One way to make a great impression to potential employers or customers is to have a website. It’s a great way to compliment resumes and add more information about yourself and your past experience. Now, while most people will immediately assume a great website means an attractive one, that’s not usually the case. While the overall look of the site counts, it’s how professional your site looks that usually compels people to explore your site or get to know yourself. There are many ways websites can be edited to look professional and we will be exploring these different ways in this article.
Simplicity is the Key
Most website designers try to sell the site with an overload of visual components which can make the site haphazard and cluttered. The key is to keep it simple. Think of a theme of the site and follow through. The new trend in web design is minimalism so more and more designers are incorporating this philosophy into their design. A minimalist website removes excess elements or content not relevant to the message. This makes the page orderly and neat and highlights only the important aspect of the site. There are numerous sites nowadays that use white space as a way to give the site breathing room. A simple site uses a lot of textures and flat patterns. This means no highlights, gradients, or shadows common in websites a decade ago. Now, designers focus more on functionality rather than look.
Navigability
Simplicity and navigability go hand in hand. The purpose of making a site simple is so it becomes easier for users to navigate around it. One way to make a site easy to navigate is by making it well-organized. Upon first glance, users should get to see what they’re looking for or are drawn to things you want to them to see first. If the site offers a lot of information, divide them into clear categories. Putting them into consistent categories and sub-categories will make it easier for users looking for specific information. It’s also crucial to keep the navigation consistent if the website has a lot of pages. Clear page headings and titles should be in fonts that are readable. Make sure that jumping from one page to another is easy for the users.
Fonts
Many people take this for granted but they can make or break a website. An ill-fitting font could be a distraction for users visiting your site or could even look unprofessional. Likewise, a site that uses more than a couple of fonts could look cluttered and disjointed. Designers should have a good grasp of the principles of typography and know how to apply it to their design. Limiting fonts to two or four font families add a sense of cohesion to the site. It’s crucial that fonts are clear and easy to read. Try to avoid script fonts unless it’s necessary but even then, use them sparingly because they are quite difficult to read. Limit font colors too. Use them only to give a title or heading more impact.
Color
It’s no question that the color choice plays an important part in making a website not only attractive but functional. Any designer should have at least a good understanding of color theory in order to pick a good color scheme for the website they’re making. Remember to limit your choice for the dominant colors in your site and choose 1 or 2 accent colors. The dominant colors you choose will be the foundation for which you will base all the other color choice you make for the site. Choose colors that are vibrant and evokes passion and excitement. The logo on your site should also incorporate the dominant colors but try to limit its use, you don’t want to overwhelm your site with a vibrant color that could distract the audience and take their attention away from your message.
Responsiveness
A good website should be responsive both in desktop and with mobile. The latter is quite crucial because more and more people are using their mobile phones to connect online. A beautifully designed website can still discourage audience if the layout breaks down when viewed using mobile. Being considerate to both desktop users and mobile users make the site appear more considerate to all their target audiences.
There are many more ways to make a website looking more professional but these are the key factors to prioritize. One thing to keep in mind in all web designers and business owners is to balance the visual look and the overall functionality of the site. The user experience should take precedence over all other factors. A professional looking website can engender trust among audiences and could lead to a successful brand.
Annah Brooks, a blogger by passion, loves to write about web designing and mobile app development. She is currently working for Stotion, one of the leading branding and UX design agency perfecting all digital aspects of business including web/app development and brand awareness.
Featured image credentials: Photo by Startaê Team on Unsplash
