5 tips to make your website more modern | Advice from a website design agency in Melbourne
Developing a website can be an exciting and daunting endeavour.
A lot of the time when you’re about to take on a big design task, you may find yourself consulting a creative agency to assist in how your website should look and feel. When you approach one of these agencies for your website design, it can be relieving to know that you are in safe hands. However, sometimes going from a website design agency, and then to a website development agency, can be a costly process.
At Castle Jackson, we can provide both some general web design in conjunction with you, as well as all the website development to get you there.
If, however, you are looking to tackle the challenge of website design on your own, it is worth knowing 5 tips to make your old designs updated. Some advice for modern website design in Melbourne starts from a strong minded and design focused website design company from Melbourne too.
Without taking up any more of your time, here are some helpful tips to help you with modern website design principles.
⦁ Minimalistic website design
Modern sites are typically noticed instantly by their intentional content. A sign of a modern website is radical simplicity and engaging content.
One thing that is very difficult to do, is to cut down on the amount of things you may want to communicate on your website. If you are a shop, it is important to showcase your products as quickly and effectively as possible. However, it can be easy to get carried away with product bios, about information of your business, and some images you may have. What is key to instilling a stronger modern look and feel on your website, is to make sure that your content, and the first parts of your site are clear, easy to understand, and easy to navigate.
This doesn’t mean don’t have a header, or don’t use your favourite images; what it means is to have a very strong intention for the get go.
For example, https://au.whogivesacrap.org/ is a fantastic organisation who has a website that is very straight forward, and modern.
The first section underneath their main banner leads straight to their most popular items, with brief descriptions and pricing.
The idea here is that they have remained minimal in their approach to website design by giving you clear information regarding their key selling points – Free shipping, plastic-free, 50% of their profits going to charity – Then straight into their products.
Who Gives a Crap has strong brand identity, and an even stronger sense of the user’s journey on their website.
⦁ Use Video Wisely
Video on a website can be a challenge sometimes. If dimensions aren’t right, if it gets uploaded poorly, or if the video quality is low, then you may find yourself with a high bounce rate, and uninterested website users. So, using video needs to be done well in order to see its benefits.
According to an article by WordStream if a marketer uses video content, they can grow their revenue 49% faster than others who do not use video content. There is a reason why video is the most popular form of content. There is also a reason as to why using it wisely matters.
Being intentional with how you design your website, is something that needs to be done consistently. Really think about why something should go in that place, and how a video might elevate, or take away from a section. Modern web design needs to be harmonious.
⦁ Custom Graphics, Typography, and Logos
While the desire to use a great looking free resource can be strong, it is important to weigh up the benefits of going custom with your modern website design.
Getting a custom graphic made or creating graphics yourself is a fantastic way to strongly separate yourself from the rest. Doing so will create a unique brand identity that lends your website to some interesting and specific design language.
When it comes to typography, it is important to have a specific way in which you want your text to look. Why? Because you don’t want your website looking like a word document. Taking advantage of the free and wonderful fonts on places like Google Fonts is an excellent solution to this. Making your site that little bit more unique is going to benefit your websites look and feel.
⦁ Hamburger menu navigation
Most websites have a tonne of long menu options for you to choose. A menu is an important part of a website, as it is the main navigational tool of your site. It is important that your site looks and operates great, and having a sophisticated, and simple menu is a sure-fire way to get your website singing.
The benefit of a hamburger menu is that it is simple, and small. It doesn’t take up valuable screen real estate, but it is noticeable enough for users to engage with it intuitively.
It is useful because it is a clean and distraction free experience for users. It increases significantly that users will be able to find the information they need quickly.
⦁ Speed Optimisation
We’ve talked a lot about the design elements so far, but now it’s important we don’t forget something that makes or breaks a website. Website speed. Having a fast loading website is imperative in today’s world. If your site takes longer than 7 seconds to load, then I’m sorry to report, that the majority of internet users will most likely click away and find a faster alternative. Optimising your website for increased speed is simple enough, it involves you making any images or videos website ready. This means using JPEGS rather than a PNG for your images, and making sure you upload videos through streaming platforms like Vimeo or YouTube, rather than directly uploading them to the site. Using GIFs for animated images with fewer colours is a great way to get animations loading up in no time.
According to Google as a page load time goes from 1 second to 10 seconds, “the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases 123%” SUM UP Overall, these 5 tips to creating a modern website design from Melbourne have shown not only the design side of website design, but also it has shown the importance of a practical and effective website.
If you wish to learn more about designing a website, or if you would like to speak to a modern website design expert today, be sure to call or email Castle Jackson, your trusted website design agency in Melbourne.
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