Creating a visually attractive website that is useful for the user is a big challenge. Is there a perfect website? There is probably no such thing as an exemplary website, but there are certainly at least a few recommended practices to follow. Below we pay attention to several elements relating to both the visual and technical side.

The basis for success is minimalism, clarity, intuitiveness and a logical structure.

You could say that success is in moderation. The point is that both the text and the graphics should not be overwhelming. The user entering the website should feel that the graphic design is pleasing to the eye and simply transparent. It is a mistake to use a large number of animations and banners with exceptionally flashy colors.

It is worth remembering that simplicity and a clear message are really the key to success. The site must be designed in such a way that the user visiting the home page can quickly find all the necessary information. The navigation panel should lead to logically divided subpages. It should be possible to go to the relevant information in one maximum of a few clicks. Forcing the user to dig through successive subpages, most Internet users will simply get lost. Each of us would like to introduce some innovation on our website, but you have to remember that in designing websites, readability and intuitiveness are the most important. When designing a website, you have to feel the role of an internet user who visits our website for the first time. You have to answer the question what information will be crucial for him? And what elements of a website can make it perceived as better than the competition's website?

Good web design practices

Above, the basic principles to be followed have been briefly described (minimalism, clarity, intuitiveness and logical structure). However, it is time to turn these general slogans into more detailed recommendations. For this purpose, we list as many as a dozen good practices divided into two categories - frontend and backend, depending on which area they concern.

FRONTEND

Frontend is very much simplifying the part of the website that users see when entering your website (layout, graphic design, content). There is no need to convince anyone that how the website looks is extremely important from the point of view of the website user.

Consistent colors

The choice of the leading color, which plays the role of the leading theme and gives the character of the website, is one of the basic elements influencing how Internet users evaluate the graphic design. Typically, websites have a white, black or gray background. On top of that, however, they definitely need an extra color, which is the leitmotif previously mentioned. It should be remembered that the consistent colors also apply to the graphics and images that are placed on the website.

Navigation menu and footer

The intuitive navigation menu built on the basis of a logical and hierarchical structure of subpages is something that you simply cannot forget. It is true that some landing pages consist of only one page (the so-called one-page), but even they should have a menu that takes the user to a specific part of the page by scrolling the screen.

The footer is something that can be compared to the cover of a book. You just need to have it and you need to include basic information there. Don't forget to include your address details, contact details, a link to the privacy policy and a simple navigation menu. Internet users are used to the fact that these and some other basic data will always be found in the footer. By resigning from the footer, we actually reduce our credibility in the eyes of potential customers.

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Logo

Of course, a catchy and easy-to-remember logo is another element that you need to pay attention to. A logo, like a good advertising slogan, can be remembered more than any other marketing material. However, this is a broader issue that goes far beyond the topic of website design. Returning to the topic of placing the logo on the website: we should assume that less combining means better. In other words, just keep in mind that the logo should be at the top of the page and it should be clickable.

Social media buttons

Buttons that allow you to share content on social media (or encourage likes / observations / subscriptions) is an element that encourages the user to interact. For some sites, social media can be the cornerstone of your marketing efforts.

Easily accessible contact details

Highlighting the contact data by placing the contact button in the upper right corner (choosing this place will greatly affect the intuitiveness). In addition, contact details can be placed in the footer.

If we want to encourage the user to contact us even more, we can try less standard forms of contact, such as a chat window or a pop-up encouraging him to leave an e-mail address / telephone number. However, one must remember that the forms of contact should not be too intrusive.

It is worth taking care of a simple contact form. Too many fields to fill may negatively affect the user's willingness to send the message.

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Utility

Website functionality is the basis of broadly understood usability. We expect different functionalities on the business card side, other on the advertisement side, and still others when we run a blog. You must know that before all functionalities see the light of day, they must undergo a series of tests.

We especially recommend that you pay attention to the distinctive buttons, which clearly convey what action they encourage the user to do (call to action buttons). This can be, for example, the button "Contact", "Buy now", "View more", Quote a project, etc.

Speaking of usability, one cannot ignore the currently popular definition of UX (user experience). This term refers to the experience the user experiences when using the website. We mean mainly the interaction between the user and the website. A product in the form of a website should simply be attractive to the user so that the use of the dream website would be pleasant and satisfying.