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You may have an existing website or are beginning from the ground up. Your choice of website design and development will determine the level of success you’ll have in running your company’s online aspects.
If you are a proprietor of an enterprise, you have to know the basics of website design and development. Your website is as important as bricks and mortar stores. It allows people to form an impression of your company and may boost (or reduce) the number of sales you make.
You’ll need the right website; however, it’s not enough to have an existing website. You need the best website. Web design and development are two tools you’ll employ to build a useful and visually appealing website that will bring your visitors to your brand and make them eager to purchase.
Website Design and Development: What’s the Difference?
It is common to hear the terms web design and web development interchangeably. Although they certainly complement each other, there are some differences between them.
A simple way to differentiate between the two is to note that design focuses on the user while the design focuses on the creator. But both have the same aim of creating user-friendly and visually pleasing websites.
Website Design
Website design is user-focused. It’s about what users can see and do on the website. It’s possible to think of design as interaction and visuals, and it’s usually created with image-based design software like Adobe. The terms UI and UX (which we’ll talk about in detail in the following sections) are also part of the design.
Website Development
The term “development” can be thought of as what happens behind the scenes. The programming and coding behind the scenes make the web design an active web page. Back-end and front-end are both an aspect of the development of a website. We’ll go over these in more depth further down.
Why Website Design and Development Are Important for Your Business
If you’re a brick-and-mortar business with a website looking to grow your online presence or you’re 100% online, your site is a crucial aspect of your company. It’s a reflection of your company, and for some clients, it’s your only chance to create a positive impression.
Like you wouldn’t want your clients to visit your store if it’s dirty, unorganized, or poorly constructed, you shouldn’t want them to navigate an outdated or non-professional website.
Your website should reflect your company’s image – an accounting firm’s website will look quite different from a company that sells toddler toys. It must also be fast to load and simple to navigate and use. If users have a positive experience using your website, it will help them form a favorable impression of your business.
Web Design and Development Should Be Part of Your Digital Marketing Strategy
You’ve probably already put in many hours creating informative content that your readers will appreciate, but optimizing content is just one aspect of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or making sure that your website ranks in search results. The design and development of your site can also play an essential role in SEO.
For instance, if your site is hard to navigate, visitors (and robots that search for it) may have difficulty figuring out the purpose of your site. Visitors will leave if the site is unorganized or features fonts or colors challenging to understand. A higher rate of bounce leads to lower search engine optimization.
When determining SEO, Google considers page speed (the time it takes for your site to render). Software such as Flash and JavaScript are difficult for bots to comprehend. A responsive design or ensuring your website is attractive across various devices is essential to SEO.
Main Aspects of Web Design and Development
Here are a few principal aspects that web designers and developers need that you should remember when developing (or redesigning) your website. Paying attention to these aspects will ensure that visitors visit your website, remain on your website, and take the actions you wish them to.
User Interface (UI)
UI is focused on all the ways users interact with the website. It covers things like links and buttons and text as well as images. It’s all the little elements of a site. Each must be developed in its way, but they must join to create an integrated website illustrated in UX.
User Experience (UX)
UX is among the essential aspects that web designers must consider when designing. Its name implies that it’s about how a user interacts with your site. It’s about how they browse the website and whether it’s easy or difficult to navigate. UX is about the user’s overall experience when they interact with the elements created by the UI and UI, which makes the two extremely interconnected.
Navigation
Navigation is the way users navigate around your website. It is the placement and purpose of home buttons, menus, and internal hyperlinks. You want your site to be as simple to navigate for various reasons.
The first thing you want is for users to remain on your website. The longer users stay longer, the greater the chance of a conversion. In addition, when visitors stay for an extended time on your website, this signals to Google that your website has valuable information that can assist in ranking your site higher.
Page speed
The human attention span is approximately eight seconds. Internet speeds have caused us to be impatient and given our expectations about the speed at which pages should load. If your website isn’t loading lightning-fast, visitors will hit the back button and then look elsewhere. Design and development require using the best concepts and the appropriate tools to ensure your website is lightweight and speedy.
Responsiveness
Mobile phones account for around 54% of all internet traffic. If you’re not making your website appear suitable on every device such as desktop, mobile, and even a tablet, then your users could be looking to a different website.
Have a look at your mobile’s website. If it’s hard to read, or navigate, or doesn’t appear visually pleasing, you’ll need to adjust it.
Google has recognized the importance of responsiveness to mobile devices and has begun rewarding mobile-friendly websites with higher rankings on the results pages.
