A website design strategy is a plan for designing your website to achieve specific business objectives. It involves researching your target audience, setting your goals, creating your branding, and optimizing your content for search engines and users.
A website design strategy can help you create an attractive, functional, and effective website with increased traffic and sales.
In this article, we will share tips on creating a successful website design strategy in 10 steps.
1. Define Your Target Audience
The first step in creating a website design strategy is to define your target audience. Who are the people you want to visit your website? What are their needs, preferences, and pain points? How can you solve their problems or fulfill their desires?
To answer these questions, you can conduct market research, create buyer personas, and analyze your competitors. You can also use tools like Google Analytics and Google Trends to find out more about your potential customers.
2. Set Your Goals
The next step is to set your goals for your website. What do you want to achieve with your website? How will you measure your success? How will your website support your overall business strategy?
Some common goals for websites are:
- Increase brand awareness
- Generate leads
- Increase sales
- Build trust and credibility
- Educate and inform
- Engage and entertain
You should ensure that your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying, “I want more traffic”, you can say, “I want to increase organic traffic by 20% in the next six months”.
3. Create Your Branding
Your branding is the visual identity and personality of your business. It includes elements like your logo, colors, fonts, images, tone of voice, and values. Your branding should reflect who you are as a business and what makes you unique.
Your branding should also be consistent across all your online and offline channels, including your website. This will help you create a strong impression on your visitors and build trust and loyalty.
4. Plan Your Layout And Navigation
The layout and navigation of your website are crucial for creating a positive user experience. Your layout should be clear, simple, and intuitive. It should guide visitors through your website and help them find what they want.
Your navigation should be easy to access and use. It should include your website’s main pages and categories, such as Home, About, Services, Products, Blog, Contact, etc. You can also use submenus, breadcrumbs, and sitemaps to make your navigation more organized and user-friendly.
5. Choose The Right Stock Images
Images are powerful tools for communicating your message and attracting attention. However, not all images are created equal. You should choose images that are relevant, high-quality, and appealing.
One way to find images for your website is to use stock photos. Stock photos are images that you can buy or download for free from online platforms like Shutterstock or Unsplash. However, you should be careful when using stock photos. You should avoid using images that are clichéd, generic, or overused. You should also make sure that the images match your branding and tone.
6. Optimize Your Content For SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It improves your website’s visibility and ranking on Google or Bing. SEO can help you drive organic traffic to your website and reach more potential customers.
To optimize your content for SEO, you should:
- Conduct keyword research to find out what words and phrases your target audience is searching for
- Use keywords strategically in your titles, headings, body text, URLs, meta tags, and image alt text
- Write original, relevant, and engaging content that provides value to your visitors
- Use internal and external links to connect your pages and provide more information
- Update your content regularly to keep it fresh and relevant
7. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
More than half of the global web traffic comes from mobile devices. This means you need to ensure your website looks good and works well on smartphones and tablets. A mobile-friendly website can help you improve user experience, increase conversions, and boost SEO.
To make your website mobile-friendly, you should:
- Use a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and orientations
- Avoid using Flash or other elements that are not supported by mobile browsers
- Use large fonts and buttons that are easy to read and tap
- Optimize your images and videos for faster loading
- Test your website on different devices and browsers
8. Add Social Proof
Social proof is the evidence that other people trust and recommend your business. It can include testimonials, reviews, ratings, case studies, awards, certifications, media mentions, and social media followers. Social proof can help you:
- Increase your credibility and authority
- Build trust and rapport with your visitors
- Influence your visitors’ decisions and actions
- Increase your conversions and sales
You should strategically add social proof to your website, such as your homepage, landing pages, product pages, and checkout pages.
You should also ensure that your social proof is relevant, authentic, and up-to-date. You can use tools like Trustpilot, Yelp, or Facebook to collect and display social proof on your website.
9. Establish Your Goals
Your website design strategy should not end with launching your website. You should also monitor and measure your website’s performance to see if it meets your goals. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Hotjar to track and analyze your website’s metrics, such as:
- Traffic sources
- Bounce rate
- Conversion rate
- Average time on page
- Pages per visit
- User behavior
- User Feedback
These metrics can help you identify what is working well and what needs improvement on your website. You can then use this data to make informed decisions and optimize your website.
10. Keep Your Website Updated
Finally, you should keep your website updated and relevant. Your website is not a static entity but a dynamic one that evolves with your business and your audience. Regularly update your website with new content, features, design elements, and security measures.
Keeping your website updated can help you:
- Provide value to your visitors and keep them engaged
- Showcase your latest products, services, offers, and news
- Boost your SEO and ranking on search engines
- Maintain your brand image and reputation
- Prevent technical issues and security breaches
A content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Squarespace can easily update and manage your website without coding.
Final Words
Creating a successful website design strategy is not a one-time project but an ongoing process that requires planning, research, creativity, and optimization.
Following these 10 steps, you can create a website design strategy that will help you achieve your business goals and delight your visitors.
Contact us today if you need help creating or implementing your web design services!