How to Balance Creativity and Functionality in Your Website

A website makes it easier for people to find you and read about your brand anywhere and any time. Having a website increases your credibility and helps you to expand your market.

One question people ask themselves when building a website is, “Do I?want it to be creative or functional?” Incorporating creative elements such as custom fonts and interactivity can attract prospective customers and truly make your website a remarkable one. APPS is an interactive website that shows how apples can be made into apple cider wine. While the website has a visualized action simulator that illustrates the process behind cider-making, it takes a while to load.

A website may be beautifully designed but is information readily available, and is it user-friendly? Plerdy.com wrote that the Dom Perignon website is stylish and elegant in design, but information is not readily accessible. According to Muckrack.com, the human attention span had dropped to eight seconds from 12 seconds in 2000 which means that many websites are prone to snap judgments from potential consumers. Fancy fonts may be cool but hard to process, and lists are better at keeping consumers engaged.

Functionality and creativity can work together when creating your own space online. The end game for any web design is to convey information about your product or brand while being visually compelling.

Let’s take a look at what you really need to focus on when creating a website.

Your Website Is An Extension of You

You can never get a second chance to make a first impression. Your website represents your brand and should be trustworthy and reliable.

A lot of people spend most of their time online researching information about a product before they make a purchase. A well-designed website will encourage potential customers to stick around and ensure that you maintain an online presence.

Be specific about your audience so that your content, expectations, and designs are straightforward. Once you have identified your target audience, your visual branding should be consistent with your service and personality.

Make a list of what you would like to post on your website. Adding a blog will also direct traffic to your website and demonstrate your expertise in a specific industry.

How to Get Inspired When Designing Your Website

The internet can be an intimidating place and creating a unique website is crucial to capturing the attention of your audience. Feeling uninspired is natural and happens to everyone from time to time.

Designing a website and keeping up with trends can be exhausting. One way to learn new styles and elements is by exploring the work of other designers. Visit websites that you are fond of as well as the ones you don’t like. This will help you to identify what you want to achieve and how you can stand out from your competitors.

Inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes we have to look at a situation with new eyes, or it may come to you while making breakfast or chatting with your neighbor. Searching for keywords related to your brand or product or visiting one of the many social media platforms on the internet can stimulate your creative juices.

Tips for selecting themes

A website that is not functional and disorganized can leave a bad impression on your brand. Visitors will become frustrated and leave the website if it is challenging to navigate.

There are three questions you should ask yourself when choosing a theme for your website.

1. Is it responsive?

Your content should be readily available and easy to navigate. A website needs to be able to function on multiple devices, not just a desktop. It needs to be mobile-friendly and easy to load as this will increase conversions and traffic to your website.

A simple theme may be faster to load on a mobile device, while a more impressive one may be cluttered with unnecessary features like intense animations. A functional and responsive theme also has to be compatible with popular web browsers so that all users can have a good experience.

2. When was it updated?

An increase in internet activity means there is also an increase in security threats. You should always look out for a theme with excellent support development. Choose a theme that is always kept up to date to ensure that it does not break.

3. Is it compatible with plug-ins, apps, and extensions?

Customize your theme to match your brand and add special features that will provide functionality. A theme that comes with pre-installed page builders does not offer much freedom in creativity and functionality. WordPress is a hosting platform with approximately thirty thousand (30,000) themes according to Scepter Marketing and over fifty thousand (50,000) plug-ins available.

When choosing the right theme for your website, you should experiment with different colors, fonts, and typefaces to achieve that perfect look and feel. Some consumers will leave a site if it is not aesthetically appealing.

Making Your Website a Fun Interactive Space

In order to maintain your customers, you have to make your website engaging and enjoyable. Your website is your most crucial marketing tool, and you want it to make an impression on people. According to Specbee, “providing a user experience without interactivity is like opening a store filled with inventory without a salesperson to interact with it.”

An interactive web design allows users to engage with your content and stay on your site for a longer time. The following examples can be used to create an enjoyable and memorable experience for consumers.

1. Information can be made into interactive graphs and maps that can be placed anywhere on your website.

2. Encourage users to share your content on social media.

3. Include sufficient contact details. Many businesses miss out on positive feedback because users cannot find any contact information.

4. Incorporate quizzes and user-generated content on your website. Many people do not trust marketers and think advertisements are not truthful. Consumers want to know that “real people” are using your products or services.

How Important Branding Is For Your Website

Creating a website and building your brand go together and can also set you apart from your competitors. The Balance Small Business wrote that branding was defined “as a name, slogan, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of those things.” Branding now takes into consideration your personality, values, how you interact with customers, advertising as well as your logo design. A consistent brand is easy to notice, helps you stay in tuned with tasks and goals and makes individuals feel more comfortable.

Branding supports advertising as it helps establish connections and build long term relationships with customers. A strong brand will also provide direction and motivation for team or staff.

Making your own space on the internet enables you to connect with the world and build your online image. In order to elevate the design of a website, you have to incorporate both creativity and functionality. Decide on the features you want for your website and identify your end goals such as how you expect it to function and how consumers will interact with it.

Contact [email protected] or request a free website audit here to learn more about how your website and local search marketing can increase your visibility and business in 2022.