When thinking about web design in Toronto, you are not sure where you actually need to start? Your competitors probably already have new and responsive websites and you have that feeling that you are a bit late to the party. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity because a lot of other businesses often share the same thing and they mostly fail to connect with their target audiences.
You have that amazing image in your head, but how much will it cost? Are you going to get all the important details right? Is that perfect image going to convert successfully to reality? Who needs to help you with achieving that? And most importantly – how much will that amazing design cost?
Lucky for you, a great design today is very affordable. You don’t need to break your bank to get something your customers will love. Yet you need something that is attractive, fast and amplifies your brand voice in the right way. Here’s your ultimate design checklist to get that project going.
Think about your purpose
This seems too simple but it is a really important step you can’t skip. Think about your mission, your vision, and your purpose.
What do you want to achieve? Do you want to educate your customers about a certain topic? Do you want to have your online store? Or do you want more sign-ups for your website?
You need to determine what is your unique selling point and what differentiates your brand as compared to your competitors. This will also help you with getting a general idea about your future SEO and digital marketing efforts.
By understanding your future customers and their intent, you will also think about the search queries they will use to find you and place them strategically into your professional website design.
Latest web design trends also matter
Yet be careful – web design trends are indeed important but not all trends are perfect for your business. Some trends will stay, some of them don’t – yet it is up to you if you will decide to utilize them on your website.
What always converts well? Minimalism. Using a monochromatic color scheme and a little yet effective piece of information sometimes works the best. An even more extreme version of this is so-called brutalism. It looks overly simplified – but in the end, it does the trick.
Yet this is not for everyone, you might want a more vivid color palette. Blue is the color that sparks trust – use gradient blue shades to achieve an elegant design. Green colors are also great because they are not too aggressive. These are great for business websites.
If you want to start a personal blog or an eCommerce store that sells cosmetics – think about more soft shades and pastel colors. They inspire serenity and a calm mood.
Think about – which emotion do you want people to relate to your brand? The right color palette will help you set just the right tone. Also, how do you want your customers to interact with your website?
Find the right platform
It is important to find just the right platform that will work great for both Google and your customers – making the right decision during this step will help you find the balance.
There are numerous platforms that are great for building eye candy websites with an intuitive interface. Static websites won’t do you any good because you want a platform where you will add and modify your content, optimize it for Google search. You want both attractive looks backed up with amazing functionalities.
WordPress is of course the number one platform in the world. It is a simple CMS and it works amazingly well with a google search. WordPress is built with SEO in mind. You will find it easy to add new posts or modify the old ones, plus you can customize the service pages.
Shopify is great for bigger e-commerce stores when you need a hub where you will have all the inventory, products, and marketing in one place.
Some honorable mentions include Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace.
Browse through different templates
When you now have your purpose, a general idea about the color palette that will match your brand, and a platform – time to browse through templates.
There are a lot of pre-made themes and it is up to you to find which one will work the best for you. It can be great for the start – to set the right foundations. You can always replace the images, fonts and customize the content part to your liking.
Avoid huge chunks of text and get straight to the point. Don’t leave anything to the interpretation – in the first 3 seconds, your customer needs to understand what you do. Avoid large images because they might look great – but they will decrease the speed of your website.
It is also great to build a website from scratch – that process might take time but with a great developer and designer, it will be worth the time in the end. You, your customers, and Google will love it equally.
Analyze and improve
Remember that the story about design doesn’t end with publishing your website. It is just the beginning. From there it is up to you to monitor, analyze how your customers are interacting with your content. It is also a great idea to install the HotJar tool that will give you some useful insights into your customer behaviors.
You can always improve some aspects of your designs until you get it right – this process takes time but it will help you establish a greater online presence.
In conclusion
Design goes much deeper than you think. A great design is both attractive and functional. It amplifies how people see your brand, it helps you build a better presence online. It is more than colors and fonts – it is there to connect all the dots into one cohesive structure.
Web design is always a creative challenge and if you are still not sure where to begin – we are here to help. We can create amazing solutions that will give your business a voice that will be loud online. Contact us right away!