The internet is a crowded place, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make your website stand out. Whether you’re an established business or just starting out, one of the most important things you can do is create a modern web design that stands out from the crowd.
From color palettes to typography and imagery, there are many ways to make your website stand out in today’s digital world—and if done correctly, it will be both compelling and helpful for visitors.
In this article I will discuss how using effective design principles can help boost conversions by making your website more attractive than ever before. Here are my best tips on how you can make your website stand out above (and over!) the competition.
What Do You Want to Say?
When it comes to creating a website for your B2B business, the most important thing you need to do is decide what message you want to convey. Your web design should be an extension of that message, so before you start designing or coding anything, make sure you have a clear understanding of what it is that you want to say.
While a detailed discussion of messaging is somewhat beyond the scope of a “web design” article, it is nonetheless critical to emphasize that, before you start laying anything out in a web design template, you understand 100% your ideal customer prospect (also called a “persona”), and what exactly you want to say to your ideal prospect. Many people are tempted to start at the graphic design phase, as if offloading the heavy-lifting of crafting a compelling sales message and value proposition should be the domain of the web design professional. This is simply not the case.
Don’t fall into the trap of expecting a web designer to know your business better than you! Sit down and ideate.
ChatGPT may be helpful for you in developing a creative and unique message based on the services you offer. Simply describe in detail exactly what it is that you do, and ask it for some compelling content. It can at least get you started, as most people find it easier to “edit” than to create.
With the right messaging, you can make your website stand out and attract more customers. By utilizing color and typography effectively, you can create a unique look that will draw in visitors.
Using Color and Typography Effectively
Color is an important tool for setting the tone and mood of your site, while typography helps create a sense of hierarchy and structure. By understanding how to effectively use both color and typography in web design, you can create an engaging user experience that will keep visitors coming back.
Choosing Colors
The colors you choose should reflect your brand identity as well as set the right tone for your website’s content. It’s best to stick with three main colors that are used consistently throughout your site. This will help ensure continuity between pages and provide visual cues for users navigating through different sections of your website.
The three colors can be broken down into your foreground, background and an “opposite” or “standout” color for your call-to-action buttons. On the Boomcycle website for example, we use white, dark blue and a sort of gold/yellow for our call to action buttons, which helps them stand out.
When selecting colors, consider their emotional impact on viewers—for example, warm tones like red evoke feelings of energy while cool tones like blue give off a calming effect. Additionally, be sure to select contrasting hues so text stands out against backgrounds without being too jarring or overwhelming for viewers.
Selecting Fonts
Font selection is just as important as choosing colors when designing websites because fonts also play into how users perceive content on screen. To maintain consistency across pages, try using no more than two typefaces per page; one font should be used primarily for headings while another should be reserved exclusively for body copy or other smaller elements such as captions or pull quotes within articles or blog posts.
When selecting fonts, look at readability—avoid overly decorative typefaces that may be difficult to read at small sizes—as well as legibility (how easy it is to distinguish one letter from another).
Also bear in mind that a line of body copy should extend no further across the page than 3 * (the number of letters in your alphabet). For the English alphabet with 26 characters, the maximum line-length should be no more than 78 characters across. You can fudge it to 80 in practice. This is one of the most-often violated precepts in web design: designers extending body copy the full width of a page. Responsive design (where screen widths vary all over the place on mobile devices, laptops, tablets, etc.) is most likely to blame, but eyeballs are eyeballs, and you need to consider your poor humans.
You want visitors to easily comprehend what they’re reading without having strain their eyes.
Incorporating Graphics & Icons
Using the right color and typography can help create a unique and professional look for your website. By taking advantage of high-quality photography and images, you can further elevate your brand image to make it stand out from the competition.
Using High-Quality Photography & Images
Using high-quality photography and images is essential for any website design. Photos can be used to create an engaging visual experience, capture attention, and communicate a message quickly.
The quality of the photos you use will have a direct impact on how your website looks and feels. Low-resolution images or blurry photos can make your site look unprofessional and outdated.
I find that great photography is often the single most critical factor that separates a great web design and a subpar web design.
