In this digital age, it’s more important than ever to have an aesthetically-pleasing website: after all, 94% of first impressions relate to a website’s design, so your site’s visuals are fundamental to engaging first-time visitors as well as delighting returning users.
Users are much more likely to return to your site if it’s visually engaging, clean and easy-to-read, with a clear navigation and speedy loading times — so whether you’re building a site from scratch or updating your existing WordPress site, you’ll want to take note of these seven tips and best practices for designing a successful WordPress website.
In this blog post, we’ll highlight the importance of great content coupled with beautiful design (among other important elements) when creating your next WordPress website.
1. Make content a priority
When creating your website, it’s important to prioritize your content: sites that have a beautiful design but lack substance might initially catch the eye, but visitors are unlikely to engage with your brand if your content is slight. A great example of putting content first is The Atlantic, who recently moved away from their established design and implemented a more minimalistic aesthetic and layout. Their content has remained a priority, but the design gives it more room to breathe.
You can use WordPress to create a perfectly minimalistic layout (if that’s what you're going for) that lets your content and your message shine through. When thinking about your content strategy, remember these top tips:
● Know your audience and create your content with them in mind
● Use a consistent ‘tone of voice’ that reflects your brand’s personality
● Ensure your content is easy to digest (avoid too much lengthy jargon, break it into small sections, and include visuals wherever possible)
● Always include a call to action (CTA)
● Include a blog section and add new posts regularly (77% of internet users read blogs)
● Never overlook the importance of SEO in your content
2. Establish a clear navigation route
One of the most important aspects of your website is the navigation experience: navigation can either forge a clear and uncluttered path through your content, or create a frustrating and confusing experience that leaves users feeling lost and dissatisfied. When designing your navigation menu, make sure it’s easy to locate (where your users would expect to see it), visible, and it stands out from the rest of the page. Try to avoid weaving navigation options throughout your content—it’s distracting and could lead to a poor user experience. When designing your navigation, keep these strategies in mind:
● Keep your navigation experience consistent to help users move through the site
● Streamline your navigation bar and don’t clutter it with too many links
● Make your information pages (contact info, FAQs etc.) easy to locate
● Consider mobile users (keep your navigation simple and ensure links are clickable)
● Don’t forget the footer (many users still use the footer as a way of navigating, and many WordPress themes include ‘fat footers’ so you can include several links)
3. Test, test, test
If you’re launching your first WordPress website, you’ll want to ensure it’s thoroughly checked for bugs and inconsistencies before pushing the “launch” button, while if you’re making design updates to an existing site, you don’t want to put anything live that you haven’t tested beforehand. Not picking up on a glaring issue could result in your site’s design going awry and your user experience suffering.
Top tip: when deciding on your WordPress hosting solution, check whether the package includes a WordPress staging environment: offered by hosting providers such as Cloudways.com, a staging site is effectively a “dummy” replica of your live site, where you can test out new designs, layouts and features without them impacting the live environment. Other things to note include:
● Test your design across all devices and browsers to ensure compatibility
● Test from a user’s perspective (think about the navigation, the ease of use etc.)
● Check all your links work and there are no broken pages
● Review your site’s loading speeds using a tool like Google’s PageSpeed Insights
● Use A/B testing to help decide on the most effective design features
4. Use high-quality images
Images are crucial to a successful website design. They help to provide visual cues, they draw the eye to important elements of a page, and they help to showcase products effectively. Wherever you use images on your site, however, remember that the images should be high-quality (use JPEG images in a suitable resolution), and fully optimized (here are some tips on image optimization from Adobe) to ensure they don’t slow down your site.
If you run an ecommerce site, your product images are critical to driving conversion: ensure you include as many images as possible, showcasing the product from every possible angle — you might even want to consider 360-degree product photography to really give your users a feel for the product. Follow these tips when adding images to your site:
● Use original images — rather than stock photos — where you can
● Ensure your images are optimized for mobile devices
● Try not to use images over 1MB as this can have a performance impact (use an image compressor if necessary)
● Use GIFs and PNGs sparingly; stick to JPEGs for the most part
● Make sure your images are relevant and provide additional context
● Remember to add alt text to all images for SEO purposes
5. Don’t be afraid of white space
White space is the negative space found between and around elements in a layout. It’s important to utilize white space to create a clean and aesthetically pleasing design. It’s also important not to go overboard with white space — too much of it can make your website feel too sparse.
To create a design that strikes the right balance between minimalist and visually engaging, avoid completely filling the page with text, images, and unnecessary design elements. You want a nice balance of on-page content while retaining plenty of white space to keep the design looking clean and uncluttered. Think about the following when it comes to using white space effectively:
● Remove any unnecessary distractions from around your content
● Ensure the most important elements of the page take visual precedence
● Organize and structure your content using a Z-shaped layout to aid visual scanning
● Space your text appropriately to make it stand out while remaining readable
● Don’t be afraid to use alternative background colors (“white” space doesn’t have to be white!)
6. Don’t over-stylize your typography
When it comes to typography, don’t overdo it. It’s easy to get carried away with trendy font choices, but that can kill your readers’ eyes and make your content harder to grasp. Make it easily readable, and only use those slightly more elegant fonts where (and if) you really need to. Otherwise, keep it clean and simple, and don’t overload your pages with copy.
Consistency is always the way to go when it comes to typography: it ensures all your content is readable, but also that your brand’s visual aesthetic and personality shines through across your site. You also need to think about color choices: it’s no good having a white font on a yellow background, for example, as it’ll be barely readable. Keep these tips in mind when deciding on typography choices:
● Limit the number of typefaces on your website (no more than 2 or 3)
● Use a sans serif font for body copy, as this makes it easier to read
● Think about the size of your text (is it readable on mobile devices, for example?)
● Utilize whitespace and ensure your text is spaced appropriately
● Don’t use ALL CAPS for emphasis — it looks unprofessional and is often hard to read
7. Don’t forget about mobile users
With more than 83% of people in the world owning a smartphone, it’s no surprise that mobile has become the dominant device type among internet users. And with that in mind, it’s increasingly important to create a mobile-optimized version of your website — in fact, in this day and age you should think mobile-first. While many WordPress themes already include a mobile option, it’s important to make sure the mobile version of your site is up to standard. You don’t want to lose prospective customers because they can’t easily navigate your site on their phones. When creating a mobile version of your website, keep these tips in mind:
● Keep your interface clean and uncluttered
● Ensure clickable elements (i.e. buttons and links) are large enough to tap using a finger or thumb
● Make sure your images are optimized for smaller screen sizes
● Ensure your text is large enough to read on a small screen
● Keep your UX and UI consistent across all devices
● If using forms (e.g. for checkouts or data collection), keep them simple and enable the autofill function where possible
Summing up
The best websites are those that are visually appealing and easy to navigate. When creating your WordPress website, remember to make content a priority, establish a clear navigation route, test your design thoroughly, use high-quality images, utilize white space, avoid over-stylizing your typography, and don’t forget about mobile users. With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to creating a beautiful website with clear and concise content that readers will love.