written by
Michael Bridges

Web Design Definition and Best Practices

Business Design 3 min read

Web Design Demystified: Understanding the Intersection of Aesthetics and Functionality

Good morning, Tulsa’s world-class business gurus and innovators!

Team of UX designer discussing two versions of mobile device website variant at meeting
A team made up of UX / Web designers hashing out two versions of a certain mobile device website variant at a huddle.

Web design. Everybody knows what it means and what is the key to success in the digital age. But how does web design affect your business? Today, we will break it down and dig into the beautiful web design vocabulary. So, let's take hold of this new session supposed to enrich our digital communication style.

Web Design Defined

In its most basic terms, web design is planning, conceptualizing, and arranging content intended for the Internet. It is not just about making an acceptable-looking website (although that may be important too); it is more about how their website functions, how users conduct with it, and how it performs on different gadgets. In all truth, web design is an art form blending aesthetics and function.

But web design isn’t so straightforwardly used; it encompasses various approaches and disciplines: graphic design, user interface (UI) usage, user experience (UX) design, and search engine optimization (SEO). Yes! Search Engine Optimization services also fall within these web design activities.

Web Design Best Practices

While understanding web design, let us look at some best practices which can present the uniqueness of your Tulsa web development project.

A mobile layout is designed with user goals listed on the side of the page.

1. Mobile Friendly

Having a mobile-friendly design isn’t just nice to have; it’s a must-have these days, given all the web traffic that comes from mobile devices. This essentially means that your website should look and work well whether viewed on a laptop, tablet, or even smartphone.

2. Consistent Branding

Your website plays right into the digital world of business, where you have a representation of your business. As such, it should match your brand identity. That means consistent usage of your brand colors, fonts, and company logo/graphical design. It’s about providing a seamless experience for visitors whereby your business is instantly identified upon their arrival at the website.

3. User Experience Matters

A site that doesn’t load fast enough is one people won’t hesitate to post out of their search results after loading. Good web design always thinks in terms of user experience, wherein visitors can easily find what they need. This includes clear navigation menus, easy-reading font choices, and intuitively laid-out pages.

4. Load Time Matters

Did you know that a one-second load time delay translates to a 7% reduction in conversions? Yes, speed does matter! Optimizing images, using cache tools, and minimizing HTTP requests are but a few ways where you can improve your site’s load times.

5. SEO Integration

The best website design won’t do any good if no one finds your site. That’s when SEO steps in. Effective SEO practices should permeate your web design regardless of its depth which goes down to meta descriptions on your pages.

A college official is meeting with colleges regarding a website design project.

So here you go – a quick primer on web design. Whether embarking on an Oklahoma website design project or more importantly, wanting to better understand the online landscape, we hope this primer was helpful. Remember, great web design becomes apparent once people define it as creating a visitor-friendly experience that makes them want to stay as opposed to exploring elsewhere. Happy designing, Tulsa!

Inspired to take your website levels higher? We’re happy to help! At Digital Venture, our collective passion for web development places us in a position to support businesses seeking growth through highly effective web designs. Reach out via our contact page or in our chat box and we’ll be there to assist you with whatever questions you may have and discuss how we can help support your digital dreams. We could not wait to hear back from you, though!

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