It is estimated that there are around 1.7 billion websites! New websites are being created every minute, with around 576,000 being made every single day! And it’s estimated that Google processes 63,000 search queries every single second!
With numbers like these, it’s easy to see why having a functional, well-designed website that appears high on search engine results is important. Not just to guide traffic there, but to encourage visitors to stay.
So, what makes the best website?
If you are interested in learning how to improve a website, keep on reading to discover seven website design tips that will leave your visitors impressed!
1.Be Mobile Friendly
Having a website that works on a mobile device isn’t enough. You need a website that has a different version specifically for mobile devices. After all, more than half of all web browsing is done through mobile devices (55.31%), with only 41.97% being through computers.
Visitors will want to feel like it is easy to navigate your website on their handheld device. The screen is smaller, they are using their fingers to scroll instead of a mouse or trackpad, and they are likely on the move or short on time.
2.Update Everything
Some tips for learning how to improve a website may seem more obvious than others. Keeping your website updated is crucial! Not just for appealing to individuals and sustaining a reputation for reliability, but also for better search engine placement.
For starters, you want to make sure that your design doesn’t feel outdated. Don’t be afraid to make the home page feel more relevant, and make sure that any information (particularly contact information) is up to date.
Check that links are still operational. You don’t want to leave visitors feeling frustrated when links are broken or irrelevant.
You should also get rid of any junk, which could be pretty much anything. It might be something that clogs up the website visually, or it might be entire pages that are no longer relevant or useful.
Some junk can be replaced. For example, if your website contains low-quality images or videos that were the best you could find at the time, either replace them or get rid of them.
3.Be Active
Improving a website isn’t just about tidying up what’s already there. You also need to make the website seem active and relevant. Would you stay on a website if the most recent post was from five years ago?
Adding new content isn’t the only way you need to stay active, though. If your website allows comments, you should be replying to every one of them. Comments are from real people who have shown an interest in your website or company, so you want them to feel seen.
Learning how to get a better website involves understanding how search engines rank you. One aspect of your site that is factored in is activity, as stagnant websites never appear far up the list of search results.
4. Fast Loading Times
Another way search engines judge your website’s relevance is through loading times. Having a homepage that takes ages to load will not benefit you. Different types of websites may have different loading times, but faster is always better.
You can speed up your website by removing any unnecessary animations, videos, large images, and ultimately having as simple a homepage as possible. If there are images you need to keep, you could reduce their size to increase speed.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Restructure
Learning how to improve a website won’t always involve small changes. In some cases, restructuring the entire site may be necessary.
Does the layout feel clunky or inorganic? Has the purpose of your website changed slightly, and now your design doesn’t quite match? Have you had feedback from visitors stating that navigation was difficult?
You mustn’t become too attached to a single layout. Every website goes through phases of minor and major changes. You want the customer’s experience on your site to drive both loyalty and sales.
6. Call Them to Action
A call to action is where you invite the reader to do something. All websites, no matter what their function, benefit from having calls to action. Examples include:
- Buying a product
- Contacting the company for a quote
- Liking a post
- Sharing on social media
- Leaving a comment
- Going back to the homepage
- Following the website
- Signing up for a newsletter
A call to action could happen within the text, such as, “Don’t forget to leave a comment if you enjoyed this post!” But modern websites should also make use of internal links, external links, buttons, and any other form available.
Social media buttons are a must! These buttons can take a visitor directly to your company’s social media pages. But they can also begin the first steps of a customer sharing a post via their social media.
7.Make Use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization used to be all about specific keyword density, but search engines are moving towards favoring organic sites. Put the customer first and you’ll find that you appeal to search engines as well.
The algorithms change so frequently that it can be difficult to keep up with them. But here are some pieces of advice that are easy to follow:
- Use short sentences and paragraphs
- Include internal and external links
- Include at least one image
- Don’t stuff your pages with keywords
Make use of online SEO checkers to see how well your website performs, and the various ways you can improve.
Create the Best Website
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