From the Universal team
For Your Website!
In todays article we will share 20 web design tips that should help all business owners develop a professional online presence.
> Ensure that your website is well organised.
> All images should be selected carefully and in relation to the content within that page.
> If possible it’s best to use a light coloured background. Dark backgrounds can work well in some instances although in most cases a dark background will hurt the eyes of the user.
> The colour of your content should be in contrast to your background colour. If you have a light background, then dark content is likely to work best.
> Don’t centralise all the content within your pages. This can look scruffy. If you are going to centralise any content, it’s best to do this when you are using the page to close a sale. In some instances this can work well.
> Make all sentences within your content concise – point made.
> Don’t split your content into too many columns, this can make it difficult for users to read and understand your site.
> Add controls to video and audio files. Some users will not want them running whilst on your site, so give users the control to select whether or not to use them.
> Try to avoid using ‘blue’ as your standard text colour. Blue is used for hyperlinks and you don’t want to confuse users as to where your hyperlinks are.
> If you want to emphasis a piece of your content use italics or bold content rather than underlining text, since an underline signifies a link to most users.
> Re-read through your content. It’s important that users can easily digest what you have to say.
> Go through all of your content and check for any grammatical mistakes, people hate to read poorly constructed sentences.
> Avoid publishing content with spelling mistakes. Users are very intolerant if spelling mistakes are contained within your content. People will leave your site if they come across simple mistakes.
> Don’t just publish content for the sake of it, consider why you want to publish a specific piece of content and how it will help your potential customers to make an informed decision to then use your services.
> Always use clear contact information within your site. Email addresses, phone numbers and your address will make it easy for users to contact you.
> Link to other websites that are relevant to your business and will help visitors make an informed decision on your services.
> Ensure that your website is cross browser compatible. People may access your website from a variety of browsers and it’s paramount that your website works correctly across all browsers.
> If you are targeting a global audience ensure that your website either automatically translates your content or provide the option for users to select the language of preference.
> Check your website across MAC and Microsoft computers, whilst your website may look super classy on a MAC it may look awful on a Microsoft computer. It’s strange that most Microsoft computers seem to zoom in heavily on most websites. Most traditional desktop monitors are also far worse than the high quality MAC screen.
> Compare your website against your competitors. It’s likely that you will come across a few design and functionality ideas that will help you improve your own website.
Check out our 5 WordPress tips for beginners, click here!