Gone are the days when you had to build your website from scratch. In today’s market, it is easier than ever to create a website to share your brand with the world. However, with ease comes oversaturation. Keep your site from getting lost in the fray by considering these aspects of your website design.
- Choosing the Right Template
- Imagery
- Colours
- Typography
- Fresh, Exciting Content
5 Ways to Make Your Website Stand Out
Choosing the Right Template
First impressions are formed in a matter of seconds. To make sure you start out on the right foot, be sure to take the time to consider your website template. The overall style of your website should align with how you view your brand, but don’t be afraid to have fun with it! If you’re looking to be a fun, youthful brand, consider keeping an eye out for templates that rely more on irregular shapes and imagery. If you’re more of a professional or medical brand, cleaner themes that highlight text content would be your best move. If you’re unsure of the right route to take, there are countless themes and templates that provide a clean slate and can be shaped to match your distinct style.
Curated Imagery
Some say that in order to make your website stand out, you should avoid stock imagery altogether. While that is the best way to ensure your content is unique to you, it may not be an accessible solution. Many small businesses don’t have the resources to coordinate and facilitate photoshoots, and are therefore forced to rely on the stock imagery available to them. The best way to utilize this tool is to dedicate a good chunk of your time to creating a gallery of images you would like to use. This way, you’re able to create a cohesive brand and ensure that all the photos you’ve chosen come together to create the visual story you envision. Making sure the photos contain similar colours and content goes a long way in keeping your customers engaged.
Contemplating Colour
Colour is one of the most important aspects of your website. It can set the mood, guide your visitor’s eye to the content you want them to see, or drive them away from your site entirely. Depending on your brand, you can play with contrast to determine the overall feel of your site. Colours in the same family with low contrast tend to bring out a calmer, more zen vibe. While high contrasting colours elicit excitement, and a more upbeat website experience.
Typography
Picking the perfect font for your website can go a long way. Each font has their own personality, and can therefore change the way your content is perceived by your audience. It is a common thought that serif fonts come across as more serious and academic, while sans serif fonts can be more fun. This isn’t always the case, but is a good thought to keep in the back of your mind when choosing the font for your website. Another thing to consider is having two fonts. One more decorative for titles and headings, and another more plain font for the bulk of your written content. This ensures your text is accessible and easy to read, while also adhering to your brand’s style.
Keep it Fresh
A website without content is like a car without a motor, you’re not going to get anywhere. The number one thing to keep in mind when creating your content is to keep it personable, and honest. Consumers are tired of faceless corporations and sterile content, they want to feel like they matter to the company they support. Consider including employee bios, or having your staff write blog articles about their experiences and areas of expertise! Whatever you do, allow your audience to get to know YOU and what you stand for. In addition, ensuring your information is accurate and up to date is paramount in making sure your customers keep coming back.