Logo

Your company logo is needed so that visitors know that it is your company website that they are on. Make sure your logo is visible at a small size and that the colors are in RGB (digital colors). If you have an old logo, it may be time for a re-design by a professional design agency. If you have an illustrative one or one with a lot of detail, you may need to simplify or have your logo visible embedded in your top image. Be aware that if you have it embedded in your top image it could mean for future images your logo must be visible or you will have to forgo sliders or videos where the logo isn’t there. Logos in the header are often hyperlinked to take the user back to the home page. 

Navigation Menu 

Whether you have individual links to each page, a mega menu, or a hamburger menu, you need to have a way for users to navigate your website. Usually access to a navigation menu is at the top. There are some exceptions to the rule like side menus, but those are usually reserved for apps where users will swipe to access the navigation. Before designing your website, it is ideal to have a sitemap where you can figure out how many pages you need and how they will be maneuvered. This will inform what type of navigation to use. 

Call To Action 

You want to encourage users to take the next step in the sale process. CTAs that are usually at the top-right of your webpage are:

• Company phone number
• Email Us Icon/Link
• Contact Us Page
• Request a Quote Page
• Support Link

Search Bar 

A search bar is needed if you have a large website with a lot of products, services, or information. Distributor websites will have a search bar at the top of their website so users can type in the brand they want, and it will directly pop up. The users will not have to go into layers of webpages to hunt down what they want. This will prevent clients from giving up on your website and bouncing out. A simple search bar can improve click-through-rates and improve the user experience of your website. 

Ecommerce Icons 

 If your business is ecommerce, then you need icons your user can use to complete the purchase and continue for future purchases. These icons are: 

• Login/My Account icon
• Add to Cart icon 
• Add to Wish List icon
• A Like/Favorite icon
• A Share icon 

Need help fixing your web design? Call 248.528.3600.

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1. Half-Page Graphic 

Most commonly used for landing pages these elements are pretty simple and allows you to create contrast. Play with layers and give the illusion of depth to help your main product or service photo pop. 

https://www.straightfromyard.co.uk

2. A Framed Viewpoint 

This element can help you present CTAs (call-to-actions) in fancy ways. Limit the scrolling area in a frame and create empty space at the top and left or right areas. These layouts are often seen on architecture, museum, corporate, and other formal websites. 

https://korsel.bold-themes.com/main-demo/home-5/

3. Horizontal Scrolling  

Think of this element like you are flipping through a book or magazine. This element is best if you have a portfolio of items to show off. For example, you are company sells luxury wine. You can showcase you top sellers on your home page and users can “flip” through to view your brand’s story and products. A word of caution for this element, it can be glitchy on mobile so you may have to deactivate it for phone viewing. 

https://scepterandsword.com

4. Translucent Skewed-Shape Layout 

Use an abstract shape and dim the opacity a little to partially obscure your product or service shot. It acts as a little sneak peek and gives a feeling curiosity to your website. Brands that also want to covey speed, strength, and boldness usually adopt this layout.  

http://www.themestarz.net/html/lovely/index-parallax.html#nav-home

5. Dynamic 3D Renderings

Pre-rendered video or 3D scenes as backgrounds can create a unique look to your product or service. There are free assets available on websites like Canva.com, Pixabay.com, Shutterstock.com, and Adobe.com. 

https://www.drpepper.ca/en/

6. Line Design

Lines are an underrated way to clean up you design. Strategically place lines to break up important info. This will also come in handy if your website is copy heavy and has only a few pictures. 

https://www.display.care

7. Arrow Links

Point to where you want users to go to. Where they are bold or thin, arrows are a universal symbol of direction. Place them in areas you want potential clients to interact with. They can act as a sales trail for visitor.

https://consulting.stylemixthemes.com/barcelona/

8. Marquee

Use keywords as decorative elements for momentum-scrolling websites. Brands that use short action words should incorporate this element either at the top or the bottom of your home page. This will give you website movement and encourage the user to stay on your page longer. This great if you want to gain a higher-clickthrough rate. 

https://chriscarruthers.co.uk/home

9. Chaotic Centered Hero Piece

This is when a horizontally centered product or service has used different fonts, typefaces, and misaligned images that create abstract look. Be careful with this technique. Avoid putting any important in hard-to-read layouts. This look is mostly for snappy headlines and images that do not show off the product or service directly. 

