How to make a killer website in 10 easy steps [2023]

website designing

So, you want a killer web design for your business in 2023?

I bet you do.

Whether you need an e-commerce, business, portfolio, personal, blog, nonprofit, or membership website, you will still need to implement the tips discussed in this article.

A killer website does not just happen. You must build a strong foundation, stack best practices, and test different strategies

10 ways to make a killer web design

1. A clear and compelling value proposition

A value proposition is a statement that concisely explains the benefits that your offer to your users.

It should be compelling, clear, and easy to understand.

It should show what makes your business unique. And why potential customers should choose you over your competitors.

Evernote website design value proposition

A well-thought value proposition will help your brand by:

  • Differentiating your brand from competitors. It communicates how your services or products are unique.
  • Encouraging your potential customers to take action. For example, making a purchase or contacting you for more information  
  • Establishing credibility and trust with your target customers. A value proposition outlines what customers can expect from your services or goods.
  • Guiding the overall website design and content. Your website should resonate and align with the value proposition.
  • Results in higher conversion rates and increased customer loyalty. A well-constructed value proposition sets the expectation and establishes a strong connection.

Now let’s see how to create a compelling value proposition:

  • Identify the unique value that your business offers. It could be a specific service/product, special features, or benefits that sets your business apart from others in your niche.
  • Know your target audience. And what they are looking for. This helps to tailor your services and products to their specific needs and interests.
  • Create a simple and concise statement that communicates your business’s value. You should avoid using industry-specific language or technical jargon.
  • Set your value proposition in crucial areas of your website. Add it to the homepage, landing page, and product pages.
  • Test your value proposition with a small group and potential users, and see how well it resonates with them.

Get feedback and makes changes to improve its clarity and effectiveness.    

Follow these steps to create a concise and compelling value proposition. Your value proposition will communicate your value effectively through your website design.

2. A clean and user-friendly web layout

A clean and user-friendly web design is one with a good user interface. It is visually appealing and easy to navigate.

A good user interface improves user experience. It also makes it easy for a user to take steps on your calls to action.

user-friendly web design

Here are 7 tips for creating a clean, user-friendly website design:

  • Make the layout simple and easy to navigate. Preferably use a grid-based layout and clear hierarchy to organize content on the web pages.
  • Use plenty of white spaces. It makes the web pages look clean, uncluttered, and easier to read and navigate.
  • Use high-quality images and graphics to add visual interest to the page. Don’t overdo it. Too many images will make your web pages look cluttered and overwhelming.
  • Go for colors that are easy on the eyes. You can consider choosing colors that create a cohesive color scheme. Avoid using too many colors, as this can be distracting.
  • Choose your user language, and use it in your content. Choose fonts that are easy to read. Avoid using difficult-to-read fonts or small font sizes.
  • Choose an easy-to-use navigation option—for example, a straightforward navigation menu or search bar. User-friendly navigation options make it easy for users to find content quickly.
  • Test the web design layout on different browsers and devices. Make sure it looks and works well on all platforms

3. Optimized content

Your website’s content should be well-written, engaging, and optimized for search engines to ensure potential customers can easily find it.

optimized content strategy

The key to optimizing your website’s content is to create high-quality, relevant, and engaging material.

The content should be appealing to your target audience. And help your website rank well in search engine results.

Here are 5 key steps you can take to optimize the content on your website:

  • Identify your target audience. And create content that is relevant to them. Targeted content resonates with website visitors and encourages them to engage with the site.
  • Use the right keywords throughout your content. Targeted keywords improve visibility on search engine results pages. This makes it easier to find your website when people search for relevant terms.
  • Keep your content easy to read and understand. Split up text into shorter paragraphs. And use bullet points to make it more readable.
  • Optimize your website’s loading speed. If your site takes too long to load, visitors are likely to leave before they even have a chance to see your content.    
  • Regularly update your content to keep it fresh and relevant. Consistent content uploading will help maintain the interest of your visitors. And improve your website’s search engine ranking.

