If Content Is King, What Is Web Design?

“Content is king,” is a saying going around in the digital marketing industry. Almost everyone has undoubtedly heard this phrase, along with the simple truth that web content is the reason why people end up in web pages developed by designers. But if content is deemed king, where does it leave web design? If you come to think of it, where will your content land if you don’t have a proper place for it?

What You Should Know About Website Design

In today’s world run by technology, any successful business needs a team of exceptional internet marketing professionals to help them reach their target market. It’s bittersweet that we no longer live in an era where businesses can get by without internet aid. With hundreds and thousands of competitors in just one industry, one of the main ways to climb the ladder of success is by having an online presence designed to mere perfection.

In a nutshell, it’s pretty safe to say that a web design is considered god, or if you prefer to take it down a notch, the kingdom where content resides. It is the planning and creation of websites. Within its scope involves many of the same key visual elements of design, such as:

• Content

The king and its kingdom go hand-in-hand. They work together to enhance the message of the site through pleasing visuals and text. Written text should always be relevant, so as not to confuse the reader and to give them exactly what they came for to remain on the site. Content should be optimized for search engines and be of a suitable length and incorporate related keywords.

•   Layout

It’s through layouts that graphics and text are arranged. In the world wide web, a key goal is to help readers and viewers find the information they need at a glance. This includes maintaining the consistency and integrity of the design.

•   Graphics

Graphics include photos, logos, clipart, or icons, all of which enhance the aesthetic of the web design. For an added touch of user-friendliness, these need to be placed appropriately, working with the color and content of the web page.

•   Color

This is dependent on the purpose and preference of the client. It could be as simple as black-and-white or as vivid as a multi-colored design, conveying the personality of an individual or the brand of an organization, using web safe colors.

•   Fonts

The use of different fonts varying in size and face can exponentially enhance a website design. Most web browsers can only read a select number of fonts found in the web-safe font category.

All of these elements combined form websites that should represent whichever businesses they belong to. But oftentimes, the meaning of “design” is perceived solely as a visual aspect. In truth, design is the process of collating ideas, as well as aesthetically arranging and implementing them guided by certain principles for a specific purpose.

Why It’s Important

When it comes to a website’s success, content really is king. It is undoubtedly why traffic occurs and why viewers share a site. But let’s take into consideration that a website’s design could drastically increase a visitor’s chances of scrolling down or clicking out. A website design plays a large role in making or breaking your visibility, especially if it’s structure is not arranged and designed aesthetically enough for a user to keep scrolling down.

How To Rule Your Kingdom (Web Design)

• Simplicity

Keeping it simple should be the primary goal of any site design. Although it’s important for a website to look great, users are rarely on a site to enjoy the design. Strive for simplicity and steer clear of complexity.

• Navigation

Navigation is all about how easy it is for people to move around your website. Some tactics for effective navigation include a logical page hierarchy, designing clickable buttons, and following the ‘three click rule’ which means users will be able to find the information they need within three clicks.

• Images

A picture speaks a thousand words, and choosing the right images for your website can exponentially help with brand positioning, as well as help you reach your target audience. If you don’t have high-quality photos on hand, consider purchasing photos to lift the appearance of your website. There are also a number of websites online that offer free usage of high definition photos. Also, consider using infographics and videos like these can be much more effective at communicating than even the most well-written piece of text.

• Mobile Friendly

Not everyone has the time to break out their laptops or turn on their PCs to check the internet. Our smartphones, on the other hand, are always at the tip of our fingertips. It is now common to access websites from the convenience of devices with varying screen sizes, so it is important to consider if your site is mobile friendly.

• Loading Time

No one likes a website that takes decades to load. It prompts a user to click out and check other competitors. Loading times can be more effective by optimizing image sizes and combining codes into a central CSS or Javascript file.

• Grid Based Layouts

Random placement of content on your website can come across as unsystematic and unpleasing. Grid-based layouts arrange content into sections, boxes, and columns that line up and feel balanced, which leads to a far better-looking website design.

• Purpose

You can’t just create web pages and not have a solid purpose. A good web design always caters to the needs of each user. Are your visitors looking for information, entertainment, or some type of interaction with your business? Each page of your website must have a clear purpose and must fulfill a specific need for your users in the most effective ways possible.

Content may be king, but every king needs a kingdom to rule or it’ll be nothing more than a wandering peasant — or in this case, a content without a home.

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