When selecting photographs for your website, it’s important to choose ones that are clear, sharp, relevant to the content they accompany, and free from copyright restrictions. High-resolution stock photos are often available online through sites like Unsplash or Pixabay; however these should be used sparingly as they may not accurately represent what you want to convey with your own unique brand identity.
In fact, “stock photography” is probably not the right call for your most critical pages, such as your home page. Extremely talented photographers are typically available for between $2K-$3K for a day rate, and you can get amazing photos for a variety of uses, not just your web design.
You can also take advantage of professional photographers who specialize in taking pictures specifically for web designs – their work will likely be far more apropos to your business than most stock images available online. If you’re able to hire a photographer locally then this could provide more flexibility when it comes time to select which shots best fit into the overall design concept of your website project.
Incorporating custom illustrations into web designs is another great way to add personality without relying solely on photographs – vector graphics are especially useful here as they scale well across different devices without losing clarity or detail at smaller sizes (e.g., mobile). If you don’t have access to graphic designers then there are plenty of resources out there where you can purchase royalty-free illustrations that would otherwise cost hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars if commissioned from scratch by professionals.
Finally, when using imagery on websites remember that less is more. Too many visuals competing against each other can become overwhelming, so try not to include too much clutter in one page layout or design element at once.
High-quality photography and images can help make your website stand out from the competition, so my best advice is to invest in quality visuals.
Creating a Unique Layout
When creating a website, you must make sure that your website’s design is consistent with its content, as well as ensuring that each page has an organized structure.
Start by considering how you want visitors to interact with your site. Do you want them to be able to easily find what they’re looking for? Or do you want them to explore different sections of the site? A search function is usually a good idea for information-rich websites (like this one!)
Once you have a clear idea of what kind of user experience you’d like, then it’s time to start designing the layout.
Think about how best to organize information on each page so users can quickly access relevant information without getting overwhelmed or confused. Use headings and subheadings where appropriate, along with visual cues such as images and videos if necessary. Additionally, consider adding buttons, links and a table of contents on the pages so users can navigate from one section of the website quickly and easily.
Finally, make sure there isn’t too much clutter on any given page; instead focus on highlighting important elements while keeping other elements subtle yet visible enough not be overlooked completely.
We’ll go into detail about your “Call-to-Action” or “CTA” in the next section, but suffice it to say here that the action you want your user to take (your CTA) must be obvious and stand out.
By creating a unique layout for your website, you can help it stand out from the competition and make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for. Now let’s explore how to create a clear call-to-action that will further engage potential customers.
Creating a Clear Call-To-Action
What is a Call-To-Action?
A call-to-action (CTA) is an instruction to the audience to take some sort of action. It can be as simple as asking someone to click on a link or fill out a form, or it could be more complex like signing up for a free trial.
CTAs are essential in marketing campaigns and should always be included in any digital content you create.
Why Are Calls To Action Important?
Calls to action are important because they provide direction and clarity for your audience. By providing clear instructions, you’re helping them understand what they need to do next in order to get the desired result from your business.
Without guidance, potential customers may become confused and not take any action at all.
How Do You Create A Clear Call To Action?
Creating an effective CTA starts with understanding who your target audience is and what their needs are. Once you have that information, craft button language that speaks directly to them by using words that will resonate emotionally such as “Start Now”, “Get Started Today” or “Get A Free Consultation” as opposed to lame, generic phrases like “Learn More” or “Send Message”.
Additionally, make sure your CTA stands out visually by using contrasting colors against the background of your page so it catches people’s attention quickly when they visit your website or landing page. These are those standout colors we discussed above.
Finally, ensure there is only one primary CTA per page so visitors don’t feel overwhelmed with too many options at once; focus on guiding them towards taking one specific action first before offering additional choices later down the line if necessary.
By creating a clear call-to-action, you can easily direct your website visitors to take the desired action. Now let’s look at how incorporating white space can help make your website stand out.
Incorporating White Space
White space, also known as negative space, is an important design element that should not be overlooked. It can help to create a sense of balance and focus on the elements you want your audience to pay attention to. By strategically placing white space between text, images, and other elements in your design layout, you can draw attention to specific parts of the page while allowing for easier readability.
When used correctly, white space can make a website or document look more organized and visually appealing.