Clear Calls to Action
There is a goal you want to achieve for the visitors to your website. They may wish to purchase something or sign up for your mailing list, or register to receive a consultation. It would help if you had distinct and consistent calls-to-action (CTAs) for your website, whatever your goal is.
If, for instance, you wish to get customers to sign-up for your newsletters, then you must make it as simple as possible for them to do this. The CTA must be visible and easily accessible. The design should lead your guests straight toward the CTA.
Works on All Browsers
The most undesirable thing is a site that works beautifully on Safari but fails to load on Chrome. Web developers can ensure that your site will appear and work flawlessly on every browser.
Branding
There are numerous ways to establish the brand name across your website. Your site can remain consistent by using specific colors or fonts. You can also use different types of images together with your logo. Your website’s design must convey your company’s particular product or service.
Accessibility
You’ll want to make sure your website is accessible to all customers, including people with disabilities. Use the accessibility checklist to ensure everyone can benefit from your website.
Visual Design
In the first place, your website’s purpose is to offer helpful information to your visitors. But, visual design is equally essential. The aesthetic trends of web design change constantly. Your website needs to keep up with these changes while remaining true to your brand.
Engagement
The design of your site must be engaging. Your goal is to make visitors customers, and this can be achieved only if your website keeps its focus. If your content is appealing and your layout is practical and appealing, users will spend lots of time browsing your website and eventually become customers.
Intuitiveness
A well-designed website can guide users through the desired task, similar to how search engines attempt to figure out what users are looking for and guide them to the right page and then point them to it. For instance, your site could have a blog that suggests other posts and pages on your website that the user will likely visit the next.
Your site might also determine where the visitor is in their sales process and direct them in the right direction.
Design and Content Work Together
Your site’s design will help promote your content. Visitors aren’t visiting your site to check out the design you’ve selected for your website. They’re there due to an issue or want. Your content and content alone, but not your layout, could offer them the solution.
Design and development are there to help support the content. Your design should be in harmony with the content you create and should not take away from it.
Error Handling
One of the main objectives of web-based development is to avoid mistakes. However, mistakes can occur. One of the most effective practices for design is to handle errors. That’s what your site informs visitors when they encounter an error. Visitors may be annoyed when there are no error messages or when it’s unclear or ineffective. Correct error handling could improve your overall UX.
Forms
If you’ve got any forms on your website, they should work properly and be simple. Users shouldn’t be required to jump through hoops to fill out an application, regardless of whether you’re collecting email addresses to offer them a discount or if they’re providing you with the necessary information to make an order.
Formulations should be simple to locate and only need pertinent details. Do not ask for more information than you need. Formulations should also be precise as to what the user needs to complete. Features that automatically move your cursor from one tab to another can be beneficial.
Website Design and Development: KPIs to Consider
The appearance of a stunning site is excellent. However, it is essential to determine whether your website is adapting to the way you would like it to. There are many crucial indicators of performance (KPIs) to consider.
The most important KPI you should consider is the conversion rate or the number of users who perform what you’re looking for on your site. The total number of people who visit. This KPI is vital because it doesn’t matter how many people visit your site if it isn’t making any progress.
Bounce rate and duration are also crucial. The bounce rate measures how many people visit your site but take no action. If your bounce rates are high, it indicates to Google that your website isn’t working. Session duration is another indicator of how long people stay on your website. Use this trio of KPIs to understand whether your site’s design is working.
The Importance of Iteration
Perhaps you had a fantastic website several years ago. Perhaps you’ve launched a fantastic site in the last couple of months. No matter the time who created your site, iteration is an essential part of the web design. Technology is constantly changing, and if you wish to stay competitive, you need to keep up.
A website that was top of the art just two years ago isn’t modern. While it might look impressive, it seems outdated to people who spend many hours online. The web is constantly changing, and people’s opinions about UX change over time. It is essential to update frequently to remain current.
When you create a new website, which will not do your work until you receive much data over a few months, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what does not. Ensuring that you’re constantly growing and improving your KPIs is essential.
Parting Thoughts
You may have an existing website or start from the ground up. Your choice of design and development will determine the level of success you’ll have with the web-based aspect that you run your company.
Web design and development aren’t easy, particularly when you don’t have significant experience developing websites. If you’re interested in creating an attractive website pleasing to your customers and resulting in more sales, we’re here to assist. Contact us now to talk about what we can do to help you.