https://www.therailpark.org

10. Gravestone Images

Gravestone images refer to an image with top border-radiuses edited to make the full composition look like half circle shape or a gravestone. Perfume, Shampoo, Vitamin, and other Wellness or Beauty website adopt this layout to look cleaner and more high-end. 

https://dt-aia.myshopify.com

11.  Misaligned Card

These kinds of cards have the text floating partially outside the background creating a nice depth effect for your product or service shot. This is best used both in informal and elegant styles. Make sure the drop shadow isn’t too intense otherwise it will look dated. 

https://theartoffinance.biz

12. Add a Hamburger Menu

In lieu of a traditional navigation where you see all the page names, try a hamburger menu. It appears as 3 lines at the top right corner of your website. Mobile is becoming the first device most people will see your website in, and the hamburger menu is more mobile-friendly than traditional menus. 

https://www.atumobile.com

13. Use Bauhaus Shapes

These shapes are generally made with rectangles with maximized border-radius on 1 or 2 corners. Bright colors are also incorporated. Bauhaus design has a rich history, and more people are starting to appreciate it in web design, not just print or architecture.

https://yourleadershipbridge.com

14. Rotated Text

Vertical text for headlines is a great element to create if you want to encourage users to scroll down. Like the marquee style, avoid using for important info, but use for headlines that are easy to read or well known to your audience. 

https://avantt.displaay.net

15. Animated Cursor

This element is underutilized by most. Not only is it fun, but it can act as a call to action. Have you mouse cursor come up as a circle that says “click” will encourage more people to interact with your website. User will stay on your website longer if they something to engage with. 

https://www.lecantiche.com

Let our team create a website with 1 or more of these elements for you. Call 248.528.360

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1. Clear, Non-confusing Navigation

You don’t want visitors to search too hard to find what they need. Label your navigation to each page intuitively. “About” should lead to info about the company. “Shop” should lead to an online store. There is limited space, so if the name is long, see if you can shorten it or put under a sub menu. For example, “Brand Name Manufactured Gears” can become a drop-down element of “Products”. On mobile default to hamburger menu, so clients only have to press one button. 

2. Different Options to Contact You

Have different ways for visitors to contact you. Include buttons to contact forms/pages, clickable email icons to your company email, phone numbers at the top and footer and a Google map available on a contact page or bottom of the home page. Social media links are also popular for ongoing client interaction. The easier it is the contact you the more likely they will become a customer. 

3. Social Proof 

Testimonials, reviews, and featured articles generate trust in your business. Clients usually like to make sure the claims a company is making aligns with what they are selling accurately therefore will look for reviews before spending their money. If you are a new business, create an email campaign or social post asking for honest thoughts on your products or services. 

4. Instant Explanation of What You Do

Have a tagline or a home page slider as the first graphic at the top of your website explaining what you do. Avoid fluffy vague words to describe your company. A bad example of intro text: dynamic solutions for everyone. A good example of intro text: dynamic web design for small business. Be specific and simple. 

5. Ways to Stay Up with Your News 

Having a newsletter sign up or subscription pop-up box, section, or form so visitors and clients can follow your blog creates long-term loyalty and EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Also make sure social media links are easily found in the footer and attached to your blog post articles. 

6. Legal Legitimacy 

More items that are important in building trust is to make sure you have a privacy/cookie policy, term & conditions, and other legal indicators at the very least at the bottom of your website. If you are a commerce website, an SSL certificate is highly recommended to make sure your website is secure for customers to pay online. When updating content make sure your copyright matches the current year. The general public is more tech savvy and if your website is lacking these items they will leave your website, increasing your bounce rate. 

7. Clear Pricing or Way to Discover the Price

Most customers like to price compare. Any online shop should have the price attached to the product. Services based websites such as consultants, hair salons, therapies offices, etc., should display the price near the description of what is included in each service. If your services are determined based on a variety for factors, make a clear indictor such as a “request a quote” button or “for the price call phone #”. 

8. Delivery & Shipping Info 

Most useful for e-commerce websites, have a return/exchange policy and delivery info easily visible. This is legal info that shouldn’t be shoved to the footer. Contain the info in an according near the product description. If you’re selling a product that does not need shipping or a service still include refund police even if it is a no refund policy along with info on how to handle dissatisfaction with the product or service. 

