5 Things to Consider When Designing a Website

When designing and creating a great website, there are many things to consider. Here are 5 best planning tips for website development

By Claudio Pires
Updated on July 12, 2023
5 Things to Consider When Designing a Website

Your website is your corner of the Internet. You want it to reflect who you are as a business and allow you to show prospective customers what you can offer them. A great website doesn’t just come to be. When designing and creating a great website, there are many things to consider. Here are 5 planning tips for website development.

Things to Consider When Designing a Website

1- Audience

Who your audience is can drastically change the design of your website. Start by deciding who you are making the website for. This should align with who you define as your customer. Once you know who your site is targeting, you can design your website to appeal to them. Here are some questions you should ask yourself regarding your audience:

  • Who is our audience?
  •  What are they looking for?
  •  Why are they visiting our website?
  •  What do they want from us?
  •  How can we enhance their experience?

Your website should aim to improve your customer experience. By focusing on who your audience is, you can design a website that meets their needs and expectations.

2- Functionality

Your website can serve many functions. It can be informative, it can generate leads, and it can generate sales. Understanding your desired functionality is a key part of the web design puzzle. Designing without defining how you want the site to function can cause delays and cost more. Here are some things to consider when determining your website’s functionality:

  • That is the purpose of our website.
  •  What is our audience expecting?
  •  About the customer experience from start to finish.
  •  What elements do we need to have on the website?

Different functionality requires different web design elements. For instance, if your main functionality is to sell, you will need elements such as a shopping cart and credit card processor. On the other hand, if your functionality is to generate leads, you’ll need elements such as a contact form, newsletter signup, etc.

3- Navigation

The most frustrating thing is going to a website and finding what you seek. This is why it is essential that you carefully consider your navigation when designing your website. You want your visitors to be able to quickly and easily find what it is they are looking for on your site. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to your website’s navigation:

  • Make getting ‘home’ easy. Link your logo to your homepage. Doing so will help your users return to the beginning and save them some frustration.
  •  Use a basic menu. Users want to be able to find what they are searching for. Avoid using fancy names for you’re ‘About Me’ page and other category and page names. Another good rule of thumb is to put items in order of importance from left to right and to keep the menu in your header.
  •  Have a ‘Back to Top’ button. This will help your visitors quickly return to the main menu at the top of the page.
  •  The most crucial info goes “above the fold.” Keep the most pressing information high on your webpage so that visitors see it without having to scroll down.
  •  Watch for clutter. Having too much information can make your website overwhelming and hard to navigate. Feel free of space; it can help users process the info on the page.

4- Clear Call to Action (CTA)

When designing your website, you must decide what action visitors want. Do you want them to give you their email? Want them to make a purchase? Do you want them to learn more? Do you want them to leave a comment? Decide what you want customers to do when they are on your website.

Not only do you need to decide what you want customers to do, but you also need to make it plain as day. Here are some website development planning tips and ways to make it obvious to customers what you want them to do:

  • Use a contrasting color for CTA buttons. This makes the button stand out and keeps them from blending with the rest of the info on the page.
  •  Use phrases that create positive action. “Click here” is the worst! Instead, opt for phrases like “Download Now,” “Get Started,” “Learn More,” etc.
  •  Practice consistency. Keep your CTA design consistent throughout your website. This will make them easily recognizable.
  •  Keep CTAs visible. This is especially important with longer pages. You want your customer to be able to know what to do quickly, so make sure you include multiple CTAs on the page.
  •  Put CTAs on each page. Customers are always looking for the next step, so providing a CTA on each page gives them this guidance. Another important reason is that customers may enter your sales funnel at different points. By having a CTA on each page, the customer will know what you want them to do no matter where they enter the funnel.

5- Mobile-Friendliness

Here’s a fun fact: 81% of Americans own a smartphone. This means that having a mobile-friendly website is an absolute necessity. There are a couple of ways that this can be done. One way is using a responsive theme for desktops, mobiles, and tablets. Another option is to make adjustments to website elements. Some of the things you can focus on while designing your website include:

  • Avoiding Flash. Not only is Flash bad for SEO, but it is also a major drain on load time, and it simply only works on a few browsers. If you can, it’s best to avoid it altogether.
  •  Use the Viewport Meta tag. This simple code communicates with the browser. Adjust the width of your webpage to the width of the screen it’s being viewed on.
  •  Choose large buttons and fonts. Bigger buttons and large font sizes make your site more user-friendly on mobile devices.
  •  Compress your images. This will help increase your load time, which is essential to function well on mobile devices.
  •  Allow visitors to toggle between mobile and desktop views. Sometimes users would rather use the desktop version of your website. Giving them this option to switch between the two easily is a small way to improve their experience.

Consider Before Designing

Designing your website can be fun and exciting. However, you must think about what your actual needs are, your timeline, and your budget, before moving forward on a web design project.

We’ve all seen websites that fail to meet our expectations or whose design was cringe-worthy. This is often the result of failing to think first. On the other hand, some websites had carefully considered what they needed before they designed. One such site is Marble.com. This website highlights its CTAs with a contrasting color, has a responsive site that is easy to navigate, whether on mobile or desktop, and functions just as a consumer would expect.

Final Words To Consider While Designing

When you’re ready to start designing your website, keep the considerations listed in mind, and you’re sure to end up with an incredible site. So we hope this article with tips to consider on planning and development for creating and designing a website has helped you.

Claudio Pires

Claudio Pires is the co-founder of Visualmodo, a renowned company in web development and design. With over 15 years of experience, Claudio has honed his skills in content creation, web development support, and senior web designer. A trilingual expert fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, he brings a global perspective to his work. Beyond his professional endeavors, Claudio is an active YouTuber, sharing his insights and expertise with a broader audience. Based in Brazil, Claudio continues to push the boundaries of web design and digital content, making him a pivotal figure in the industry.