Creating an effective website design requires exceptional technical skills and creativity. However, anyone can improve their website layout and appearance by following the best web design practices. Whether you’re building or revamping a website, consider the following do’s and don’ts of web design to make your website stand out from the crowd:

The Do’s

Creating Similar Experience

There are dozens of devices available all over the world. From smartphones, smart watches, smart glasses to PCs and laptops, an online user can visit your website from anywhere and anytime. So, it’s essential for web designers to create a similar experience for all users, regardless of the device they’re using.

Easy Navigation

Another crucial factor to consider for the perfect web design is an easy web navigation system. Easy navigation is the foundation of smooth and seamless usability. It’s useless to create attractive website design features if users can’t access them easily. Your website should follow three basic principles:

• Simple – its structure should be as simple as possible.
• Clear – the navigation options should be clear and not ambiguous.
• Consistent – it should be compatible with the navigation system. The navigation of the other website pages should be the same as the homepage.

With easy navigation, users can move around your website with the least number of clicks possible.

Scan Pages

It’s common for users to visit your website by just scanning through it. On average, an internet user only spends as much as 8 seconds on your website to find something of interest. As a designer, it’s your job to prioritize content according to importance. By improving the visual hierarchy of your content, you can help a user find the content they are looking for in the fastest possible time.

Double-Checking Links

It can be extremely frustrating for online users to click a website link and get redirected to a page that says “Error 404: Page Not Found”. Every link should work the way it says it does. Getting redirected to unintended pages is not only annoying, but it may compel an online user to leave your website for a competitor’s site.

The Don’ts

Poorly-designed websites leave a bad impression on online users, the moment they lay their eyes on them. Here are some don’ts of web design that you must avoid at all costs.

Image of a poorly-designed website

Slow Loading

Nowadays, most people don’t have much time on their hands. Internet users tend to sift through information online, find the content they want and move on. So, if your website is taking too long to load, your users may leave your website and not visit it again.

Over-Promotion

Successful marketing is subtle. If you’re over-promoting your products on your website, it can steal the spotlight from the content the user wanted to see in the first place. This can also trigger a phenomenon known as banner blindness. This means that users will ignore anything that looks like an advertisement on your website.

Blinking Texts & Ads

Website content that flashes unnecessarily can be disturbing for the eyes. Most times, it distracts users from a website and in some cases, it can annoy people enough that they leave the website. Blinking texts and ads are hallmarks of poorly-designed websites. Avoid them at all costs.

Creating the perfect web design isn’t something that can be learned in a single day. With practice and perseverance, you can perfect the art of web designing.  Also, web designers must keep themselves updated about the latest web design trends in order to take their website to the next level.

For more information and expert advice on web design, keep in touch with us.