Include these items in your website today. Call 248.528.3600

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1. Too cluttered 

Late 90s and early 2000 web design a notorious for having too much on one page. This is still a problem for certain companies that have a lot to say and show. Unfortunately, this leads to pages that are hard to navigate and understand. Your costumer will look elsewhere for what they need. Prioritize the information that fits your main goal. Your design does not have to be minimalist, but make sure there is enough space to read text and that each web element isn’t smashed into each other. Be careful with heavy patterns for backgrounds. 

2. Inconsistencies in UI

Too many different colors, fonts, and navigation styles between each page can really hurt branding. You want to make sure each page looks like it belongs to the same company and website. If possible, have a style guide that has the correct info for font choices and color of your company. Differentiation should be subtle and mostly on a layout level. If you are struggling with this task hire a design or marketing agency to audit your website and help make changes. 

3. Poor typographic hierarchy

Headlines, subheads, and body copy should be easy to read and identify. Each of these elements are a different level. Use different sizes, weights, and styles to help create these different levels. If you have a lot of text that needs to be in the body copy, make sure you break it up into short paragraphs and line heights. Bullet points can also be an option for products or services that are listed out. Per point 2, make sure your choices are consistent on each page, but not on an individual element level. 

4. Confusing iconography

Icons are visual cues for the content the visitors about to read. You want your potential client to immediately recognize what the icon represents. Avoid using metaphorical or abstract icons, especially for important or life saving information. Universal Icons are free on many websites like freepik.com or flaticon.com. If you still don’t see an easily recognizable shape, use label to prevent confusion. 

5. Poor form design

Forms to subscribe, request a quote, or other contact-based activities must be user-friendly or submission rate with be low. Keep their design as short as possible to achieve your goal. For example, subscription forms usually only have name and email address fields. For buttons, make sure they are highly visible, and the label is also a call-to-action. Use auto-mated error messages for any required fields not filled out and confirmation messages for when the form is successfully submitted. Break up long forms into smaller pages. For example, a checkout form, might be split into pages for shipping information, billing information, and reviewing the purchase before submitting. Don’t forget to indicate progress to users as they work through these pages.

6. Poor alignment

Info and images should be aligned in a way that users know that they are related to each other. Organize your images into folders and label your images related into your content. That way you or a designer know which image is related to which content. Grids and wireframes are a good way to determine a layout before going into formal design. 

7. Irrelevant imagery

Photos and illustrations should be related to your brand as well as your products or services. Ideally it would be great to have a professional photographer or illustrator that can capture everyday functions of your business. If a professional is not available, search for stock photos that you can directly tie into your content. 

8. Lack of contrast

Lack of contrast in text, color, and graphics is visually unappealing and my even cause harm to the accessibility of your website. Avoid light text on a light background or dark text on a dark background, especially for important info. People with a visual impairment will click off your website if they can’t find the info they need in clear and precise manner. Some colors contrast on print better than web, so make sure if using a graphic that was previously on printed material you convert the colors to web safe versions or substitute a color that is clashing. 

9. Poor user research

To create a practical design, you need to understand your audience’s needs. Your website can be well design and function beautifully, but if it is directed at the wrong target audience you will get few clicks. Remember to focus on the problem that your product or service will solve. Test different designs and iterations that showcase the solution to the users’ problem. Include SEO-friendly content that will help search engines direct your website to the correct audience. 

10. Lack of accessibility

Often, people tend to forget visually impaired or hard of hearing users for their website. Have features that easily found and buttons that are big enough to use. Do a squint test for text and graphics. This will help you determine if user can figure out what the item is even if it is blurry. Include alt text and meta descriptions for images. E-readers on computers will be able to read the image and relay the info back to the user. If you have any videos, include subtitles for those hard of hearing. If you are a text heavy website, have a speaker feature that can read the text out load to the user. 

Start your website re-design today! Call 248.528.3600.

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1. Choose a suitable theme 

WordPress is highly customizable and has endless options when it comes to themes and plugins. Choose your plugins and themes wisely because they can affect the speed and performance. If your plugins come with widgets and CTAs, then ensure that the orientation of these elements is adaptive and suitable for all screen types. Also, if you are using custom themes, then hire a professional agency to assist with this task. 

2. Reduce cognitive load on users 

Ever get a headache from a color or large amount of text on a website? The creative choices you make for your website appearance and layout and info amount effect the amount of traffic you will receive. Try to reduce the cognitive load on users by designing an intuitive website. Each step that the visitors take on your website, should automatically guide them towards the other. Keep in mind user-friendly buttons to stimulate the human and bring attention to an action you want the customer to take. 

