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Guidance on how to build an aesthetically pleasing website

In several of our blog articles, we have mentioned the importance of website aesthetics. A website that is attractive to the eye will have many positive effects such as: an increase in the length of time a visitor spends on the site, a decrease in its bounce rate, and an increase in returning visitors. All these effects will help you earn more advertising revenue. Here are some basic tips on building an aesthetically pleasing website.

Clarity

Make sure the purpose of your website, especially on your homepage, is absolutely clear to your visitors in a matter of seconds upon their arrival. As an example, if your site is a local newspaper, design the website to make that very apparent. As always, first impressions are immensely important. Research shows that visual first impressions can be made in less than one second! Hence, make it obvious to your visitors that they have come to the right place.

Page Layout

There are a lot of things you should consider with respect to the layout of your website. The size of the pages is an important aspect. Most pages on your website should be short and concise. Furthermore, configure the web pages so that visitors never have to scroll horizontally on your site. Also, in terms of vertical length, few pages should exceed two pages in length. Not only will this make the site aesthetically pleasing but it will also improve the load time which remains crucial for visitor retention.

Many website designers use a grid-based layout. This way, the pages are more structured, balanced, and uniform. Updating the pages with new material becomes quicker and simpler, and best of all, the overall layout stays the same. Some designers believe grid designs give readers more confidence in the website. The more confident they are in your website, the more likely they will become a repeat visitor and a loyal member.

Clutter

It is extremely important that your web page does not appear to be cluttered. If you have a lot of static advertisements, rotate your ads using a comprehensive ad management solution like AdSpeed Ad Server. Avoid overloading your web pages with irrelevant information, including: visible hit counters, random links, animated and flashy icons, or anything else that adds very little value.

Content and eye appeal

Choosing the right colors and fonts are essential to creating an alluring website. Keep in mind that colors convey emotion. For example, red can mean danger, stop, hot, exciting; while gray can mean old, historical, gloomy, boring. Choose colors that match your website’s theme and tone. Also, research and understand the demographics of your visitors. If you mostly have young women on your site, tailor to them and consider using slightly brighter and more feminine colors. Similar to the choice of colors, make sure your font matches your theme and demographics.

The content, including the writing style, should match the expectations and demographics of your visitors. For instance, if your demographics are that of an older age group, make sure your content and writing is more formal and avoid using modern slang.

General aesthetic concepts

Here is a simple list of things you should keep in mind when you design your web page:

Make sure your website is compatible across all common web browsers such as: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera. Browser incompatibility likely breaks the design and/or layout you have created
Identify your website on every page. You can do this by placing your logo in one visible location such as the top left corner. This way, visitors know that they have not accidentally wandered off your website and it makes your web pages more professional looking
Refrain from using background music. Your visitor has no reason to share your taste in music. If you must have background music, at least put an on/off button
Stay away from tools that require visitors to download an uncommon plugin. Visitors may not trust that the plugin is safe. They lose confidence in your site and visit another website instead. At the same time, a “Missing Plugin” sign will make your website less attractive
Consistency is important. Make sure you stick to the same font and color scheme throughout all of your pages

Last thoughts

Feedback is essential. Ask your clients what they think about your website and how you can improve it. You can email your members, use polls to acquire information from your visitors, and even talk with your advertisers.

If you build a professional, well-balanced, demographically-oriented, and clear website, you will get quality web traffic. Your visitors will trust your website. This, in turn, helps improve the image of associated brands and advertisers. With such a website, you will be in an excellent position to maximize your revenue from ad serving.

Español: Consejos para construir una página web estéticamente agradable

Posted in Ad Design by John Z June 22, 2021 (first published June 2012)

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