4. Responsive design

In today’s mobile-first world, your website must be designed to be responsive. Meaning that it looks and functions well on both desktop and mobile devices.

responsive website layout

And here’s how to make your website mobile responsive.

  • Use a responsive framework or grid system-for example, Bootstrap or Foundation. They ensure your website’s layout adapts to different screen sizes.
  • Use relative units for sizing elements on your website. Instead of fixed units, such as pixels, use percentages or ems. It allows your web pages to adjust to screen sizes without breaking the layout.
  • Avoid using fixed-width elements, such as images or videos. These will not resize on smaller screens and may cause the layout to break.

Instead, use responsive image techniques. For example, setting the max-width to 100% or using the srcset attribute to serve different sizes of the same image depending on the screen size.     

  • Use media queries to target specific screen sizes. Also, apply particular styles to each size. It allows you to fine-tune the website design for different screen sizes. And ensure it looks great on all devices.
  • Test your website on different devices and screen sizes. Ensure it is responsive and looks great on all devices.

Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or Responsive Design Checker to check for potential issues.

5. Fast loading speed

A slow-loading website can be a major turn-off for potential customers.

So, optimizing your website’s loading speed is essential for a smooth user experience.

fast loading website design layout

But worry not. Here are a few different things you can do to make your website load faster:

  • Use a content delivery network (CDN) to serve static assets such as images and videos. CDNs use servers located around the world. They deliver content to users based on their geographic location. This way, it speeds up the load time of your website.
  • Optimize your images. Reduce their size and use the appropriate image format. Large images can slow down your website.
  • Use caching to store commonly-used data in the user’s browser. This way, it doesn’t have to be re-downloaded every time they visit your site.
  • Minimize the number of third-party scripts and plugins you use on your website. More third-party scripts and plugins can add significant overhead and slow down your site.
  • Use a web host with fast servers and a strong network connection. They ensure that your website can load quickly for users.

If you follow these tips, you can improve the load time for your website. And your visitors will have a better user experience.

6. Security

We are in an increasingly digital world. And security is more important than ever. Your website is a digital asset, and it should be secure. You need to protect your customers’ personal and financial information.

website design security

We are in an increasingly digital world. And security is more important than ever.

Your website is a digital asset, and it should be secure. You need to protect your customers’ personal and financial information.

There are several steps you can take to secure your website, and here are the top methods:

  • Use HTTPS. HTTPS is a secure version of the HTTP protocol. It transfers data between a web server and a web browser (client). HTTPS encrypts communication between server and client. And this makes it difficult for third parties to intercept and read the data.
  • Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF). WAF is a security tool that monitors and filters incoming traffic to your website. It blocks malicious requests and protects your website from common-based attacks.
  • Regularly update your software. Outdated software may have known vulnerabilities that can be exploited. And thus, it may be prone to web attacks. Your content management system, themes, and plugins should be up-to-date with the latest security patches.
  • Use strong and unique passwords. Attackers can gain access to your website if you use one of those weak and easily guessable passwords.

Also, regularly change your passwords to reduce the risk of being hacked.

  • Monitor and audit your website’s security. Conduct security audits. Identify signs of compromise. And address any potential vulnerabilities.

Routine monitoring of your website will help you stay ahead of attackers.

7. Integration with social media

We live in a society that is socially interconnected at all levels.

Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Pinterest make it easier to reach your targeted customer in a matter of seconds.

social media logos

If you want to reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your website, Integrate your social media accounts.

You can do this by doing the following:

  • Add social media buttons or icons to your website. Link the Icons to your social media profiles.
  • Keep your social media icons on the header or footers for easy access.
  • Embed social media feeds, such as your Twitter feed or Instagram feed, on your website. It can help keep visitors engaged with your social media handles on your website.
  • Keep social media sharing buttons on your websites.

