Web Design That Stands The Test Of Time

The Digital Industry is an incredibly fast-moving industry.

Best online practices change extremely rapidly and if you're not entirely immersed in that world, it can easily feel impossible to keep up!

Changes in Google's Algorithms can lead to huge changes in Web Design and SEO practices (mostly these eradicate bad SEO... stuff that cheats the system).

Google likes to give its updates jolly names, like Panda, Pigeon, Fred and RankBrain.

This article covers web design principles that stand the test of time...

Whatever you do with your site now, and whatever might happen in the future - if you stick to these guidelines. You really can't go far wrong.

Much of the following might sound a bit daft, or at best bleedin' obvious - but if you're considering any Web Design / Development project, this list is where to start! 

Appearance

Your website has to look pretty… Duh.

In most cases, it should be polished and professional. Your website reflects your company, your products and your services, so it has to look good! More often than not your website is the first, and only, impression a potential customer receives of your company.

An attractive site generates a positive first impression is more likely to hold your visitor’s attention. A poorly designed site will likely turn potential customers off forever... it's that simple.

Consider:

• Colour - use a clear colour palette that compliments the brand well. 
• Easy to Read - use a nice, well-sized, appropriately styled font, and position it well.
• Graphics & Icons - good graphics can add to the brand and help to get your message across.
• Quality of Photography - especially important for E-commerce. Photos must be purposeful and of good quality. Low resolution images are hideous in most cases, and plain dull at best.
• Simplicity - the design should be simple and not overbearing. 
• Test it - Imagine the site visitor had only 5 seconds to look at the page. Did it look good? Did they get a feel for what you're communicating straight away?

Content

Substance over style!

Of course your website had to look nice, but it’s more important that it does its job.

Visitors come looking for information, and usually they want help in making a decision. The content is everything so your site has to be informative and relevant. Spend some time creating compelling content!

This boosts your potential customer's confidence in your companies knowledge and competence.

Consider:

• Short, Organised Copy - you've got 10 seconds (maybe less) to hook your visitor. Make the page scan-able, and get to the point. 
• Updating Content Regularly - there's little worse than going onto a site and seeing a blog from the middle of last year - It's half-hearted and careless.
• Speak to the Visitor - I'm talking about the actual language here. Less of the 'I' and 'We', and more of the 'you'. 
• [Optional] Hire a Pro - if you really struggle, consider hiring a pro. It's easy to get into a tizz with copywriting and there are plenty of good ones out there.

Functionality

Does every part of your website work as it’s intended to?

Again, this sounds a bit daft – but your site should work quickly and correctly.

Poorly constructed parts of your website leave visitors frustrated and disillusioned with your company. It goes without saying, but EVERYTHING should work as expected, and you need to check this regularly.

Consider:

• Hyperlinks - do all your links work correctly? None of this Page 404 nonsense!
• Contact forms - do your contact forms go through to the right place? Can you action them quickly? Potential customers don't appreciate no response to their queries!
• Site Search - are lists of results displayed well? Does the searcher get the information they want?
• Event Registration - Are you hosting an event? Have you held captured and stored the info of all the attendees well? Have you sent them directions or instructions for the event?
• Email Marketing - Are you capturing emails in a non-salesy, friendly way?
• Social Media Integrations - do social media integrations pull through your latest posts? Or are they stuck on Xmas 2017 updates?

And while we're on with 'checking' things...

Double, triple and quadruple check your copy (ie. what you have written on the page).

Check any facts and figures as you don't know who may be quoting you tomorrow. You do not want to be recognized or remembered for typos, incorrect grammar and punctuation, or misspellings. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar are totally unforgivable on a website, just as they are in other materials like brochures and posters.

Usability

Is your website nice to use?

The buzzword in the web design space is 'User Experience' or 'UX' - it's probably the most important factor.

When you think of 'usability', things that might initially spring to mind include: easy-to-read, understand and navigate - but it's so much more to usability that that!

Consider:

• Fast Loading Pages - a page should load in 5 seconds or less. Any longer, you've lost any visitors, they are just not sticking around these days.
• Minimal Scroll - particularly important on your home page. Create links for visitors to read more about a certain topic that interests them. Search Engines will reward you for this behavior.
• Consistency - site layout is extremely important for usability. Use a consistent layout and repeat certain elements throughout the site.
• Prominent, Logical Navigation - place your menu items at the top of your site. Limit your menu items, certainly no more than 10. Your visitors are in a hurry so don't make them hunt for information.
• Descriptive Link Text - makes it much easier for visitors and also is favored by Search Engines.
• Cross-platform/browser compatibility - different browsers often have different rules for displaying content. At a minimum, test your site in Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome and even the latest versions of Internet Explorer... (Although Microsoft has launched a new browser called Edge).
• Does it Answer All Questions - can every visitor find what they're looking for with three clicks?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Google is pretty much the centralized authority on what makes a good website (well, it's not quite, but it's as good as...)

SEO is the practice of understanding what Google looks for in websites, so they rank your website better for certain Keywords or Search Terms. 

SEO starts to get a little bit geeky, because you quickly dive into pieces of coding. While its fairly easy to learn, but can take a lot of time! 

The value in being one of the first search results in Google is incredible, SEO practitioners are paid very good money to keep their clients website on the first page. This is where much of the value of a Digital Agency lies!

You will want to look at your On-Page SEO, as well as all the links to your website, these are all fascinating topics for another time... but for now...

Consider:

• HTML - include plenty of written content in HTML format. Don't use Flash, JavaScript or image-only objects for your navigational items.
• Links - make them descriptive and use your keywords in the link text itself.
• Spread Keywords - use your important keywords frequently and appropriately in your copy. And do full research to make sure you're using the right ones!
• Styling - minimize the Use of Tables and use Cascading Style Sheets for layout and positioning; keep your HTML code clutter-free.

So, how does your current website stack up?

If in doubt, just put yourself in the visitors - and especially your potential customers - shoes.That is, after all, who you (and Google!) are trying to help. Make sure there are no feelings of clutter, confusion or dissatisfaction from using your website.