The best website design for your business depends on many factors, but professionalism is one quality you don’t want to ignore. When creating a webpage design, you want potential clients to immediately feel attracted to your products and services and to feel confident in your ability to deliver on your promises.
Before you decide on a design, consider visiting a few competitors’ websites. What do they have in common? What sets each one apart? More importantly, what do you like or dislike about each design? You don’t want to copy a competitor’s website, but you can get a feel for the industry standards and the level of creativity you can employ.
Some business owners design their own websites, while others outsource the project. Either way, here are some of the most critical website design tips for business.
Make contact information visible on all pages
If potential customers and clients can’t get in touch, you might as well not have a business. Find space at the top of every single webpage to include your phone number, email address, and physical address, if applicable. When you work out of a shared workspace or other physical location, make sure you include your hours of availability. You can also add a map to your business, so potential clients can find you easily.
In addition to the contact information on every page, add a dedicated contact page. Invite potential clients or customers to get in touch with a well-designed contact form. You can use a free plugin or custom code to create the form, then direct it to your business email address.
Use high-resolution images
Nothing looks less professional than grainy, blurry images on a business website. The best website designs include high-resolution images that relate specifically to the business or industry. If you sell products, for instance, you’ll want to include photographs of your projects — preferably taken by a professional photographer. Other businesses can use stock photography or their own.
Keep in mind, however, that page load speed matters. If someone clicks on your website and has to wait 30 seconds for the page to load, he or she will simply close the browser and go elsewhere. Stick to one or two high-impact images per page, so your website loads quickly and easily.
Leave plenty of white space
Just as too many images can slow page load speeds and appear cluttered, you don’t want wall-to-wall text. Break up content into small chunks and leave white space between them. Use large headings and subheadings, as well as numbered and bulleted lists to help viewers find the information they want.
White space gives the eye a break and lets the design breathe. Of course, if your website’s background is another color, you don’t have to make the space between elements white — think of it as blank space if that’s easier to understand.
Limit fonts and colors
Falling in line with the previous two website design tips for business, try not to overwhelm the viewer with fonts and colors. Choose no more than two or three fonts — one for headings and one for paragraph text, for instance — and use a limited color palette. You might use several shades of the same color to add variety to your site, but you don’t want the page to look like a rainbow.
Think about the type of business you run when selecting fonts and colors. If you’re an attorney, for instance, neutral colors and understated fonts will probably work better than bright colors and handwritten typography. On the other hand, a website design firm can get away with more creativity and color.
Make your value proposition clear immediately
On your home and landing pages, make sure potential clients or customers know exactly what you offer. Why should they choose you over your competitors? If you don’t make this clear from the beginning, you might lose potential revenue.
Start with a captivating headline that addresses a pain point or desire. Then, in two to three sentences, sum up your product’s or service’s purpose and function, then list a few features in bullet points. Add a photograph for a product, so customers can see what they will buy.
If you sell multiple products or services, use your homepage for a more general value proposition. Explain why you’re in the business, what you hope to help your customers achieve, and why they can depend on you. In short, give potential customers a reason to hit the Buy button.
Use responsive design
Today’s consumers often use smaller devices to shop for items online. Instead of laptops and desktops, they’re searching on their tablets and smartphones. That’s why responsive design has become an essential component of any business website.
A responsive design adapts to the screen on which it is viewed. The text, images, and other elements rearrange themselves to fit the screen, and the font sizes change so the viewer can read the text. A responsive site is much easier to maintain than a dedicated mobile-friendly site, and Google gives preference to websites with responsive design. In other words, you’ll rank higher in the search engines with this type of design.
Best website designs for business
You have several options when looking for the best website designs for business. The right choice depends on your comfort level with website building and design, as well as the time you can devote to creating your website. Additionally, you might want to consider elements that might step outside your comfort zone, such as e-commerce modules.
Following are the main choices that can lead to the perfect design.
Pre-built template
If you build your website on an established CMS, such as WordPress, you can download a free or premium pre-built template. All you have to do is adjust the small elements, such as colors, and add your content. While this might seem like the smart way to go, keep in mind that other businesses might have the exact same design, especially if you go with a free template that you don’t modify.
Page builder
Several companies, such as DIY Themes and Elegant Themes, offer premium page builders that let you move components around on every page and design your website from scratch. You might have to learn at least a few snippets of code to use page builders, but many of them use drag-and-drop features.
This is a better choice than a pre-built design because you can make your business website completely unique. It won’t look like a template because you designed it from scratch, and you can make adjustments whenever you wish to improve or expand it.
Agency-designed website
While this strategy can cost thousands of dollars, you might get a high return on investment. A website design agency employs several professionals who know how to code and design sites. They might even have specialists who work on features like SEO and e-commerce.
Although it’s a pricey option, you can choose an agency that offers a subscription model. The company will slowly build your website over time, paying attention to metrics like bounce rates and time on page. For small businesses, this often proves more affordable because you spread out the payments over several months or even years. Additionally, the subscription model keeps your website fresh and updated.
Freelancer-designed website
There’s a happy medium between a DIY website and an agency-designed website. Freelancers all over the world create websites for businesses. Some of them work from home, while others work out of offices. Either way, they typically charge lower fees than big agencies because they work by themselves. They don’t have to cover overhead, so they can offer their services at a bargain.
Furthermore, freelancers are often among the most creative and talented professionals in the website design space. They have sufficient skills to succeed on their own, and they might prove more likely to accept feedback and make adjustments to meet your specific needs. You can find a freelancer by searching for a local professional or by hiring someone remotely.
Following the above website design tips for business can help you create a website that your clients or customers will love. The more effort you put into the design, the better it will look. Additionally, many people first interact with a business via its website, so you want to make the best possible first impression.
