10 Ways to Design a Professional Website

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.