The 4 Principles of Successful Website Planning

An effective website always starts with a plan because not having one is like planning to fail. You can liken this process to starting a business, wherein a proper business plan will help set the foundation of your business in motion. You know your website design has a high chance of being successful when the website design is complete with all of the principles coming into play with proper planning.

Considerations In Planning Your Website

Your website design is more than just about having a website per se. A good one brings a host of benefits to your business such as better credibility, trust, and more traffic coming in. With all of these, you’d know your business is more inclined to deliver success. If you aren’t well-versed with proper website design, seeking the help of Slickplan Official Site and other online planning tools equipped with sitemap builders can guide you.

Here are some principles gearing you toward successful website planning:

1. Visual Hierarchy

Not all elements on your website’s page are of equal importance. There’s such a thing known as a visual hierarchy where some facets of your website are naturally more important than others. It’s important to create this hierarchy to have depth and balance in your site.

It’s as simple as not having all text in the same size. Some have to be bigger than others to indicate that those are headings. Matters needing to be emphasized are also in bold letters. The point of applying visual hierarchy on your website is to get more attention to those parts of your content which are more important than the others. 

2. Purpose

No website should ever be without a purpose. So, once you go full-force in your planning stage, the purpose needs to shape your site. If not, then your website will lack a sense of direction or will have no clear intention about the pages.

When it comes to websites, this is a significant principle to consider. Don’t compare your website to that of another. Rather, take to heart your site’s purpose or what your driving force is. There are different purposes you can have for your website, and some of these include:

• Sales and aftercare, which means your website is there to help your customers not just for them to make a purchase but also to guide them on the proper usage of your products and services;
• Describing your expertise, which mostly turns your website into a marketing tool to ensure your target customers end up choosing your business and not competitors;
• Generating leads, which means your website’s purpose is to bring more leads toward your website to increase your trust and credibility. These leads can also be potential customers in the long run.

3. Proximity

There’s also such a thing known as the law of proximity when it comes to your website design. This states the elements on your website that go together in close proximity. When they’re so close to each other, they might become perceived as a single object.

To ensure your website’s design doesn’t look distorted, make sure you don’t group objects that don’t go together in close spaces. If these don’t have any connection with each other, then grouping them will only make your website look confusing and messy.

4. Simplicity

The best way to come up with an aesthetically pleasing and functional website design is to keep things simple. There’s no need for a lot of visual elements, which may only make your website look cluttered.

Your website’s simplicity can generally be grouped into three: color, imagery, and typography.

• Color. This element has the biggest power to send the right messages and to trigger the emotions of your website visitors. Using the right color palette can put you in a position wherein your website design resonates with your brand’s image.
• Imagery. Every website needs to have the perfect balance of the right imagery. If you don’t have this, you may end up with a website that’s too text-heavy. No website visitor will ever want to go through long groups of text, which may also make your website look boring.
• Typography. This refers to the font you’re going to use on your website. Apart from choosing a website with a nice font as a minimum standard, it should also be easily readable.

Conclusion

As you can see, many factors are coming into play for you to say your website has gone through rigorous planning. Given the weight of the role a good website brings, it shouldn’t be a surprise that proper planning is a must. Don’t jump right into the creation of a website haphazardly. Making sure you abide by the principles listed above ensures your site is effective and competitive in reaching its intended goals.