It’s safe to say that there are more websites than people on earth. It can be daunting when starting from scratch and designing your own website for the first time.
There are so many different elements to consider: colors, fonts, layout dimensions, content, and more. How do you make sense of it all?
To help, we’ve compiled a list of 9 things to keep in mind when designing your site.
7 Tips for Designing Your Solopreneur Website
1. Consider the purpose of your website
Start by thinking about the purpose of your website. This will help you decide on the most appropriate web design style for your business.
Your website needs to attract your target audience, show them what you can do for them, build their trust, and make them want to learn more.
Think about the buyer’s journey. Then design a website that moves them along that journey quickly and smoothly.
2. Study the competition…
…But don’t copy.
Look at what other websites in your industry are doing. Then look at websites in other industries. Let yourself be inspired by what you see. Then try to do something different.
That’s key if you’re going to stand out and get noticed by your best customers. Your design should showcase your differences while giving your visitors the information they need to choose you.
3. Adopt a mobile-first mindset
Most users visit your website from their phone as well as their laptop. But more and more, they’re exploring the web on their phones.
Make sure your website is easy to navigate from any device.
The easiest way to do that is with a responsive design. A responsive website reformats the page to fit on whatever device the user is browsing from. All of a page’s content loads, but it lays out slightly differently, giving the user their best experience on your website.
Today, most website templates are responsive out of the box. Just verify before you buy.
4. Dial in your brand colors
When selecting the colors for your site, try to match them with your brand image. If your brand is playful or creative, go with vibrant colors. If you need to convey trustworthiness, choose a more muted color palette.
Choose one primary color. And secondary color is optional but often gives you more flexibility to design your site. Then, for your buttons and calls to action, select a complementary color that stands out on the page.
TIP: Write down the hex code for your brand colors. In marketing, always specify the precise shade of your colors.
5. Create an attractive page layout
Lay out your pages in a way that’s interesting, visually attractive, and intuitive.
A simple trick is to use lots of white space. White space refers to the empty spaces on the page, the padding around text blocks, images, and buttons.
By strategically laying out the page with white space, you can focus people’s attention on the important stuff: your calls to action and buttons. That’s going to help you drive action and boost your profits.
6. Optimize it for search
To earn organic traffic, you’ll need to show up in search engines. To do that, optimize your content by including important keywords.
Choose a primary keyword that’s the focus of your entire website. Then, on each page, select a longer-tail keyword to focus on. One page, one keyword.
In case you’re worried, on-page SEO is easy, even if you’re not an SEO pro. Include your keyword in the title, intro, and throughout the article. Then take time to craft the metadata that will show up in search engines. For that, write a meta title and meta description that include your keyword.
7. Make sure it’s secure…
…Especially if you’re selling products on your website.
The best way to protect your site is through HTTPS. It’s the safest option and will provide peace of mind when it comes to security.
INFOGRAPHIC:
Two Bonus Tips
8. Don’t make your visitors think
The key to website design is to make your site as intuitive as possible. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Make your website braindead simple to navigate.
9. Add social media buttons
If visitors love what they see, they’ll want to share with their friends via Facebook, Twitter, etc. So help them out. Include social media buttons, plus other ways to stay in touch, like email sign-up form and newsletter sign-up form.
Bottom Line
Your website is your brand. It’s the first impression you give to potential customers. Make it a good one.
That said, your website doesn’t need to be perfect. Think of it as a living document. When people engage with it, you’ll figure out what’s working and what isn’t.
Over time, as you improve and tweak each element, you’ll have a beautiful, persuasive website that makes your prospects say, Wow!
So get started. Design a website that reflects who you are, what you do, and how you’re different.