3. Try lazy loading to optimize media 

Lazy loading is a technique that defers loading of non-critical resources like images and videos on the website at the time of page load. Mobile users have more limitations in terms of metered connections, limited bandwidth, battery, and more so it is important to speed up your website’s load time. Lazy loading will enable the loading of more crucial elements at first. Image and video compression tools that do not deter quality to reduce file sizes are also useful in ramping upload times. Note that WordPress 4.4 addresses this issue by default. The smallest version of the image available on your server is loaded on the page. Remember to keep your website updated or have an agency that has web maintenance do it for you. 

4. Find a robust web hosting partner 

Find a reliable web host that automates multiple processes and takes care of all your needs. Make sure the hosting service offers a list of advantages like CDN, SSL certification, automated backups, performance boosting assets, and much more. You want to ensure a frictionless experience for your users. This will also help boost the performance of the app synced with your website. 

5. The option of a mobile app

Build an app to keep up with the ongoing trends. Turning a WordPress website into a mobile app can have endless benefits for your business. It can take some of the load off from your website as regular and returning users will have the alternate option of an app. It can also be used to enhance the buyer experience by adding an interactive feature. Another bonus is that it will prevent users from migrating to competitor websites for more mobile-friendly options.

Get started with a mobile friendly WordPress website today! Call 248.528.3600

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1. 3D Design

Tech and software capabilities are advancing year by year. Many designers are experimenting with 3D illustration and moving away from flat vector illustrations. With 3D illustration you can add depth and dimension. Incorporate this style into animations, typography, photos, and previous flat illustration to create a compelling attention-grabbing graphic for your digital marketing materials. 

2. Maximalism

Oversaturated the senses with bold color combinations, contrasting patterns, layered images, and repeated motifs. This trend leaves little white space with dense design with dramatic detail. Last year minimalism was the popular trend. If your brand relied heavily of minimalism find an agency that performs brand audits to see if you should continue to stick to minimalism or if you should re-brand with maximalism in mind. 

3. Simplified Logos

Many companies are stripping back from excessive detail and complex design elements in their logos. The lack of detail helps to appeal to new audiences, appears approachable, and is easier to apply on many different mediums from packages to websites. Use 2-3 colors max, basic shapes and easy to read text as a staring off point for a new logo.

4. Minimalist Retro

This is trend is perfect for nostalgic brands that rely on magazine or editorial style layouts and interesting packaging. Old-school fonts, muted color palettes, warm tones, soft shadows, and natural textures are elements that give a brand a vintage feel. 

5. Abstract Surrealism

Brands that encourage escape from reality and rely on a futuristic aesthetic fit perfectly with this trend. Fantastical illustration, evocative images, bizarre landscapes, and dream or nightmare-like designs elevate the brand on a whole new level. Apply these items to your digital marketing materials to really pop off. 

6. Dreamy Muted Gradients

Gradients that give off an ethereal fuzzy look and feel use soft pastels and grainy textures. Social media or app logos along with branding and presentation designs rely on these elements for visually pleasing aesthetic that isn’t too overpowering. If your brand wants to give clients a calm laid-back feeling, consider incorporating a gradient into your print and digital marketing material. 

7. Embracing Simplicity

It is always refreshing to go back to the basic simplicity of life. During the pandemic, many people took the time to apricate the small things in their life. Consistent basic geometric shapes, limited color palette, and line art are an excellent choice for classy brands that want to be warm and inviting.

8. Colorful Minimalism

Monochromatic palettes and maximum white space are popular for minimalistic brands that want to add a splash of excitement. Use large blocks of color, giant text, and imagery with spotlights of color. These designs really stand out on Pinterest boards and crowded social media spaces. 

9. Non-Fungible Tokens

While controversial due to its environmental footprint and concerns with copyright, the space for creators and buyers is growing. One step forward to fix the concerns is that NFTs now provide verifiable proof of origin and allow only one person to own them, increasing the artwork value. This good news for creators who worry about their creations being replicated without permission. Keep an eye out for NFTs fixes and plan for marketing projects to become artwork collectables in this space.

Call 248.528.3600 today to incorporate these trends into your marketing trends.  

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1. Consistency in Design

Color, typefaces, font sizes, image arrangement and more need to feel like they belong to the same brand. If possible, have a brand or style guide on hand that you can give to the designer and developer. You want to make sure your potential clients know you are professional and that their computer didn’t send them to a different company’s website. 