For example, when using multiple columns in a blog post or article it’s important to add enough white space between them so they don’t appear cluttered, tight or overwhelming. This will ensure readers are able to easily distinguish one column from another without having their eyes jump around too much when reading through the content.
It’s also beneficial to use plenty of white space when creating call-to-action buttons. The button should stand out from the rest of the page by adding some extra padding around it so visitors know exactly where they need click if they’re interested in taking action
Lastly, utilizing large amounts of whitespace throughout your entire website helps keep everything looking neat and tidy which ultimately gives off a professional vibe that customers will appreciate seeing before deciding whether or not they want to purchase something or contact you.
Using white space effectively creates an aesthetically pleasing design that is easy to navigate and encourages visitors to take action.
By incorporating white space into your website design, you can make it easier for visitors to find the information they need quickly and easily. This will help create a clear navigation structure that helps users navigate your site with ease.
Creating a Clear Navigation Structure
Navigation structure is an essential part of any website, especially for B2B businesses. It helps visitors quickly find the information they need and increases their chances of converting into customers.
A well-structured navigation can also improve your SEO rankings by making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.
When creating a navigation structure, there are several key elements to consider:
- Subheadings: Subheadings should be used to break up large chunks of text or separate sections within a page. This makes it easier for users to scan through the content and quickly locate what they’re looking for. Additionally, using subheadings can help with SEO as they provide more context about the topic at hand which will help search engine crawlers better understand what each page is about.
- Categories and menus can be used to group related pages together, making them easier to find from the main menu or other navigational elements on your site. For example, if you have multiple blog posts related to SEO Tips, then creating a category called “SEO Tips” that contains all those posts would make it simpler for visitors to access them in one place instead of having to search through different parts of your website.
- Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are another great way to improve user experience when navigating through a website as they provide additional context about where someone is currently located within the overall hierarchy of pages on your site. They also make it easy for people who may have gotten lost while browsing backtrack their steps without having start over again from scratch or use the browser’s back button repeatedly until they reach their desired destination.
- Adding a search function allows users who know exactly what they’re looking for but don’t want to take time searching manually through menus and categories an easy way to get directly where they need to go without any hassle whatsoever. This feature has become increasingly important in recent years due its popularity among mobile device users, who often lack patience when trying to navigate websites with complex structures on small screens such as smartphones and tablets.
Creating a clear navigation structure for your website is essential to making sure users can easily find what they are looking for. Now, let’s look at how you can optimize your website for search engines and get more visibility online.
Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of web design. It helps to ensure that your website can be found by potential customers, and it increases the chances of them visiting your site.
To optimize your website for search engines, you need to create content that speaks to the key topics in which your customers are interested. Use niche-relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and page titles, and link internally using clear anchor text. This will help Google understand what content is on each page so they can rank it accordingly in their search results.
When creating keyword-rich content for SEO purposes, think about how people would naturally search for information related to your business or product.
For example, if you’re a B2B company based in San Francisco Bay Area California that specializes in digital marketing services such as SEO and PPC campaigns, then some good page titles and keywords might include “San Francisco Bay Area digital marketing agency” or “PPC Campaigns San Francisco Bay Area”.
Once you have identified the most relevant keywords for each page on your website, make sure they are included in the title tag and meta description of each page as well as within the body copy itself.
In addition to using relevant keywords throughout your webpages’ content and metadata tags (title tags and meta descriptions), it is also important to create unique titles and descriptions for every single page on your site. This will help differentiate between pages with similar topics or content, so that users do not get confused when searching through multiple pages at once.
Additionally, make sure all images used on the site have descriptive alt text which includes any applicable keywords – this allows Google bots to index those images properly as well.
Finally, create clear navigation structures with easy-to-understand labels so visitors know where they are going when clicking around from one section of the website to another; this makes crawling easier too.
By optimizing your website for search engines, you can ensure that your business stands out among the competition and is easily found by potential customers. To take it one step further, every page on your website should be treated like a “landing page” to maximize visibility.
Every Page is Potentially a “Landing Page”
A landing page is the first impression visitors get of your business, and it’s important to make sure that you are making the right one. Every page on your website should be treated as a landing page — after all, you never know how someone will first discover your business.
Your home page may be the most obvious “landing page” for new visitors, but blog pages more often act as defacto landing pages for people who find your website through search engines or social media links.
