~ 6 min read
ID Studio has created a comprehensive A-Z guide to website design that will provide insights into various aspects of our industry. The topics covered range from fairly basic to more complex areas. To make this article easier to digest, we've split it up into two parts, covering A-M here and then N-Z in part two.
Accessibility has become a core element of web design, not only from an inclusive aspect, allowing users with disabilities to view and participate, but also from a legal standpoint. WCAG promotes guidelines to help ensure a minimum standard of accessibility. Other benefits that website accessibility creates are improved UX (User Experience), enhanced audience reach, competitive advantage and brand prestige. Websites that are not built for accessibility are unnecessarily alienating a large target market.
Web design relies on back-end development to support the visual elements users see and interact with. It involves server-side programming, database management, and application logic to ensure the website functions smoothly. A well-structured back end allows for efficient data processing and retrieval, enabling dynamic content delivery and user interactions. The ID Studio's web development team has over 20 years of commercial experience and applies great back-end practices to enhance website performance, security, and scalability, contributing to an effective and reliable web experience.
A CMS is an application that allows businesses to keep their websites relevant and up-to-date. A core fundamental of a CMS should be a system that requires little knowledge of specialised skills, enabling non-technical personnel to make text and image updates with ease. A CMS allows updates to be made without the expense of employing a third party and without waiting for the updates to be scheduled.. At ID Studio, we are platform agnostic, meaning we are not tied to one particular CMS and recommend the best solution for your business needs. We are just as happy building a bespoke CMS to your exact requirements as we are using an off-the-shelf solution.
Dynamic content changes to better suit the end user. This can be based on past experience, website interaction, or other parameters. Adding this type of content to your website can significantly improve the user experience (UX) and help improve conversion rates. Recently, we were asked to add this functionality to a hotel chain. It would show relevant hotels based on the user's country location. Other examples can be found on eCommerce sites, where products users have recently looked at are pushed. Netflix is another example, recommending movies or shows related to liked items and viewing history. Dynamic content can make websites far more engaging, improving interaction and browsing time and reducing bounce rates.
Email marketing is an easy way to stay in contact, engage with your client base, and attract new customers. Adding newsletter functionality enables the delivery of relevant, engaging content to a targeted market, providing valuable marketing information. Compared to other forms of marketing, email marketing is relatively cheap, providing measurable analytics to help refine and improve your campaigns. It can be used to announce news, promote products and services, events, gain feedback, provide information, or just keep in touch. There are multiple platforms that offer great features, such as MailChimp, Constant Contact and Sendinblue.
Adding forms to your website has many benefits. They allow you to gather information on your users, receive feedback, generate leads, and help engage with potential customers. Forms can be used for subscriptions, orders, feedback, support, applications, and ordering. It is important to plan how you are going to design and present your form. It should be customised to your target market and optimised for ease of use. Too often, businesses try to gain too much information, resulting in a high dropout count. Some good practices to follow include simplicity, instructions, logical format, and auto-complete where applicable, allowing for an intuitive and user-centric experience.
A website using geolocation detects where the user has accessed the website from. It works out your location from your IP address. The main purpose of this is to provide the user with personalised content. This could be in the form of preferred language, localised products/services or local contact information. By providing personalised content, you create a superior user experience, improving engagement, which will likely improve your conversion rate. There are numerous companies offering software you can add to your website to detect IP address locations. Two well-known examples are MaxMind and ipstack. They can be manipulated by using a VPN, which is discussed later in this article.
Hosting is essential for any website. Without it, no one can access your site. Several types of hosting solutions are available: shared, managed, private, dedicated and cloud. All have pros and cons, and a lot will depend on your budget, type of website, and performance requirements. For example, shared hosting will cost you less than dedicated, however, due to multiple websites sharing the same server, performance levels might be compromised. Some key attributes to look out for with hosting solutions include uptime, speed, security features, upgrade accommodation, backup policy, location (for SEO), and support offered. At ID Studio, we can set up your hosting to be configured exactly to your needs, often using AWS (Amazon Web Servers) or Digital Ocean.
Your website needs to be indexed in order to be listed on major search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. When your website is indexed, the search engines analyse its content, understand its purpose and assign it a ranking on the SERPs (Search engine results pages). Several ways to help get your website indexed include manually submitting a site map, which can be done by creating an XML site map or submitting it via your Google Search Console. It can also be indexed by providing links from other already indexed websites. You can manually check if your website has been listed by typing into the Google search bar - 'site:yourdomain.co.uk' - This will list all the indexed pages.
JavaScript plays a vital role in modern web design by providing interactivity and enhancing user engagement. It allows developers to create dynamic content that responds to user actions, making websites more interactive and enjoyable to navigate. For example, JavaScript can be used to validate forms, create animations, and implement responsive features that adjust based on user input or device specifications. Furthermore, it enables real-time updates without the need for page reloads, offering a seamless browsing experience. As web standards evolve, a solid understanding of JavaScript has become essential for designers and developers aiming to build feature-rich, user-centric websites that stand out.
Keywords are specific words or groups of words, known as keyword phrases, that users search for on search engines. They are crucial to a website’s success. Incorporating keywords strategically within your text, titles, descriptions, URLs, images, and linking (both internally and externally) can significantly improve your search engine results page (SERP) listings. Keywords also play a pivotal role in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, determining where and how your ads are displayed. When creating website content, it's important to conduct keyword research to identify the terms that users search for and produce the best results. There are several third-party services, such as Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush, that can simplify this task.
Localisation is often overlooked and does not receive the credit it deserves as it can significantly improve the performance of your website. Creating content that targets a specific market or audience can enhance the relevance, trust, and overall user experience, leading to greater engagement and interaction. Localisation may involve language translation, using local currencies, respecting cultural sensitivity and traditions, providing local contact information, using correct unit measurements (inches and cm), showcasing reviews from local customers, and including imagery that reflects a specific region. Embracing localisation can make your website more relevant, inclusive, and engaging, resulting in a superior personalized experience.
It's essential to prioritise a mobile-first approach in website design due to the growing number of users accessing the internet through smartphones and tablets. This strategy focuses on designing and optimising websites for smaller screens, ensuring a seamless user experience across all devices. By starting with mobile design, developers can streamline content, improve loading speeds, and enhance navigation, leading to increased user satisfaction and improved search engine rankings. Considering mobile users from the start helps avoid issues and limitations that arise when converting a desktop site to a mobile-friendly one. With the continuous growth of mobile eCommerce, a mobile-first design is now a necessity rather than an option for businesses aiming to stay competitive and relevant.