2. Active/Hover States

The active/hover states of buttons and navigation are a forgotten element that can create an interesting dynamic feel to the user experience. Having a vibrant secondary color or graphic can draw attention to the user’s cursor and the increase the chance they will click on the button. This can be tool that can help lead to higher conversion rates. 

3. Design the Default Page 

If you’re using a CMS such as WordPress, the default page acts as a layout page for the rest of the site. This is important later down the line if your business grows to develops new products or services and there needs to be a new page added to your website. The elements of the default page such as the nav and footer are consistent with your existing website, you don’t have design a new page from scratch. 

4. Auto-Response Form 

Contact forms, subscribe boxes, and any other forms on your website should have a conformation response when the user clicks “submit” or “send”. If your business is closed on a certain day, editing the forms’ automated response is a good way to inform you client when that will get a response. For example, you are a bakery that is closed on Sunday, but a service request was submitted Saturday before closing, your message could say “Thank for contacting us! We look forward to contacting you on our next business day. Check out hours to see when we are open!” 

5. The 404 Page

Often the focus is to make the website work perfectly. While it is important that it functions well as often as possible there is going to updates to page or URLs that are going to pop up occasionally. The 404 page is actually important to branding and indicating to the user that the link is no longer around or will back shortly. A well designed 404 page comes off as more professional than the generic default text pops up. 

6. Responsive Images

The resolution of your images differs for each screen size. A rule of thumb for responsive websites is to double the largest resolution for your web ready photos. For example, 72dpi is the default for desktop images. Double it to 150dpi so when you switch to mobile your image does not lose the clear quality it had on desktop. 

7. Utilize Actual Content

Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text designers often use if the business does not have content during the web building process. However, you want actual information about your company and its product or service available before launching. Ideally, start off with a site map and layout design and have the content ready before development, so if the quantity of content effects the layout the designer can make adjustments before moving on to function of the website. 

Missing any of these elements? Call 248.528.3600

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Start building your website today and gather online customers. Call 248.528.3600. 

The post Why Small Business Owners Need Web Design appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

Get started now by calling 248.528.3600

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Fun, Optimistic Designs 

Unique or abstract shapes & colors with images of people happy or hopeful. This is much needed during the pandemic where depression is on the rise. Lighter typefaces and interesting fonts as opposed to dark and bold fonts can also help create a sense of positive emotions. 

Black & White Color Schemes 

Doesn’t this contradict the first point? Kind of, the first point applies to many businesses, but if your business sells something serious the first point may be inappropriate. Black & White color schemes can create stark beautiful designs without overwhelming your audience. Adding subtle liquid animation on the hover can create a sense of calm and encourage interactivity. 

Bold & Experimental Typography   

This trend is more popular in fashion and magazine businesses. Large serif and san serif fonts create impact. Experimental fonts can also allow you to be unique and stand out from other similar businesses. Add animation or flex options to create a more dynamic feel to your web design. With this trend make sure you test on mobile, not all experiment fonts translate. You may have to play with characters and font colors.

Oversized Pointers 

When you move your mouse or trackpad the pointer grows over clickable elements of your website. These are like magnifying glass that gives your audience a sense of discovery and encourages them to look at your whole website. 

Three-Dimensional Design Elements 

Real-estate, architectural, and businesses selling products are adding a 3D flair to their websites. Shadows, animations, and layer effects or combining all three are ways to add a multidimensional look to your website. Adding videos with model renders or photo illustrations can also help you tell a story. 

Almost Brutalism 

Brutalism by itself can be too overwhelming for some websites but adding a lighter edge easier-on-the-eyes serif or sans serif font can soften the otherwise harsh “yelling” feeling it usually gives. The text carries the design with minimal visuals and colors, so make sure ample space is between elements to keep it legible. 

Scrolling Text Elements

Readability is important, but there is no reason why they can’t be dynamic as well. Short calls-to-action, keywords, or phrases with oversized fonts scrolling slowly left to right can create visual interest. It can also allow your audience to stay on your website longer as to read what the whole word or phrase says. This reduces bounce rate which is great for SEO purposes. 

Glassmorphism 

Corporate websites or perfume businesses may want to consider this look.  By adding transparency, frostiness, or glossiness that look reminiscent of glass to elements on your website you can create a clean style.

What to add any of these trends to your website? Call 248.528.3600

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