When creating content for each individual web page, consider what kind of message you want to send to potential customers. You want to ensure that all information is relevant and up-to-date so that readers have an accurate understanding of what your company offers.
Additionally, make sure any visuals used are high quality and reflect positively on your brand—poorly designed images can turn off potential customers quickly.
Navigation structure should also be taken into account when designing each web page; this will help guide users around your site easily without confusion or frustration. Use clear headings and subheadings throughout each web page so readers know exactly where they are going next in their journey with you.
Finally, don’t forget about SEO optimization when crafting content for every page on your website. Each piece of content should include keywords related to the topic at hand in order to increase visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). This will help draw more organic traffic from Google searches directly onto specific pages within your website, giving them a better chance at converting into paying customers.
Understanding User Experience
User experience (or as the hipsters say, “UX”) is the process of designing a digital product or service to make it usable, accessible, and enjoyable for users.
UX designers use a variety of techniques to understand user needs and behaviors. They identify user goals, analyze user data, and create wireframes to create a product or service that meets the users’ needs. They also conduct user testing to assess the usability and effectiveness of a product or service.
There are some fun tools that can be employed to clearly show people’s experience with your website, such as the totally free Microsoft Clarity. In Clarity, you can watch where people scroll, what they click on, and the forms they fill out (data is obscured for privacy reasons). It’s amazing how quickly you can pick up on poorly-performing content, CTAs and other web design elements by seeing how people actually use your website. Highly recommended!
Incorporating Video in Web Design
It’s pretty trite to say that videos are becoming more popular as a way to engage users on websites. Videos can be used to showcase products, explain complex topics, or create a visual narrative that resonates with users.
When integrating videos into your web design, think about the type of video you want to create and the goals you want to achieve. You should also consider factors such as format, length, resolution, and file size. And don’t make the rookie mistake of hosting video on your website. Use YouTube embeds or Vimeo if you don’t care about SEO.
Most of all, you should get a simple webcam set up and start creating simple, well-lit videos for your key website content.
When it comes to video especially, the enemy of progress is perfection.
Optimizing Images for Web Design
Optimizing images is an important part of web design. Images should be optimized for size and quality, as well as for the platform they are being used on. This includes considering file types, resolution, size, and compression.
Image optimization also involves choosing the right file type for the project, such as JPEG (or better yet, the newer WEBP format) for photos or GIF for animated images.
Additionally, images should be optimized for mobile devices and retina displays.
Creating a Mobile-Friendly Website
Creating a mobile-friendly website is essential in today’s digital landscape. However, most web designers have giant monitors and desktops, and many typically begin designing your website on these sorts of outsized, fairly rare, machines.
Unfortunately, depending on your ideal customers, most of your website visitors may be on smartphones. Mobile users have completely different needs than desktop users, primarily usability and readability. It’s important to design the website with their needs in mind.
Of course, all smartphones are sized slightly differently. This means your design should work on a variety of screen sizes. Only a really talented web designer will make these types of adjustments. In fact, it’s amazing in this modern era how few still start with a “mobile first” approach — the one Google recommends.
Mobile-friendly websites should also feature easy-to-use navigation and clear calls to action. Additionally, images and videos should be optimized for mobile devices, and text should be easy to read on smaller screens.
Utilizing Social Media in Web Design
Social media can be a powerful tool in web design. It can be used to drive traffic to your website and engage users. When incorporating social media into your web design, consider the type of content you want to share and the platform it should be shared on. You should also think about how you want to use social media to interact with users, such as providing customer service or offering discounts.
Creating a Responsive Design
Creating a responsive design is essential for providing an optimal user experience on all devices. A responsive design will adjust to different screen sizes and resolutions, as well as support different input methods, such as mouse and keyboard or touch. When creating a responsive design, consider the user’s needs and the type of content you want to display. Additionally, you should test the design on different devices to ensure it is working properly.
Leveraging A/B Testing
A/B testing is a technique used to test different versions of a website or page to determine which one performs better. It involves creating two versions of the website or page and testing each one with a sample of users. The results of the test can be used to determine which version is most effective. A/B testing can help you identify areas of improvement and optimize your website for the best user experience.
