Let’s face it – Wix has made it super easy for just about anyone to create and design their own website. However, in my opinion, it is a double edged sword as to whether this is a good thing. I have encountered countless wix websites that have been designed so badly that they end up doing more harm than good to a business’s reputation. I don’t know about you, but if I click on to a website that looks dated, poor in design and impossible to navigate, I will immediately click away and on to the next site. In short, a badly designed website can lose you customers rather than gain them!
So this prompted me to write a short post about the fundamentals you need to consider before embarking on your wix website design process.
Website Objective
Before doing anything you need to clearly define your websites objective. What is the site purpose? Is it to capture leads, sell products, increase brand exposure, advertise local services or simply to inform viewers about a certain subject? Ask yourselves lots of questions. What is my brand ethos? Who are my target audience? What image and perception do I want my website to convey? Once you have answered these questions and formed a vision in your head of your site, it’s time to get to work!
Simplicity
Always look to keep things simple. Too much going on in a website results in confusion and a bad user experience resulting in people getting frustrated and clicking away from your site. Remember to make good use of white space and to leave lots of space between sections. There’s nothing worse than a cluttered website. The three main design aspects to consider are:
Colors. Choose the colors for your site wisely. Consider your brand and what colors will compliment it. Many website developers will tell you that you should never use more than 5 colors. Personally I like to use 2 main colors with 1 or 2 secondary colors.
Fonts. Choose a font that will compliment your site design and brand style. Try to use the same font throughout your site for consistency. Do not use lots of different fonts as not only will your site lose consistency but it is also bad for onsite SEO. The more fonts you use the longer the loading time of your site. As a rule of thumb use a maximum of 3 different fonts.
Images. Using images for just about any website is essential. A website that consists of only text will struggle to engage its users, and again, will see users clicking away. Wix has many high res images at your fingertips, so make the most of them without going overboard. Remember, too many large images and videos will slow your site loading time which is bad for your onsite SEO!
Navigation
This is one of the key elements that many wix designers overlook. They focus so much on getting their site to look amazing that they forget about making it super easy for users to navigate it. You should make good use of the buttons, internal linking and anchors. Disperse them throughout each page making it super easy for the user to get to where they want to go. Relying on just one button at the bottom of each page and the menu at the top of the page will only serve to frustrate the user.
Responsive Web Design
Wix websites are not fully responsive. A truly responsive website will give the user a great viewing experience across a range of devices including pc screens, tablets and mobile phones. However, wix are improving all the time and to help us achieve a great viewing experience we can make use of the wix mobile editor to make our wix sites look amazing on mobile phones. For tablets we currently only have one option. When designing in desktop mode you should try to keep the bulk of your content and design within the dotted lines. These dotted lines act as a guide to show you what will be visible when your site is viewed from a tablet.
Great Content
You need to have great content for two very important reasons. Firstly, you need to engage your users. Boring and uninformative content will not keep them for very long. Secondly, great content is important for your websites SEO. And remember to use your keywords throughout if you want Google to know what it is you and your business want to rank for!
Load time
When designing your site it is all too easy to get carried away with the design aspect without considering how your loading time will be affected. As discussed earlier, it is very important to engage your viewers with lots of imagery. However, be aware that too many high resolution images and video clips can slow your site down, meaning for a poor viewing experience and a negative SEO effect. Google does not like slow loading websites! You need to find a healthy balance of images versus content for an optimal user experience and optimal loading time.
Social Links
It’s very important to include social links on your website and is something many people overlook. Not only do the links give you credibility with the user but they also give you credibility with search engines. Google are placing more importance on social links than ever before so if you want to rank you need to include them.
Conclusion
Keep it simple. Consider your target audience and your brand and how they should be reflected within your website. Ensure your site is mobile friendly and super easy to navigate. Don’t overdo the design aspect, consider your content carefully ensuring to use keywords throughout without making it spammy. If you follow these basic rules you should be rewarded with a great wix website design!