Designing Your First Website

Designing your first website is an exciting idea and it proves that you are ready to take your business to the next level. Despite this, a website isn’t something that appears overnight because it requires thought, planning, designing and implementation before it goes live. Therefore, if you are designing your first website, what do you need to think about when it comes to web design Cardiff?

Consider What Your Users Want

Sure, it is simple enough to create any kind of website then make it live for all the world to see. However, it’s not as simple as that because your website has to sell your business. It has to give you an identity and it has to give your users what they want.

As a result, it can help to see what they are talking about on social media, ask them what they expect and engage with them to see what makes them tick. Maybe they like a sleek and modern design with minimal functionality? Perhaps they prefer something simple that is easy to navigate and easy to use? Maybe they want large images for products and good descriptions while they might want a seamless purchasing experience.

When you design a website you are doing it for your users as much as you are doing it for your business because they both go hand in hand.

Look at Competitors

For any business that considers itself a success, then you, as the owner is going to know exactly who your competitors are. What this means is that you’ll know who the big players are and the ones that you are either chasing or competing with. Therefore, you can use their website as inspiration because if they are successful then there is every chance that their website is working wonders for them.

Take a look across a range of competitors and consider the design, the layout, the functionality, the structure and how they sell their services or products. Then you can begin to build from this while ensuring you do things differently.

Of course, underneath, your website is going to be doing the same thing but you want your visitors to feel as though you are better than your competitors and that you are offering more.

What features do you need?

Every website will require features of some sort. Whether that is a simple navigation menu, a detailed search function, chat, contact forms and anything else that might seem relevant.

Ultimately, these features will give your visitors something that enhances their experience. Sure, having a smart looking website is great but you have to go further than that. You need to make it possible for them to navigate around with ease, menus have to be clear or they might want to chat with customer services quickly and efficiently.

The features you offer will underpin the success of your site and that is crucial to ensuring you keep visitors engaged while forcing them to take action.

Make Sure You Use the Right Content

Ok, this is another one where you have to find the right balance. Some websites require a lot of content and others don’t. If you’re selling plumbing supplies then users are not going to want to read page after page of content. They want to search for their parts, place their order and get on with their day. However, a photographer won’t focus on words but will focus on images because that’s what they do. For those who are selling non-physical services such as marketing agencies, then content is vital because words will sell them. However, once again, it’s not about overselling, it’s about delivering the right level of content that explains what you offer, how you offer it and how they can benefit, then the rest will take care of itself.

Consider the Layout

If your website is cluttered and difficult to use then your users are going to experience problems using it. These days, you have a couple of seconds to capture their attention so do that, you should keep things simple. A well laid out website is easy to navigate, simple to use and a pleasure to explore. All of this plays into the user experience which is vital when delivering satisfaction.

So, your first website is a step in the right direction but getting there requires consideration and thought. Don’t avoid making these decisions or following these steps because in doing so, you will find that your website simply won’t give your visitors what they are looking for. This will involve working with your web designer Cardiff to identify your needs before allowing them to bring it all to life.