When someone visits your website, every element on each page plays a role in whether they stay and browse or bounce like a soccer ball. An effective and attractive website layout is aesthetically pleasing to the visitor’s eye and seamlessly conveys your brand message. In any case, there are certain tried and true website layout elements that will ensure your website achieves both. Continue reading to learn more about some of the most simple and effective website layout moves that work.
1. Don’t Make Your Visitors Work
It’s important to make browsing your site as effortless as possible. If your visitors are forced to work to view your content, they will leave. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to use a floating or traveling menu bar, which travels with the user as they scroll down page. Instead of forcing the user to always scroll back to the top, a floating menu bar travels with their eyes, so it’s always there to allow them to easily navigate your site.
2. Use White Space in the Right Place
Did you know the empty space on your website is just as important as graphics and text? If you cram too many graphics and text on a page with perfect balance and alignment, it can still ruin your page. It’s important to allow your content to have breathing room. The optimum place to use white space on your page is around graphic elements or around the edges of your text. Using white space in these places will prevent it from being trapped in the middle of your page, while increasing the layout with bolstered spacing. At the same time, it will give your visitor’s eyes a break.
3. Create Aligned and Strong Visual Connections
Strong visuals are one of the strongest and easiest design elements you can incorporate in your website layout. If you use multiple images, it’s important you keep them connected by properly aligning them. At the same time, you should make sure you use the right proximity, which entails grouping the images in a single visual unit and lining them up in a coordinated fashion.
4. Don’t Go Off the Grid
As previously mentioned, all elements on your page should have a visual connection to each other. You can use either a vertical or horizontal alignment, such as centering them or aligning them on the same edge. In most cases, you may be able to eyeball it. However, if you have complicated layouts, using a grid will be highly helpful because it provides a necessary level of consistency and order.
5. Mix It to the Right Consistency
The more variety, the merrier right? In some cases, this can be true, but it’s important to be consistent with your elements and website layout. For example, a consistent use of colors, headline setups, and alignments can become congruent with your brand. You can even use the same size of graphics or style of graphics throughout the site. While implementing a dynamic and eye-catching design is important, it’s also important to be consistent, such as placing page numbers in the same place throughout a newsletter.
6. Get Items in Shape
In the world of web design, the shape of art is one of the most overlooked elements. Simply put, non-square shapes can be used to quickly attract attention to some of your most important elements on the page. When it comes to highlighting a call-to-action, an irregular or curvy object can be used to stand out much more than a colored element. Get your elements in shape and recognized with unique curves.