You’ve spent time and money creating your website, but did you remember to include all the important elements? Would you know if you were missing something, or would it take a visitor to point it out?
There are certain elements every website needs to be successful. Are you missing any? Here’s a list of the top 5 website design elements you may have forgotten to include on your website.
1. Consistent blog content
A major component of successful website design is publishing consistent blog content. You don’t necessarily need to publish content daily, but you do need to publish on a regular basis. This could be once a week, once a month, or once every few months. You just don’t want too much time to go by without putting out some fresh content so Google knows your website is active.
If you struggle to come up with content ideas, search around online for other blogs that publish content in your niche and come up with a unique article using those blogs as inspiration.
2. Email signup forms
Each day your website doesn’t have an email signup form is a day you’re losing leads. When you launch a website, capturing email addresses should be a priority. However, you need a lead magnet and an email marketing account to do that. Your lead magnet is what you’ll be offering people in exchange for their email address.
An email marketing account is easy enough to set up, but your lead magnet will require more of your time. To create one, you’ll need to figure out what kind of value you can offer your visitors that will persuade them to give you their email address in exchange.
Your offer needs to be compelling, and you’ll need to convey the value through the words you use to name and describe your lead magnet. For instance, you might be offering the best e-book in the world, but unless that’s conveyed through your opt-in box, people won’t see the value.
Most lead magnets are informational downloads with titles like, “12 Ways to Beat the Heat Without a Fan,” and “The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing on a Fifty Dollar Budget.”
If you’ve never created a lead magnet before, check out HubSpot’s guide to creating effective lead generation offers. You’ll learn how to find out what your audience wants, what to offer, and how to build your conversion path.
3. Simple design elements
Fancy websites look good, but they don’t necessarily convert. You don’t want an ugly website, but your website will be more effective with simple design elements, especially when it comes to Recruitment Website Design.
Simple design elements are ones that get the job done without the frills. For instance, if you want people to sign up for your newsletter, it’s great to have an arrow pointing to the signup box. However, you don’t need a blinking, animated .gif arrow. That would be distracting.
Other simple design elements include basic color schemes as opposed to using neon colors, and minimalism. Across the board, a minimalist website will support your conversion efforts more than a fancy design. The fancier you get, the more distracting your website can become. If your website is distracting, your visitors will bounce. Taking a minimalist approach to design puts the user’s attention on your content rather than a busy design.
4. Clear contact information in your header
Many businesses and individuals forget to include their contact information in the header. If you’re a local business, having your phone number in the header will get you more phone calls. For instance, law firms always put their phone number in the header because that’s exactly what potential clients are looking for when they visit an attorney’s website. They’re going to call immediately because they need immediate help.
There is one exception. If you operate entirely online and you aren’t engaged in selling physical goods, you probably don’t want your contact information in the header. Only put your contact information in your header when you need to provide outstanding and fast customer service.
5. Arrows indicating additional menu items
Web visitors are used to being shown when a menu item has a drop-down of additional items. This is traditionally indicated with a little arrow next to the menu label. You can see this type of arrow in many of the menu examples highlighted in Smashing Magazine.
If you have a drop-down menu, remember to place an arrow next to each menu item that expands. Otherwise, visitors won’t know there’s more content. If you have important pages hidden under drop-down menu items, many of your visitors won’t find those pages.
Keep it simple
To get the best results, keep your website design simple and clear. Only include elements that directly impact your conversions. If an element doesn’t help your conversions, it doesn’t belong on your site.
