Web design may sound so complicated especially for somebody who doesn’t deal with it on a daily basis. But if you have to build a website - be it for personal use or to create an online space for your brand, you have to understand basic website design in order to create one that will effectively fulfill your objectives.
Leave the technical stuff with a website builder
In the past, if you want to create a website, you need a few hundred to thousands of dollars to hire a web designer and developer. Now, you can get a basic website builder to get you set up with the essential framework to get your site up - server hosting, a website template for your content and a custom website address. If you’re willing to pay extra - but still a fraction of what you would pay for professional services - you might even get premium service which includes a custom domain, extended customer support and bigger storage.
Before we delve into the main ingredients to create a basic website, it’s better to get the technicalities of actually building the website out of the way. As a powerful website builder, Strikingly gets you set up with a free basic website from which you can create an online space that’s uniquely yours.
Overall layout and appearance
The overall look and feel of your website is a crucial element of website design. When you build a basic website, always think of user experience and inclusivity. Think intuitive, soothing and inviting when you select one of the many free basic website templates on Strikingly’s collection. Our modern website templates are mobile responsive to help you create a positive user experience for your visitors.
Strong visuals, graphics and icons will supplement a good template choice. Direct your visitors’ eyes through good imagery and design. Logo placement, navigation and other visual elements can inspire brand recognition when done correctly.
Color scheme
Your choice of color palette and website typography helps form opinions in your users’ minds about your site. When selecting a color scheme, always keep in mind industry standards and perspectives as well as the kind of combinations that will work well with your brand. Certain colors elicit specific emotions to a viewer. For instance, fast food chains use red because the color appeals to a person’s appetite. Yellow is for wisdom so it’s a great color choice for innovative startups and marketing agencies. Lawyers and accountants use green or blue to express professionalism and black and white on a basic website helps to emphasize vibrancy of images and visuals.
Certain industries also use common typography or fonts to convey their message. Formal professions - lawyers, accountants and professors, for instance tend to lean towards the serif fonts or typewriter fonts. If you’re in the creative industry, the carefree playfulness sans serif or even script fonts might appeal more to you.
Content
When you create a basic website through a website builder, you don’t need to worry about the nitty gritty backend programming that makes up your site. You get to focus more on building your content and creating the right message that speaks to your audience. With that said, you don’t stop creating your website after laying down the color scheme and font combinations. Your content will affect whether or not your website will be effective in fulfilling its objectives.
Pay close attention to how each word “speaks” to your audience. Is your message clearly communicated to your visitors? Are you coming across as a trustworthy and reliable brand? It is important to create basic website content that communicates your message clearly. Test and re-test your call to action buttons and get regular traffic analytics data so help you understand how your audience is responding to your message.
