2. Put Usability First¶
A beautiful website is great, but far from enough. If you want your visitors to spend time on your pages, enjoy your content and, eventually, engage with it, you need to facilitate their navigation. This is what user experience (UX) is all about, and here are some fundamental notions:
Navigation flow: Make sure the site structure is clear and intuitive so that visitors can easily navigate between pages and subpages using the main menu or internal links.
Content hierarchy: A coherent content hierarchy guides the visitors through your site content in the order that best serves your interest. The most crucial aspects should be the most prominent, and the design should clearly reflect that.
Colors: “Color is a power which directly influences the soul” once said painter Wassily Kandinsky. The immediate impact is what makes this design element a strong marketing tool.
Call to actions: Calls-to-action(CTAs) are the messages that tell your visitors what it is that you want them to do. The Web is filled with CTAs, such as “Register now”, “Don’t miss out”, or “Get yours today.” They can be placed on a button, or as a link straight into your text. They should be short, have a verb in the imperative form, and preferably include an element of urgency.
Fonts: What’s the point of having quality content, if no one can read it? Pick fonts that are legible (both on desktop and mobile), consistent with your brand identity, and well suited to one another. The golden rule: no more than three fonts, to avoid visual chaos.
Footer: The bottom part of your site is known as the “footer” (the top is the “header”). Footers are not immediately visible to site visitors, but they can be used in a number of ways to enhance usability, for example: add all of your content information there, including buttons linking to social media channels, or display your site disclaimer text.