So you want to design a website…

Building a website isn’t easy. It’s one of these things that you tell yourself is simple enough to do, but once you get past picking which **~aesthetic~** design you prefer it can be daunting. There’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of thought and a tonne of practice. There’s also quite a bit to think about, especially if you’re building an online store, and once you start it can very quickly begin to feel like pushing sh*t uphill. 

We’ve all been on a website that hasn’t worked properly; it’s clunky and nothing is where it should be, links don’t work, photos don’t load, or it looks like something made with early 2000s Geocities tech. 

Here are a few scary facts:

• 88% of users won’t return to a site if they have a bad user experience (UX)

• Over 35% of users will stop interacting with a poorly designed mobile app or site

• 70% of users will abandon a shopping cart due to poor UX

If your website is where you’re going to funnel a lot of your business then you can’t afford to muck around. If it was up to us we’d say outsource. Leave it in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. But we also know that isn’t always an option. 

So if you’re digging your heels in, and have decided that you’re going to build your own site then here are our top tips to help get you started.

1. Define your website's purpose and target audience

Before you choose your layout or even the platform on which you’ll build your site, it’s important to identify who your audience is, and what your website is doing. Is it just a placeholder for contact details or will it serve as your main hub of business revenue? Knowing the answer to this will help you tailor your content, design, and functionality. 

2. Plan your website structure and navigation

Yes, it’s boring. No, you don’t get to fiddle around with funny backgrounds. Before you dive in you need to establish a logical structure for your website and determine how you’ll organize your content in a way that makes it easy for visitors to navigate. 

When you do finally come to the fun part make sure you’re using clear and intuitive menu labels and ensure that important information is easily accessible. Don’t feel the need to be a trailblazer when it comes to navigation. Remember the three-click rule: your clients should be no more than three clicks away from what they’re looking for.

3. Focus on responsive design

With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s crucial to create a website that is mobile-friendly and responsive. Ensure that your website adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions, providing a seamless experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Remember, the majority of visitors to your site will be on their smartphones. If it’s not mobile-friendly people will opt out quicker than you can say “I should have hired OkayVA”.

4. Optimize your website for search engines (SEO)

Here’s where things start to get tricky. We’ll have more information on the blog about SEO soon, but if you want to be SEEN you need to implement basic search engine optimization techniques to improve your website's visibility in search engine results. Research relevant keywords, optimize your page titles, meta descriptions, and headings, create high-quality content, and build backlinks from reputable sources.

Not as easy as you thought, huh?

5. Prioritise user experience (UX)

It’s tempting to use fancy website templates with a thousand click-through buttons and photos galore, but in the end simple is always best. Use familiar layouts for menus, avoid cluttering up pages with too much information, and continue to keep in mind how your visitors will feel when they load your page. Choose fonts that are in keeping with your aesthetic but are easy to read (NO COMIC SANS PLEASE), and make headlines bold and easy to see.

Does it feel both aesthetically pleasing AND easy to navigate? The easiest way to test this is to let a third party navigate, preferably not your 89-year-old pop with zero internet experience, but also not your business partner.

Website design is a big job. Not only does it include knowing how to make things look beautiful, but you also need to know a lot of funky tech stuff to make it work perfectly. We’re working on some digital downloads to help with website design, social media, and even inbox management. For now, if you’re giving website building a go save these tips somewhere safe, and if you get into trouble shoot us an email. We’re always happy to help!