According to Netcraft, the Internet is approaching a milestone. Currently, there are about 975 million registered websites, with about 15-30 million new sites being added each month. In terms of active websites, however, the number is much smaller. According to Netcraft figures, there are about 180 million active sites, with about a half million new active sites being added each month. What does this mean for website design, especially if you’re planning to activate a new site for your business?
The need for good website design
If anything, these numbers underscore the need for solid website design. Good website design – built from the ground up – enables search engines (and visitors) to find your website faster and easier. Using good website design principles also means that your website will load faster, be easier to navigate and will tend to attract repeat visitors in addition to new searchers.
So what constitutes good website design? Visual appeal is certainly one element of good website design. Eye-catching colors, fonts and graphics all help the viewer retain their focus and absorb important information from your website. Excellent navigation is also key, but there are a few technical elements of website design that can help make or break the success of the website.
With website design, it’s always important to consider the target audience, and how that audience will use the website. Today, many users connect to the Web using mobile devices. Whether they’re smartphones or tablets, these devices don’t possess the graphics processing capabilities that desktop computers do.
Therefore, today’s website design best practices include a “flat” design approach that limits the display device’s need to process intensive graphics. That means you’ll see a reduced use of things like Adobe Flash and an increased use of HTML5. You’ll also see a reduced color palette, and a move away from gradients and other graphic-intensive content. Higher resolution screens combined with smaller device screens mean that you can use larger fonts and smaller buttons in mobile-friendly website design.
Does that mean you have to give anything up? Not really. You can still include some excellent effects and website design elements that don’t tend to consume a lot of processing resources, and that work well with mobile devices. As an added benefit, your website will load faster, regardless of the user’s device, and you may find that your visitors appreciate the overall faster and cleaner website experience that a flat website design offers.
If you would like more information about website design, incorporating flat website design into your website, or optimizing your website for mobile devices, please contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.
Photo Credit: eocub, via FreeImages.com
