, and internal links. By optimizing these elements, you can improve your website's relevance and authority, making it more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
C. Build high-quality backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. Search engines view backlinks as an indicator of the quality and relevance of your website. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more likely your website is to rank higher in SERPs. You can build backlinks by creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to, reaching out to other websites and asking for links, and guest posting on other websites in your industry.
Testing and Launching Your Site
A. Test your website for functionality and usability
Once you've built your website and you’re done with your design a website phase, it's essential to test it thoroughly for functionality and usability. Test every page, button, and form to ensure they work correctly. Check your website's loading speed and ensure that it works well on different devices, such as desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. By testing your website, you can identify any issues and fix them before you launch your website.
- Check every page, button, and form for functionality
- Test loading speed for each page
- Ensure the website is responsive and works on various devices
- Review the site's usability and make necessary changes
- Identify any errors or bugs and fix them before launching
Image taken from Strikingly
B. Launch your site with a bang!
Now that you've tested your website and are confident that everything works smoothly, it's time to launch your website with a bang! You can promote your website on social media, through email marketing, or even by running online ads. Make sure to tell everyone about your new website and encourage them to check it out. A successful launch can create a buzz around your website and help you achieve your goals faster. So, don't be shy about promoting your website and showing the world what you've created.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have made it to the end of this guide on how to design a website. Designing a website doesn't have to be a daunting task. With the right website builder, clear goals, compelling content, user-friendly design, value-adding features, search engine optimization, and thorough testing, you can build a website that stands out in today's digital age. Whether you're building a website for your business or personal brand, Strikingly has got you covered with its intuitive website builder and useful features. So, what are you waiting for? Get started and create your website today!
