Most websites you visit today are all optimized as responsive designs. Even the one you are on right now is a responsive website! It’s 2018, so you probably figure that a responsive website is somewhat common now. However, this isn’t the case. Many small businesses and individuals still don’t opt for a responsive web design.
Smartphones, tablets, in-car infotainment systems, smartwatches, and other such smart tech have changed the way we browse the web. People are experiencing the web over a host of devices such as these and therefore your perfect website must be optimized to fit across a variety of screen sizes without it hampering the overall brand experience.
A responsive website goes a long way in maintaining a consistent web experience for users and it often translates into positive brand experiences and customer rapport. Whether you’re redesigning your current website or creating a responsive website from scratch, these tips and tricks will help you along the way.
Simplify your Navigation
Since your going to be designing for smaller screens, it’s wise to simplify your website navigation by adopting smart collapsible menus and dropdowns to help browsers figure their way about in a simplified fashion. Simplifying your navigation also means making changes to your content architecture. This means you’ll have to choose which links or content pieces to display more prominently. Pick the most relevant links you feel your website visitors would like to visit and place them strategically, so they can dig deeper into your website.
Evolution Of The Website And Where It’s Going… – F3.space
Technology has changed drastically. Remember those bulky computers that looked like messy contraptions? Now, we have the sleekest laptops and lightning fast smartphones that dominate our lives. Within the technology paradigm, websites have evolved at an astonishing pace. The first website was published in 1991! That was 26 years ago.
Make Call-To-Action’s Pop
Your Call-To-Action buttons must stand out from all other page links, both in color and style. The size, shape, and character of your CTA button are equally important parameters. Keep the design simple with a smart rectangle or square button that stands out from the other button or links on your website. Make sure the size is legible and finger friendly. Avoid keeping other links around the CTA button as this can prevent mis-clicks.
Include a Smart Content Structure
Content structure isn’t as simple as copy-pasting content on your website. Content structure and alignment has to be organized in tandem with your overall design. A responsive website has limited space given the small screen size it needs to be accommodated for. Although your content has to tell a story, you need to prioritize the core message that you want to convey.
Start by picking specific keywords and keyword phrases you want your website to rank for. Remember, it’s crucial to optimize your responsive website for SEO. Going back to the first point, it is wise to figure out your content structure after deciding the navigation flow of your responsive website.
Get the Typography Right
The screens are be getting smaller, which means the font size and style that you choose need to be legible. However, large fonts can also play havoc with your design. The key is to find a sweet spot and get the font selection just right. You can use sizes in the range of 16px for the body and adjust up or down depending on the font’s design. Use legible fonts that allow for enough spaces between words and sentences. Ensure that the line height and justification look tight and neat. Typography plays a significant role in designing a responsive website and so you must be anal about it.
Use Responsive Images
Having your visuals and high-quality images load seamlessly on your responsive website is a major concern for most business owners and brands. One of the problems businesses run into with designing a responsive website is that while larger images scale visually on smaller devices, they’re still slow to load at times. Using responsive images is an effective workaround to this. Webflow’s tool helps to optimize your images and enhance load times.
How Web Design Affects Your Business – F3.space
Gone are the days when your website was a mere digital version of your brochure. Websites have come a long way from being a plain jane information platform to being your global identity on the world wide web. The fact that you publish your web address on visiting cards, brochures, advertisements, and across every possible …
Embrace Whitespace
Now you may be wondering just how to accommodate whitespace in such limited space. However, creating a minimalistic content and navigation design will allow your design to breathe. Whitespace will help to create valuable breaks allow certain key areas to be highlighted. A responsive website with enough whitespace comes across as a neat website and makes for a fluid and pleasant web experience. No whitespace means your content and images will be crammed in and make for a messy setup.
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Also published on Medium.