Professional web design will include a balance between all of its elements. More so, the design will not only be functional but usable as well. When creating a website, there are many things that have to be taken into consideration to ensure its effectiveness. Even though some businesses are different from one another, operating in different industries, their websites still need to incorporate the ten following professional elements.
1. Top-Notch Content
No matter what is put into a website, it must have top-notch content. The content must make sense, be free of grammatical and spelling errors, incorporate effective keywords, including long-tail keywords, and more. It must be formatted correctly, using correct HTML, font size, headings, etc. Without great content, Internet users will find no significance in visiting the site.
2. Call to Action
Somewhere within the website, preferably on the homepage, there should be an effective call to action. In doing this, this will help to generate leads as well as close deals.
3. Easy to Navigate
People who are viewing a website will want it to be easy to navigate. From viewing different products and services to searching for certain content, there should be easy to read buttons, standard navigation links and more. Most people don’t like things that are flashing, so it is best to steer clear of flashing buttons and texts. At the bottom of the homepage, as well as on the bottom of other pages possibly, should be navigation links to a Sitemap, Privacy Policy and more.
4. Visually Appealing
Without visual appeal, a website is sure to leave a bad first impression.
5. Clear Structure
Another important element of professional web design is clear structure. Having a clear structure is not only important in and of itself, but it also helps to enhance the navigation of the site. A clear structure will also boosts a website’s search engine ranking, helping it to be viewed by more Internet users.
6. Good Header and Footer
The header of website is extremely visible. In fact, it will probably be more visible than the footer. The header and footer alike will be displayed on every page of a site, but the header is taken into extreme consideration by search engines when it comes to ranking a site. Within a header should be a logo, contact number and navigation buttons.
7. Contact Information
A website can have top-notch content, clear structure and be easy to navigate, but without proper contact info, a potential customer will become frustrated and take his or her business somewhere else. Contact information should always include an email address, phone number and mailing address.
8. Optimized Images
The images used within a website need to be optimized. In doing this, this will help improve the speed of a website, and good speed is essential in making sure viewers of the site stick around and see what is being offered. Optimized images will also help improve a website’s rankings on search engines.
9. Social Media Buttons
With so many people using social media as a form of communication and networking, every website should incorporate social media buttons into its content; therefore, allowing viewers of the site to easily share the content they find.
10. Custom Branding
To increase brand awareness, which will help boost profit levels, a company’s website needs to incorporate a color scheme, theme and letterhead that will effectively reflect the brand of the business.
