Some people think that website designing involves so complex steps that are hard to handle. But with technology improving so fast with time, website development has become so easier. You can design a website even with little or no knowledge about coding or website creation. In 2021, lots of softwares is available online that does that for you. But still, you must know how to create an outstanding one. So, for that, check out the step by step guide to design a website in 2021.
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Write Down your Goals
Being aware of what you are stepping into and what you wish to achieve, develops your mindset accordingly. Before designing a website, you need to be sure of what kind of website you want to create. It could be an online store, business website, portfolio website, blog, event website, photography website, restaurant website, company website, etc.
When designing your website, elements you choose, depend on what kind of website you are designing. So, figure out what designs will help achieve your goals.
In 2022, lots of softwares are available online that do that for you. For starters, you can use the creative online studio Postudio which offers many well-known video editing tools on the cloud at a pay-per-use model.
For gathering knowledge about web design, you can check out the best web design firms. It is important to check out samples of web design and be crystal clear about your objectives.
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Select Website Builder
Website builder is a platform that helps you to design, personalize and publish your own website without any knowledge of coding. Check out various website builders online for your work.
There are various pricing models available online. You can create, host and publish your website without spending any money. Premium packages are also available online for more features. They might include website professional templates, web design features, domain names, etc.
Some websites even link your social media accounts or integrate email marketing, invoice to your website for a more professional approach.
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Select a Layout
Getting a website layout in the next step that you need to focus upon. Either you can start right from the beginning and design every element on the website or get a pre-designed template.
Templates are available online for almost every type of website like blogs, business, online stores, etc. Customize them a little to add your personal touch. You can change colours, text, images, fonts, background and add what pleases you.
You can even check out social media platforms like Pinterest or Dribble for some creativity inspiration.
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Get Domain Name
Domain name refers to the address of your website on the internet. It is what appears in the browser bar and begins with www.
It is essential for success online and looks more professional and trustworthy to your viewers.
It also assists search engines like Google to know more about websites. Ultimately, it hands over more website traffic.
Your domain name should be short and simple. Also, it should look professional and have the name of your company in it. You can even add words related to business to be more clear.
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Get content
After being done with website design and layout, now it is time for content. It refers to things that you wish to show on a website like images, text, logo, videos, etc.
Do not copy and create your own content to make your website unique. If you wish to get templates from other websites then choose from who offers legally.
For getting your personal logo designed, Designhill is a great option. You can get your logo design created with this AI powered logo maker in minutes.
Make your content branded for a better impression.
Optimize your website content with SEO for increasing traffic to your website. For this, use keywords, on-page SEO, alt text, internal linking.
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Addition of Necessary Pages
There are pages that are must for almost every website. These include-
- Home page- homepage is the first page that users land on when they open your website. It should be clear, free of clutter and eye catching. It should have necessary information like logo design, business name. After getting basics done, check upon website background, images, written content, etc.
- About Us Page- share your story, brand values and mission on the page.
- Contact Page- provide all contact details to website users on this page.
- Product or Service Page- it shows products or services that you offer.
- Blog- it brings more traffic on websites and fosters loyalty.
- Testimonials- get a testimonial page to show the power of customers’ opinion.
- Splash Page- this one greets your viewers before landing on the homepage.
- FAQs Page- give your users quick answers on basic questions.
Work on Website Elements
There are a huge number of website elements that need to be focussed upon. These elements include menu, structure of website, colours, fonts, images, header and footer, motion, scroll effects, favicon, white space, etc. these all website elements combine and make an impression on the users. All these elements should be added while keeping in mind about branding.
For designing these elements, you need tools. Huge number of professional tools offering different purposes are available online like Designhill, canva, adobe, graphic springs, etc.
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Accessibility
A great website should not fail at accessibility. You should make the website accessible to maximum people despite their disabilities. There might be people with visual impairment, injuries, hearing loss, colour blindness etc.
Make required additions or changes in software, layout, etc to make them more accessible to disabled people.
Use clear headers, alt text, heading tags and make website layout hierarchy.
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Optimize for Mobile
Smartphone and tablet use has increased by multifolds in the past decade. So, creating a website that is property accessible on mobile phones too is quite necessary.
When taking small screens in consideration, remove the clutter and keep only necessary information on page. Do keep some negative space for keeping website design intact. Too much details can be overwhelming and will not bring any good.
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Publish and Update
After getting all the things done, you need to publish your website as the next step. But first get honest feedback from experts, colleagues, family, etc. There is always room for improvement.
After that make sure your website is up-to-date and trendy for 2021. Keep updating your content and website with time to stay in the game.