The average American now spends almost 24 hours each week online. This is great news for your business!

You have more opportunities than ever to reach your target audience. If, that is, you can grab their attention with your website.

To make sure you’re sending the right message, be sure to follow the five web design principles listed below.

1. Keep it Simple

10 times out of 10, a usable website is better than a flashy one.

That isn’t to say that you can’t have both — this website highlighting Marketing and Web Design in Southern Maryland shows as much — but above all else, your website needs to focus on usability first.

Think about your own browsing experiences for a second. How frustrating is it when you come across a site that runs like it was created in 1998?

You’d never trust that company with your money.

As you start the web design process, place an emphasis on loading times, scannability, and navigation. These three elements should be the core tenets of your site’s philosophy.

2. Balance Images and Text

According to Blue Whale Media, who are specialized in web design in Manchester, this is by far one of the toughest principles of modern website design. For the sake of simplicity, let’s focus on a word we used in the previous section: scannability.

No matter how fantastic your latest blog post is, most people won’t bother to read the whole thing. However, you can do some things to keep them interested.

Make sure to include interesting visuals throughout your web content, for instance. And be sure to break up your text, as well. It’s easier on the eyes to read smaller paragraphs than massive blocks of text.

3. Minimize Redirects

You just want to read a blog post, but the website you’re on keeps trying to get you to sign up for mailing lists or distracts you with advertising. It’s annoying, isn’t it?

The easier you make it for visitors to browse your website, the stronger your traffic.

Do your best to cut down on page redirects. This factor alone can improve your site’s loading times.

4. Prioritize a Great Mobile Experience

A recent report indicates that by 2025, 75% of people will use their mobile device only to access the Internet. 2025 might seem like a ways away, but make no mistake, millions of people use their phones and tablets every day for web browsing.

Once you’re finished reading this article, take out your phone and visit your website. Does your mobile site offer a full browsing experience, including text formatting, images, and videos?

If not, you’re going to alienate a huge portion of your audience.

5. Get to the Point

Of course, your website needs to be informative and welcoming. But it also needs to be direct and show customers what to do next.

Each page needs a call-to-action (CTA) describing what action you want your audience to take. Whether it’s getting in contact with your company, reading extra content, or just visiting another page, your CTAs have a ton of power, so make sure you’re not squandering your selling potential.

Generate Results by Following These Web Design Principles

There’s more competition than ever on the web, but with these web design principles, you can rest assured that your website will get the attention it deserves. Make sure to implement these features today!

And if you’re interested in learning more about digital marketing and growing your business, make sure to check back with our blog.