7 Key Principles of Good Web Design

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According to the internet live stats, there are nearly 1.8 billion websites, and the number is ever-increasing.

Now, imagine how challenging it would be to make an appealing (and good) website that will stand out in this competitive environment. I am sure just the thought of it is giving you chills. Right?

In my opinion, the most effective tactic you can focus on is web design. Because the first thing that catches the audience’s attention is the website design, and you have only 0.05 seconds to form a good impression on them.

So, today’s hot topic is what makes a good web design? I have handpicked the 7 best (and top-level) qualities of a great website design that you surely don’t want to miss at all.

Therefore, without delaying any further, let’s start with the importance of web design.

Why Is Web Design Imperative?

Web design has a huge role to play as it decides the website’s fate. In other words, web design either makes your business or breaks it.

A well-designed website influences the perception of the audience towards the brand. Also, it decides for how long the user is going to stick to a website. Apart from forming the first impression on the site, good website design does the following things.

Strategizes the SEO techniques effectively
Builds audience’s trust
Creates consistency
Most importantly, your competitors are also doing it.

So, why not you?

A study has found that 38% of people do not engage with a website with an unattractive layout. Therefore, many business owners prefer to hire a creative digital agency that crafts a well-designed (and attractive) website layout.

7 Top-Notch Qualities of a Great Website Design

Website Simplicity

What makes a good web design? Simplicity is always at its best, whether it is in fashion or on a website.

A simple (yet attractive) website gives an excellent user experience and eases website accessibility. A clean (and simple) website makes a site design more appealing that entices the users quickly.

Moreover, maintain a balance between color, fonts, and other elements to evoke the user’s responses. Thus, don’t think much, or else you’ll end up designing a complex website.

Mobile-Friendly

There are 3.8 billion smartphone users globally, and the number is ever-increasing. Do you know what does it signify? You must gotta make your site mobile-friendly.

Yes, mobile-friendliness is one of the golden principles of good website design. Today, most people access the website from their smartphones because of the feasibility.

Therefore, consider building your website with a mobile responsive layout because it enhances user engagement, improves SEO, increases website speed, attracts loyal customers, and more. Moreover, Google prioritizes indexing mobile-friendly sites.

Maintain Consistency

Consistency is an imperative element for a successful website.

Undoubtedly, consistency is the key, and you need to focus on it while designing a website. Make sure to create the homepage and end page of the website symmetrical as it contributes a positive user experience.

If you repeatedly change the website designs, it will look clumsy, and the chances are that users will abandon the site immediately. Therefore, use the same font, color, and layout throughout the site.

Following are some of the key benefits of maintaining consistency.

– Allow users to perform tasks more quickly and efficiently

– Enhances the website usability

– Eliminates the risk of difficult navigation

Focus On Proper Navigation

One of the most viewed qualities of a great website design is easy navigation, as no user wants a painful time navigating their desired page.

Also, easy (and proper) navigation is one of the quickest ways to lure users to your site. Well-designed navigation makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for.

In other words, navigation means making your site easy to access. Also, you can use the hamburger menu option (for the mobile sites) that enhances the user experience more. Good web navigation improves the conversion rate and increases the SEO (and organic) traffic.

F-Shaped Pattern

You still don’t know what makes a good website design? Well, it’s an F-shaped pattern that enables the users to browse the website effortlessly.

F-shaped design refers to a natural pattern of reading the content. Western users generally start reading the blog from the top left and then move towards the top right, and then come down the line in the same way.

In a simple term, an F-shaped layout maintains the natural flow of reading that lets users focus on the particular elements effortlessly. The pattern results in better user engagement and improves the conversion rate.

Visual Hierarchy and Loading Time

The other two principles of good website design are visual hierarchy and loading time.

In a visual hierarchy, the elements are arranged on the basis of size, color, typography, texture, whitespace, style, imagery, etc.

The main agenda of visual hierarchy is to draw the user’s attention towards the most crucial information. In other words, visual order results in better comprehension and adds value.

Loading time, on the other hand, decides the website’s faith. If your website takes too much time for loading, the chances are that users will immediately abandon your site.

Hence, make sure that your site loads instantly (like within 3 seconds) for a better user experience. You can also optimize the image sizes on your site for instant loading.

Grid-Based Layout

The last top-notch quality of a great web design is a grid-based layout that makes the website appear more organized.

The grid layout arranges all the elements in a structural manner that makes a website cleaner. It involves columns and sections that make it easier for users to navigate the information smoothly.

Consequently, this structure gives a website an aesthetically pleasing look. Therefore, it is highly advisable to use a grid-based layout as it offers stability and gives a better user experience.

Following are some of the most evident benefits of grid layout.