5 Effortless Ways to Polish Your Website

Web design is constantly evolving. What was considered cutting-edge and professional several years ago may appear dated and silly today. It’s because of this that it’s wise to evaluate and revamp your website from time to time. When you go about this process, ask yourself the following questions:

Is My Website Cluttered?

When you first open your website, what do you notice? Your content should be clean and your message clear. If you can’t get to the heart of your message because of all the clutter and background noise, you have a problem. Web clutter like ads, icons, pop-ups, badges, icons, flashing buttons, etc. can create a chaotic vibe throughout your website and can be extremely distracting to visitors. You may even find that consumers tend to navigate away from your site faster than if you were to remove some of the clutter. Regularly cleaning house will improve your visitor’s experience. After all, less is more.

How Does My Site Compare to Others?

It’s always a good idea to take a look at what other businesses are doing with their websites. This kind of recon will enable you to figure out what you do and don’t like about competing sites. You can emulate some of the designs and practices that spoke to you while learning from others’ mistakes. In some cases, you may even discover something that you find distracting or annoying on another website, only to realize that it’s a problem for your own website as well. Getting a fresh perspective can help you weed out anything less than desirable from your site.

Does My Visual Hierarchy Make Sense?

When consumers visit your website, their eyes will naturally scan from top to bottom, left to right. With this in mind, you know that the information you most want your audience to see should be located on the top left-hand corner and so forth down the line. Be sure that only the most valuable content is placed in the coveted position, as the more cluttered the space, the less likely you’ll get the result you’re hoping for.

Is My Text Easy to Read?

Text is crucial in web design. When creating website text, your goal is to provide useful information and answers to questions before they’re even asked. It’s important, then, that your audience is actually able to read it. Stick to these guidelines to ensure that your text is clear and easy to read:

• Use compatible colors — Extremely light or bright colors on a white background will drive your readers crazy; they will either end up with a headache or they’ll give up and navigate away from your page. Make sure that your colors contrast and are easy on the eyes.
• Use appropriate font sizes — No matter how cute you think a small font size looks — it isn’t. Readers don’t want to have to squint or use a magnifying glass to read your text.
• Use uniform fonts — Don’t confuse your readers’ brains by using a hodgepodge mix of different fonts throughout your website. Your site (and your brand as a whole) should be tied to one or two fonts that it can easily be recognized for.

Is My Site Optimized for Mobile?

It doesn’t matter how great your website looks if it’s not optimized for mobile. With so many consumers accessing the web through tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices, you can’t afford not to cater to this demand.