Designing Your Website

It is not enough just to have a website for your company. In this age of technology, everyone has websites. The reason to why you should have a website is pretty obvious. It is highly probable that most of your target audience has an online presence and can be reached effectively via the internet.

Building a website is not an easy job. It all starts with planning. While in the planning phase and later in the building or implementation phase you need to keep certain rules or guidelines in mind to make the best use of your website.

What is the purpose?

Websites are built with different purposes. Some websites are only there for information, while others are there to make sales. What does yours want to do?

At the same time, you need to answer if your website design and message are aligned with the values and objectives of your organization or not. If you know who you are and what you want from your website, the later stages of development become easier.

Choosing a domain name

Come up with a memorable domain name that reflects the brand or your organization. A good domain name should reflect the brand, be simple and be search engine optimized. This will make the website more visible during searches enabling more people to visit it.

Choosing the right host

The host you decide on will depend on cost but more importantly, it will depend on what your requirements are and if your host will be able to provide those to you.

Some questions you will need to ask before choosing a host is whether your website will be responsive, the amount of traffic it can expect, if backup, security or additional features are required, etc. Some research needs to be done here to select the appropriate hosting company.

Clean, clutter free design

The effect of clean and clutter free design cannot be stressed enough. An appealing design makes the viewers more accepting to the message you want to convey. The quality of the design of the website is associated with the quality of the product or the brand value of the organization. Practically speaking, clean, clutter free websites are easier to navigate which gives the viewers the scope to browse properly.

Effective color scheme

Colors can easily evoke certain emotions in your viewers. Red, for example, makes the viewer more alert, while blue can have a calming effect. So why not use the colors to
get the effect you want?

Proper color scheme in the design of your website – in the logo, font or images can make your viewers more receptive to your messages. The appropriate color scheme will go a long way in creating a great experience for the viewers of your website.

Website functionality

It is always a good idea to see a website’s functionality from the perspective of the users. See if the contact form and customer feedback sections are working or not. Check for broken links and for any security issue with the website.

Any problem with the functionality of the website will drastically hamper the users’ experience and make them leave your website. Remember that time is a scarce resource and no one is willing to waste time on a non-functional website.

Compatibility and responsiveness

People use different browsers for different reasons. The more browsers your website is compatible with, the more audience it will be able to reach.

Not everyone will access your website from a desktop and since the use of handheld devices is increasing it is very likely that you will need responsive websites that can adapt to different devices flawlessly.

To sum it up, first, identify the purpose of your website and your organization in the planning phase. Select a good domain and an appropriate domain host. As you move on to build the website, keep in mind, the value of good design and color scheme and align these with the requirements of your target users. Lastly, check and recheck the functionality, compatibility, and responsiveness of your website from the viewpoint of the users.