Understanding Website Analytics
Website analytics are essential for understanding how users interact with your website. Analytics can provide insights into user behavior, such as which pages are most popular and how long people stay on a page. This can help you identify areas of improvement and optimize your website for the best user experience. Additionally, website analytics can help you track the success of marketing campaigns and measure the ROI of your website.
Explaining Web Design Concepts to Clients
Explaining web design concepts to clients can be challenging. It’s important to clearly explain the concepts in simple terms that the client can understand. You should also provide visuals, such as diagrams and screenshots, to illustrate your points. Additionally, you can use case studies and examples to show how the concepts can be applied in real-world situations. Finally, it’s important to be patient and answer the client’s questions until they have a full understanding of the concepts.
Stand Out From the Pack
Your web design can help differentiate your business from the rest of your competition.
You’d be surprised at how few business owners, sales professionals and marketing directors even look at their own website. You are very likely the best judge of what sort of impression you want to make, and if you’re too busy to look at your own website, why should your prospects waste their time?
Ask a friend or business associate who has nothing to do with your business to take a look. I’m always surprised at people’s “first impressions”. An opinion is just that, but a preponderance of the same opinions probably means you need to reconsider your message and/or the presentation of that message on your website. A new web design may just what the doctor ordered!
A compelling and satisfying first impression can make all the difference between receiving an inquiry, or never even being considered an option. Having all your web design bases covered will help you attract more interest, visitors and ultimately sales.
If you need help with your web design, I’d be happy to connect with you.
FAQs in Relation to Make Your Website Stand Out
How do I make my website stand out?
To make your website stand out, focus on optimizing it for search engine results. This includes ensuring that all content is keyword-rich and relevant to the target audience. Additionally, create a user-friendly design with an intuitive navigation system and clear calls to action. Utilize SEO best practices such as meta tags, alt text, internal linking structure, and page speed optimization. Finally, promote your website through social media channels to increase visibility and reach more potential customers. With these tips in mind you can make sure your website stands out from the competition.
How do I make my website stand out from the crowd?
Utilize SEO best practices such as keyword research and content optimization to ensure that your website is visible in relevant searches. Additionally, create quality backlinks by building relationships with other websites and engaging in social media marketing. Finally, track analytics regularly to measure progress and identify areas of improvement. By following these steps, you can ensure that your website stands out from the competition.
How can I make my website more attractive?
1. Optimize your website for search engines: Ensure that your content is optimized with relevant keywords, titles, and meta descriptions to help improve visibility in organic search results.
2. Improve page speed: Page loading time has a direct impact on user experience and can affect SEO rankings as well. Use tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights to identify areas of improvement and make necessary changes to reduce load times.
3. Utilize internal linking: Internal links are an effective way to keep visitors engaged by providing them with additional resources related to the topic they are reading about on your site. This also helps boost SEO rankings by improving crawlability for search engine bots.
4. Focus on quality content: Content should be written for humans first, not just robots. Provide valuable information that will engage readers while still including relevant keywords throughout the text naturally without overstuffing it with too many words or phrases from the same keyword family (keyword stuffing).
5. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly: Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular and having a website that is optimized for them will help improve user experience, as well as SEO rankings. Use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to check if your site passes the test.
What are 5 characteristics of a good website?
1. Responsive Design: A website should be designed to look great on any device, from desktop computers to mobile phones.
2. Clear Navigation: Menus and links should be intuitively placed and easy to find, allowing users to quickly access the information they need.
3. Quality Content: Well-written content that is relevant and informative will keep visitors engaged with your site for longer periods of time.
4. Optimized Performance: Pages should load quickly without lagging or crashing in order to provide a smooth user experience across all devices and browsers.
5. Security & Privacy Protection: All websites must use secure protocols such as HTTPS encryption in order to protect user data from being accessed by malicious actors online
Conclusion
When it comes to making your website stand out, the key is to create a unique and modern design that will draw in visitors and convert them into customers. By using effective color and typography, high-quality images, creating a clear call-to-action, incorporating white space, optimizing for search engines and ensuring every page is a “landing page” you can make sure your website stands out from the competition. With these tips in mind you can ensure that your website not only looks great but also helps generate leads for your business.
Want more of your best clients to know you exist? Contact Boomcycle Digital Marketing today and we’ll be happy to help.