Overall, it would be best if you integrated your social media profile with your website so as:

  • To make it easy for users to connect with you.
  • To make it easier to share your content.
  • To improve trust and credibility.
  • To interact with your customers.
  • To do social media marketing.

8. Have a strong call-to-action

A call-to-action is a message, statement, or button that encourages website visitors to take a specific action on your website.

website design's call-to-action

And in 2023, your website should have a solid call to action.

Solid CTA Encourage users to sign up for a newsletter, purchase, or contact you for more information.

And in 2023, your website should have a solid call to action. Solid CTA Encourage users to sign up for a newsletter, purchase, or contact you for more information.  

Some CTA to include on your website are:

  • Sign Up Now
  • Buy Now
  • Learn More
  • Contact Me
  • Get a Quote
  • Let’s Chat
  • Hire Me

To add a CTA to your website, do the following:

  • Identify the action you want visitors to take.
  • Choose the best location for your CTA. A good place is where it will be visible without visitors having to scroll down.
  • Use a clear and compelling message for your CTA. Action-oriented words like “Hire” and “Contact” work well. Avoid vague phrases like “Click here.”
  • Use a contrasting color for your CTA button. It will help it grab the visitor’s attention and stand out from the rest of the page.
  • Make the CTA button clickable by adding a hyperlink.
  • Test your CTA to make sure it’s effective. You can use heatmap tools and A/B testing tools to see how to interact with your CTA. Make adjustments to improve user experience.

9. Analytics and tracking

It’s said you cannot control that which you cannot measure. And if you cannot track performance indicators on your website, you cannot improve it.

Installing analytics and tracking apps is the best way to track your performance indicators. And the best ones will depend on your website’s specific needs and goals. Some popular options to consider are:

  • Google Analytics
  • Crazy Egg
  • Hotjar
google analytics website design layout

These tools will help you track and analyze important metrics such as:

  • Website Traffic
  • Visitor behavior
  • Conversion rates  

You can make data-driven decisions to improve performance if you have all this information.

However, it’s essential to carefully consider which tracking tools to use, make sure they are transparent, and respect the privacy of your visitors.

All in all, here are the reason to add analytics and tracking tools to your site:

  • They provide valuable insights into user behaviors. The information can identify areas of your website that are performing well and areas that may need improvement.
  • They allow you to track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Insights from your campaigns can show which marketing strategies are working and which are not.
  • They help you understand the demographics of your users. You can use this information to tailor your content and marketing efforts to better appeal to your target audience.
  • They provide valuable data for making data-driven decisions. Insights from these tools can help you make informed decisions. And this can change the direction of your website and your overall business strategy.
  • They can help identify trends and patterns in your website traffic. This information can be used to develop new strategies and initiatives to drive more traffic. And improve the overall performance of your website.

10. Regular updates and maintenance

You should keep your website running smoothly and effectively. Thus, it’s critical to update and maintain it regularly. You should fix any technical issues and update all content.

website design

You should keep your website running smoothly and effectively. Thus, it’s critical to update and maintain it regularly. You should fix any technical issues and update all content.

Some of the benefits of regularly updating and maintaining your website are:

  • Improve security. Regular updates help to fix any security vulnerabilities and protect your website from hacking and cyber-attacks.
  • Improve performance: Regular maintenance helps ensure that your website runs smoothly and efficiently. Also, reduce the risk of downtime. And improving user experience.
  • Improve Search engine optimization (SEO) ranking on SERP: Regular updates can improve your website’s SEO rankings and increase traffic.
  • Enhance brand reputation: A well-maintained website reflects positively on your brand. It can build trust and credibility with your audience.
  • Legal compliance: Regular updates helps to ensure your website complies with relevant laws and regulations.

Well, there you have it—10 ways to make a killer website in 2023. But you don’t have to struggle to implement all this. We can do it for you. Contact us to get an estimate.

Also read: 10 Key Steps to Building a Great in 2023

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