After months of hard work, a business is finally hitting its stride and the owner realizes that it’s time to expand its outreach and, by extension, its customer base. But how should they go about it? A website is an obvious choice, and more and more company owners recognize its importance, but what business owners often underestimate is the power of basic web design. After all, why does it matter how nice a site looks, as long as it’s functional? As it turns out, the way a site is laid out and presented means a great deal, and can make or break a site’s performance.
What do experts mean when they say “basic web design?”
A site doesn’t have to have fancy multimedia, first class art, or a pretentious tone to succeed. That kind of thing is typically reserved for a few select industries and for companies looking to establish a far-reaching brand. Perhaps a business owner wants to get to that level someday, but it’s not essential to dress up a site in intricate graphics to make it work.
However, there are several benefits to observing the fundamentals of layout and visual organization, and this can easily be handled by any experienced site development and design firm. In general, these are concepts that people agree are important to site functionality, and use peoples’ tendencies to generate a site that feels cohesive.
What are the benefits of basic web design?
A well-built site will offer immediate returns to a company, and some of them include:
- Improved navigation – If a potential customer cannot navigate a site, they will not buy from the company, period. Most experts consider navigation to be the most important element of a well-constructed site, and it is best handled by someone knowledgeable in visual layout. This will ensure a navigation that is clean, easy to decipher, and responsive. And with improved navigation, visitors are more likely to visit multiple pages and remain on the site longer.
- Improved content delivery – Copy, photos, videos and images all have to be arranged in a way that is easy for a visitor to look through. If the copy is just uploaded with images that aren’t scaled properly or videos that don’t load, it will leave a bad impression. However, a site that presents itself well will appear reputable and trustworthy.
- Improved SEO metrics – Over the years, sites have become predictable in some ways, such as where information is presented and how it is presented in the site’s HTML. For example, visitors expect the company’s name and logo, along with the most pertinent information, to be placed in the top left portion of the site. Search engines prefer this as well, assuming that a site that adheres to basic web design principles is more relevant and attractive to people. Companies that bring in a layout expert will be able to take advantage of these important concepts.
Basic web design is the foundation around which the company’s message can be effectively built. With it, a business will not only have a site that is commercially strong, but a site that the business owner can be proud of.