All posts in Website Design Practices

Do you think of SEO and web design as separate elements of your website?

You shouldn’t.

In fact, to do both correctly, they have to work together. Google cares about how your site looks and feels more than you might think it does. Even if it can’t “see” it the same way a human user can, there are benefits to building a responsive website that will make your SEO more solid than ever.

Building rapport with Google takes more than keyword frequency. Here’s how you can make your website show up higher on search rankings and stand out from the pack:

1. Mobile matters.

At the end of 2017, Google announced on its webmaster blog that it was going to start indexing mobile sites first. Previously, the desktop version of a website was the one that would get indexed. But from then on, Google slowly began rolling out a mobile-first program.

Google knows what it’s doing. According to a Quartz report from media agency Zenith, 70 percent of all web traffic came from smartphones in 2017. And that number is only expected to climb.

Read more: 5 Ways Solid SEO and Web Design Work Together to Build Rapport With Google

Before visitors read anything on your site, they should be drawn in by an attractive web design. Learn how to create an eye-catching website here.

Did you know that 75% of people will judge the credibility of your business, based on the design of your website?

Thus if you want people to take your business seriously, you must give your website a good design. But if you know little to nothing about website design, you’re probably at a loss in terms of where to begin.

Read on, and you’ll learn the basic principles when it comes to creating an attractive website design. Use these tips, and you won’t have to worry about your credibility taking a hit due to a poorly designed website.

Let’s begin!

1. Keep things simple

If you want your website to be appealing, it’s a good idea to make the design as simple as possible.

When your website has a simple design, it will be easier for people to find the things that matter to them. Your website will also load faster on mobile devices, as there won’t be any unnecessary graphics.

2. Choose a color scheme

When designing your website, think about using a color scheme of some sort.

You should do this because the use of colors will make your website more engaging. That’s because you can use colors to draw attention to significant bits of information on your site.

When choosing a color scheme, try to select colors that represent your brand.

Read more: Build a beautiful website: Three tips for attractive web design

Wooing online shoppers can be tricky. While your website may look professional and include social proof and trust badges, you could be overlooking less obvious design elements that can affect conversions. But don’t worry; you don’t have to be a web designer yourself to understand and implement these four simple fixes.

1. Pick the right colors.

When choosing colors for your website, you shouldn’t simply pick your favorite. Instead, you need to consider the emotions each color will convey and if that emotion matches your brand. It’s commonly believed that certain colors affect the way we feel about a business, including whether we decide to make a purchase.

The color blue, for example, is thought to evoke feelings of trust, strength and dependability, which is why companies like Dell, Ford and American Express use it. On the other hand, companies like Lego, Nintendo and YouTube chose red because it tends to evoke excitement and youthfulness.

So consider what your website’s colors are conveying to your audience. Do you sell healthy lifestyle products? Then think about choosing green to evoke peacefulness and growth. And also bear in mind that using high-contrasting colors helps the most important elements, like call-to-action buttons, stand out.

2. Consider typography.
Just like colors stir specific emotions in people, so do fonts, so you need to choose typography for your website that represents your brand accurately. For instance, if your business makes hand-crafted furniture, you might consider choosing a font that tells your audience that reliability and comfort are important to you.

Additionally, creating enough spacing between lines of text will make your content easier for users to read. The magic line-height (the space above and below lines of text) is 150 percent of the font size you’re using.

3. Use negative space.
Negative space (or whitespace) refers to the space between all of the different elements of your website, such as that between header and content. Lots of negative space on your website is actually a good thing, allowing you to focus on the most important elements — like an eye-catching main image and call-to-action — and overall readability.

Read more: 4 Simple Web-Design Tips to Boost Conversions

While B2B sales are typically complicated, your website shouldn’t be (at least not to your user). Below are eight essential things every B2B website design must have:

1. Clear Navigation

Your website’s navigation is not the time to get creative with copy or design. The navigation is a utilitarian element and you want the user to easily find exactly what they are looking for (and quickly) through your main navigation.

2. A Homepage that Tells Your Brand Story

Always assume the user coming to your B2B website knows nothing about your company. As such, you want to take them on a journey, starting with an attractive hero image or video and a short and poignant brand statement. As the user scrolls down the page, engage them with subtle animation, short blocks of copy, and imagery to support it. Your website’s home page must give the user a reason to stay and explore further.

3. Products and/or Services Section
A section of your B2B web design must be dedicated to going into a decent amount of detail about your products and services. This can start with a product or services landing page that gives a quick overview of everything your firm has to offer.

From there, the user should have the option to go one step further and get to a page with more detail. However, when I say detail, I don’t mean a page full of long-form copy. I’m talking about concise, engaging bits of content with imagery, illustrations, photography, and/or videos to support it. You don’t need to tell the whole story, but enough of the story to educated the user so they are motivated to take action, such as filling out a form or picking up the phone.

4. Clear CTAs and Contact Page
Don’t make a prospect or client visiting your website search for how to contact you. Buttons, pop-ups, chat features, and an easy-to-find contact page are absolutely critical to any successful B2B website design.

Read more: The Top Elements of Effective B2B Web Design