NEWS

Factoring in a Modern Website

Having a website that draws your audience in is strategical. There are many factors that we take into consideration when it comes to designing a custom website that will reflect your company. We found a few tips we want to share with you.

1. Having a modern, professional logo. "Your logo is an important part of your brand, so make sure it's located prominently on your site," says Tiffany Monhollon, senior content marketing manager at online marketer ReachLocal. "Use a high-resolution image and feature it in the upper left corner of each of your pages," she advises. "Also, it's a good rule of thumb to link your logo back to your home page so that visitors can easily navigate to it."
2. Use simple, navigation bar that is well thought out. "Confusing navigation layouts will result in people quitting a page rather than trying to figure it out," Gatti says. So instead of putting links to less important pages--that detract from your call to action or primary information--at the top of your home or landing pages, put "less important links or pieces of information at the bottom of a page in the footer."
3. Get rid of clutter. "It's very easy these days to be visually overloaded with images, to the point where our brains stop processing information when confronted with too many options," explains Paolo Vidali, senior digital marketing strategist, DragonSearch, a digital marketing agency. To further keep clutter down on landing pages, "consider limiting the links and options in the header and footer to narrow the focus even further," he says.
4. Give visitors breathing room. "Create enough space between your paragraphs and images so the viewer has space to breathe and is more able to absorb all of the features your site and business have to offer," says Hannah Spencer, graphic designer, Coalition Technologies, a Web design and online marketing agency. "Controlling white space through layout will keep users focused on the content and control user flow," adds Paul Novoa, founder and CEO at Novoa Media. "With a lot of visual competition taking place on the Web and on mobile, less is more. Controlling white space will improve user experience, increasing returns from the website."
5. Use color strategically. Using "a mostly neutral color palette can help your site project an elegant, clean and modern appearance," says Mark Hoben, the head of Web design at Egencia, the business travel division of the Expedia group, who is also a believer in using color wisely. "Employing small dashes of color--for headlines or key graphics--helps guide visitors to your most important content," he explains. It is also important to use a color palette that complements your logo and is consistent with your other marketing materials.

How your website is laid out, what colors, fonts and images you use (or don't use) can mean the difference between success (low bounce and exit rates, high conversion) and failure (high abandonment, low sales). Contact us for a free website checkups to ensure your website is properly representing your organization. 

Article by Jennifer Lonoff Schiff