There comes a time in the lifespan of all web designs that you’ll need to step back and decide if they current layout is working for your company and marketing goals. In many cases, as your business grows, you’ll discover that certain components still make sense, but other ones aren’t doing the job anymore. If you want to know whether or not you’re web design is effective, you should start at the beginning again to see if you meet a few basic pieces of criteria.
Keep It Simple
Keeping your web design simple is easier said than done, but it’s a crucial part of the process. Remember, that white space is a good thing when used correctly and you don’t have to fill in every little piece of the page that looks bare. You want to guide visitors to convert, and the less you have on the page and the fewer options you give them, the more success you’ll have when it comes to getting them to fill out contact forms and give you their email.
All Web Design Elements Should Have a Purpose
There are many web designs, even by high profile companies, that will have unnecessary elements to their site that just won’t make sense. In many cases, they’ll even lead people straight out of the website and to another page has nothing to do with converting them. When getting back to basics, take the time to consider the purpose of each element from the colors to the size of the icon, and question if these aspects make sense for your company.
Use Navigation to Your Advantage
It may look like everyone has tabs and lead magnets and logos in the same general area, and that’s because these are often the areas that get the most results. You don’t need to be cute or too trendy and hide icons or expect people to know where you want them to go. Make sure you are very clear in what the next steps are that you want your visitors to take, so they don’t abandoned the search, get distracted, or just feel confused.
Make the Necessary Updates
If you aren’t keeping up with the updates of your web design, you’ll find that your site can be slower and much more bogged down. Take the time, at least once a year to make sure that you’re freshening up old content to ensure it stays relevant and following the latest rules of SEO because what was effective last year, won’t always work this way. Google changes algorithms and you should be ready for this!
Bring in the Pros When in Doubt
When in doubt about whether you’re moving in the right direction, enlist an expert. You don’t have to hire them fulltime, but can bring them in when you need consulting or want to redesign your website. They’ll keep you on track and will save you loads of time in research and application of the latest techniques.