Tips For Redesigning Your Website
By Kiersten Leone, Content Creator at MSM DesignZ.
Having an online presence is important, but having a good online presence is even more important. Just like users don’t want to see outdated social media posts, they also don’t want to see outdated websites that are hard to navigate. According to our Senior Web Developers, Jennifer Hampton and Crizelle Ilejay, these are the best ways to improve your website:
When you are building your new website, you want it to mirror your brand’s image. And if you’re thinking to yourself “what is a brand image?” At MSM DesingZ, we can help with that too! Along with this make sure the website is consistent. Keep the same fonts and colors on all different areas of the website.
Using your own images rather than stock photos is also always better, even if they aren’t taken by a professional photographer. Consumers visit many websites everyday and can usually spot a stock photo right away. You also don’t want too many photos on your website, but you also don’t want too much text. Create a healthy balance of both by breaking up large paragraphs with your photos.
Another great piece to include on your website to prevent it from being straight company information is to add testimonials. Testimonials are a great way to showcase how people already feel about your brand. Be sure to periodically update testimonials because according to research by Search Engine Land, 69 percent of consumers believe that reviews older than 3 months are no longer relevant.
Search Option
Going along with the overall attractiveness of your website, you should try to split the website into clearly labeled categories so people can find what they are looking for. You can also include a search bar on your website so people have an even easier time finding what they need.
Responsiveness
Another crucial tip is website responsiveness. With more and more smartphones, tablets, and computers in the hands of consumers your website MUST be responsive and mobile-friendly. According to StudioPress, a responsive website means that whatever platform it is being viewed on, it will adapt to the size of the screen of the device. There are typically four different screen sizes that you should have your website adapt to: the widescreen desktop monitor, laptop size, tablet size, and mobile phone size.
Your company’s contact information must be prominent on your website because there is nothing more frustrating to a consumer than going to a website and not being able to find this information. Not only must this information be visible, it must be correct. If you prefer to have a contact form, make sure all the necessary fields are there and customers will not encounter an error when they try to submit a form or query.
Social Media Icons
Along with your contact information you should also have your social media platforms present in icon form somewhere near the contact information. So many users are on social media and often like to see how a brand is interacting with their fans, as well as what is going on with them on a more personal level than they can find on their website.
Subscription Form
If people are seeking out your website they have at least some interest in your company. Try utilizing a subscription form to capture people’s emails so you can create your own customer database. You can either have this form on either end of the screen, or you can even go as far as having a form pop up after they have navigated your website for a certain amount of time. If you sell products you can also offer promo codes, tips and tricks, and any other incentive for them to enter their emails.
Website Trends
In this last section, I am going to share some trends with websites that our Senior Web Developer, Crizelle Ilejay, can help you achieve!
First you can go for bright gradients and vibrant colors. Whether you make the background a gradient of your company’s colors or you use the effect over photos, it’s sure to catch the eye.
Next is creative typography. This tool is able to create personality, evoke emotion and set tone on a website all while conveying important information.
Custom illustrations are also great to show your playful and fun side while being original and in line with your brand.
Another great tip is going for a 50/50 split page design. Doing this gives your page an asymmetrical look between text blocks, photos, and white space.
The last trend is geometric grid layouts. Creating grids with images, textures, or animation are all great ways to take your content to new heights.
Are you now feeling inspired to have your website re-done? If so, we can help with that! Our website developers can assist you with creating a flawless, user-friendly design that your customers will be sure to love. Drop us a line to get a free quote.
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