7 Web Design Tips from a Squarespace Expert
Effective website design involves more than just pleasant aesthetics. Having the right navigation flow to keep visitors browsing your content and converting into customers is just as critical to your site’s success as its visual appeal.
If visitors struggle to find the content they seek or understand your site layout at a glance, your bounce rates can increase, and you’ll lose your opportunity to make the best possible first impression. You may never regain that chance to connect with buyers, so it’s important to optimize your site design before you launch—or as soon as possible afterwards.
While this may feel intimidating, with Squarespace Enterprise you’re not on your own. Your dedicated account manager is an expert in Squarespace website performance, and your account manager will work with you to ensure your site is polished, navigable, and comparable to industry leaders. Through personalized site audits, and SEO and design consultations, they can help you prepare your website for a successful launch (or overhaul) while identifying any disruptive design red flags.
Top 7 website design tips
Here are seven tips from Squarespace Enterprise senior account manager Dave Quigley on how to optimize your company website design, regardless of subject matter or industry.
1. Reduce friction to your call-to-action
Consider your end goal for website visitors and how you can simplify their journey to reach it. Whether it’s purchasing products, subscribing to a newsletter, or making a donation, you don’t want them to spend unnecessary time searching. Adding clearly labeled call-to-action buttons early and often in your site design increases the chances they’ll follow through and decreases the likelihood they’ll abandon your site out of frustration.
2. Choose a strong hero image
The hero image, or banner image, is the first visual visitors encounter upon logging onto your site, so select it carefully. Consider the message it communicates and make sure it aligns with your website goals and your brand identity. For example, is it playful or serious? Soft or bold? The right hero image should evoke a desired emotion in visitors and compel them to scroll down to your content.
3. Simplify your above-the-fold content
Any messaging that accompanies your hero image should be simple, direct, and informative. It should communicate your purpose and value proposition in a few short sentences that are easy to scan and digest. You should also immediately follow it with a call-to-action button to serve visitors who don’t have time to scroll further.
4. Keep your main navigation clean
Don’t make the common mistake of crowding your main navigation with too many tabs. Only include links to pages that visitors must access in order to follow your call-to-action or gather necessary information before doing so.
You should also avoid repetitive content and consolidate tabs when possible—for example, can you combine your “About Us” and “What We Do” sections? Use dropdown menus if more links are necessary, but try to limit your main navigation to three tabs. Not only does this open up valuable visual space in your site header, but it also minimizes distractions from your call-to-action. Feel free to link additional brand messaging and stories throughout your site, but they shouldn’t live in your main navigation.
5. Edit your content carefully
Be sure that all copy throughout your site is concise and separated into small chunks surrounded by ample space. Using long paragraphs and wordy sentences can discourage viewers from reading further and fatigue them. Avoid stretching text across the screen from side to side and stick to short, column layouts.
6. Refresh your design as needed
Monitor your site analytics and make small adjustments as needed to iterate on performance. If you find visitors are bouncing quickly, reworking your above-the-fold content may improve retention. If your click-through rates are lagging, try different call-to-action language or color schemes that satisfy your brand requirements. You can privately test new site content and design concepts with page drafts and share them with colleagues for feedback before publishing.
7. Work with a web design expert
Design should be a collaborative process, so work closely with an expert on your website platform to maximize your site’s appearance and get a fresh perspective on layout. As a partner outside of your organization, they can provide an honest assessment of your website. They can also listen to your website goals, help you navigate unexpected problems, and suggest creative solutions to any limitations you might perceive in your site’s capabilities.
By keeping these tips in mind and continually iterating your site design based on performance analytics, you can turn more website visitors into loyal customers. Having the collaborative support of your team members along with an objective design expert can help you polish your website for a successful launch.
