10 Ways
to Design a Professional Website
If you’re looking to
establish your online presence, start a new business, or otherwise need to
build your website from scratch, the process can seem overwhelming if you’ve
never done it before. You have so many things to consider: from choosing the
platform on which to build your site (WordPress? Drupal?) to deciding on a
design theme, to ensuring that your site loads quickly and can be easily
accessed by all of your visitors, there are many different ways to get started.
1)
Understand your target audience
Although there are
many different kinds of websites, they all serve one main purpose: to provide
their audience with information. To make sure you’re giving your audience what
they want, you need to understand who your target demographic is and where they
can be found. What types of websites do they visit? Are they on social media?
What content would most appeal to them? What else do you know about them (like
age or education level)? Without taking time to think about these questions in
detail, it’s hard for web developers and designers to create an optimal user
experience for visitors.
2) Find
the right domain name
Choosing a domain
name for your website is an important first step in Web development. The goal
is to choose something memorable, but also clear and easy to spell so that your
site can be found online. In addition, you want it to be available as few other
websites are using it.
3) Choose
your web host
Choose your web host
carefully. There are dozens of hosts out there, but many offer website builders
and designs that don’t allow for professional designs. Research your host
before you commit. The best hosts will have clear guidelines on what can and
cannot be built, so make sure you read their terms of service and FAQs pages
carefully. Ask any questions you have about possible website designs—your web
host should be happy to help you plan for success!
4) Decide
on your blogging platform
Even before you
begin crafting your website design, you need to decide on what platform to use.
WordPress is currently one of the most popular blogging platforms in use today;
its flexibility and robust features have helped it reach dinosaur status. Other
platforms, such as Tumblr and Squarespace, can also be used for professional
websites; each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Once you’ve decided
on your platform, check out some themes that fit your business’s goals—for
example, if your company is going for a sophisticated look then something like
Hestia might suit better than Bones.
5) Select
your design theme
The first step in
designing your website is choosing what theme it will have. There are many
different kinds of websites and themes available for you, but before you can
choose one, think about what kind of site you want and how it will be used. Do
you want something simple with no frills? Something complex and flashy? Will
your website require certain features such as e-commerce or social media
integration? Based on your answers, pick out five possible web development
themes that will work well with your site.
6) Create
an engaging home page image
It’s not enough that
you have good content on your website. You need a good design too. The thing is,
people will only spend about 15 seconds deciding whether or not they like your
website before moving on, so it has to be engaging right off the bat. One way
of doing that is by creating an interesting image for your homepage. This doesn’t
have to cost anything (just do some searching online), but it can help pique
visitors’ interest immediately when they land on your site. An engaging home
page image can also make all of your text easier to read and understand; if
someone is scanning over, say, an advertisement or promotion without actually
reading it word-for-word, you want them to still get what you’re saying.
7) Create
high-quality graphics
If you don’t have
designer-level skills, try joining an online graphic design community like
Dribbble. Being part of a community gives you access to real designers who can
help guide you along your way. Not sure where to start? Check out our
step-by-step tutorial on how to create high-quality graphics from scratch. No
tutorial? Start by creating some visual mood boards (also known as inspiration
galleries), which are collections of images that show off what kind of vibe or
feeling you want your website's graphics to communicate.
8) Add
actionable content blocks
All you need to do
is add several actionable, helpful content blocks that any web developer could
use. For example, A section with useful links would be very helpful for
designers. (You can include just one or two so it doesn’t look overbearing.)
You can also go into detail about different design techniques such as
wireframing, sketching, and prototyping. You don’t want to go overboard here;
just 2-3 simple ways are all you need!
9) Secure
your website with SSL encryption
Before you even get
started on your website design, it’s worth mentioning that, for websites that
handle financial or other sensitive information, an SSL certificate is crucial.
Securing your site with SSL encryption will not only build trust with visitors
but also protect all of your information from potential hackers.
10)
Publish, Publish, Publish,
It’s easy to get
caught up in fine-tuning one website design, but it’s important to remember
that keeping your work out there and getting feedback from others is an
important part of learning. Sharing your ideas means you will receive
constructive criticism and advice from others on how you can improve your
designs. As well as gaining inspiration for new website designs by looking at
other people’s work.