Hello readers. In this post, we shall tackle the issue of poor website design. And how websites can be improved by following a few essentials.
In today’s world, digital presence is not to be taken lightly. Each and every opportunity you get to capture the audience, capitalize on it. Luckily, interactive websites can help us achieve this and so much more. Unfortunately, not everyone sees this. Since the internet is swarming with numerous, poorly designed websites. The sad thing about this state of affairs is that both clients and developers are responsible for this situation.
At this point in time, when the world’s technology is relatively mature, we should kill off bad website designs. Let us look at how each party contributes to developing ugly sites.
Clients
At times, clients place some unrealistic expectations on the developers. Some may even lead to the death of a site, even before the website design and development have begun. Unfortunately, clients do not have all the knowledge on the website. Mostly focusing on an appealing interface and a brief overview of functionality. Sadly, a good-looking interface is not all it takes to successfully navigate the cyberspace.
Developers
Even though developers still need to make a living, placing must-have digital features in the “extras” of site-packages is very unfair. At times, developers end up making sub-par work. And avoid adding such work to their portfolio. It is about time we implement multidimensional and functional websites, so as to elevate owner and user experience.
Essentials Checklist
1. Quick Loading Speeds
Information and time are the most valuable entities if you ask me. Waiting for a site to load is truly a disadvantage, discouraging clients from revisiting the site. being able to make the site light and have fast loading times, even on slow connections can be very useful. Certain sites like Pagespeed Insights by Google can check your website speed and see how you can improve it.
2. Mobile Ready
Most people in the world right now use their smartphone for almost all their activities online. So, overlooking mobile friendliness can lead to a drop in the target market. Ensure your site is responsive, so as to improve its usability.
3. Analytics Enabled
Services such as Google Analytics and Jetpack are very useful when gauging your website traffic and conversion. Usually to gauge the viability of the site that is online (Is it profitable/beneficial or not).
4. Search Engine Optimization
Through Google, SEO has taken over. Each site on the internet, mainly WordPress, looks to improve the indexing of its pages on search engines. All this makes the site more compelling, readable and content-rich for its followers. For the search engines, including SEO tags and elements is vital in improving a page’s searchability.
5. Social Media Inclusion
Lastly, the inclusion of social media should be a no-brainer. Opening relevant social accounts are necessary early on, allowing for the integration of these platforms with the website. This allows you to access features such as marketing, broadening your reach through increased visibility and traffic.
In conclusion, it is about time we start taking the design of websites seriously. All it takes is the above five essentials to be implemented and revised regularly. Over the years, WordPress has pioneered the shift to simple, functional and consistent designs. The implementation of these standards acts as a baseline for greater things to come.
Let this post encourage a dialogue down in the Comments section below. All thoughts are welcome.
Until next time, goodbye from the Mark & Ryse team.
