Your website is the most valuable digital asset that you own. Most are terrible.

The most common problem I see is an absence of strategy. I write and speak about this a lot. But today, I will talk about website design execution best practices. 

Achieving effective website design means understanding trends and best practices and watching how they evolve in the ever-changing digital world. As a result, it is essential for businesses to stay ahead of the curve to ensure that their website design remains current and engaging. Don’t succumb to checkboxism. What worked and made sense three years ago (five?) will not likely work today.

This article will outline 12 web design best practices for 2023 that you should consider. Each will enhance your website’s user experience, increase traffic and engagement, and ultimately, drive conversions.

Mobile Responsiveness

  1. Mobile responsiveness is a crucial aspect of web design. In 2023, businesses must ensure that their website design is mobile-friendly and responsive to different screen sizes. With more than 60% of all internet traffic coming from mobile devices, this is a critical aspect of web design that businesses cannot afford to overlook.

Page Speed

  1. Page speed is a crucial factor in determining the success of a website. With the average user’s attention span becoming shorter, businesses need to ensure that their website loads quickly. Slow loading times can cause frustration among users, resulting in high bounce rates and low engagement. Therefore, optimizing page speed should be a top priority for businesses in 2023.

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Simple Navigation

  1. A website’s navigation should be simple and intuitive, allowing users to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Complex navigation menus are confusing, resulting in frustrated users who may leave the website. In 2023, businesses need to focus on creating a simple and streamlined navigation structure that facilitates easy browsing and encourages users to explore the site further. There’s more on this in Pathways below.

The essence of strategy is sacrifice ~ David Ogilvy

Visual Hierarchy

  1. Visual hierarchy refers to the arrangement of elements on a web page in order of importance. It is important to ensure that the most important information is presented prominently while less important information is placed further down the page. This helps users easily find what they are looking for and encourages engagement with the website.

Consistent Branding

  1. Consistency is key when it comes to branding. In 2023, businesses must ensure that their website design is consistent with their brand image and messaging. This includes using consistent colors, fonts, and imagery across the website, advertising, and social media. Answer the question, “Am I in the right place?”

Engaging Content

  1. High-quality content is essential for driving engagement and traffic to a website. In 2023, businesses need to focus on creating engaging, informative content that adds value to the user experience. Solve the problems your customers have. Support their journey. This includes using multimedia such as images, videos, and infographics to enhance the content.

Clear Pathways (Calls-to-Action)

  1. Clear pathways are essential for driving conversions on a website. In 2023, businesses need to ensure that their website design includes clear and prominent pathways that guide users to the information they need. This may be the most important tip in this website design best practices list. Make it easy to understand how your solution solves their problem so they can take the appropriate action, whether it is making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter.

Accessibility

  1. Web accessibility is becoming increasingly important in the digital landscape. In 2023, businesses need to ensure that their website design is accessible to users with disabilities, including those with visual impairments, hearing impairments, and mobility impairments.

Search Engine Optimization

  1. Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for ensuring that a website ranks high in search engine results pages (SERPs). In 2023, businesses need to focus on creating optimized content for search engines, including keywords, meta tags, and high-quality backlinks.

Social Media Integration

  1. Social media integration is essential for driving engagement and traffic to a website. In 2023, businesses need to ensure that their website design includes clear and prominent links to their social media profiles and social sharing buttons that make it easy for users to share content on their social media profiles.

Personalization

  1. Personalization is becoming increasingly important in the digital landscape. In 2023, businesses need to focus on creating personalized experiences for their users, whether it is through targeted content or personalized recommendations based on user behavior. Creating pathways for audience subsegments is an example of personalization.

Continuous Improvement

  1. Web design is an ongoing process, and businesses need to continuously evaluate and improve their website design to ensure that it remains current and engaging. In 2023, businesses should focus on gathering user feedback and using analytics to identify areas for improvement and make iterative changes to their website design.

Conclusion – Website Design Best Practices

Why is it important for websites to be mobile-friendly in 2023?

Over 60% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices, so business websites must be responsive to different screen sizes to avoid high bounce rates and poor engagement.

Why is website page speed important in 2023?

Optimizing page speed is crucial because the average user’s attention span is becoming shorter. Slow loading times cause user frustration, resulting in high bounce rates and low engagement.

How can businesses create simple navigation in their website design in 2023?

Businesses can create simple navigation in their website design in 2023 by focusing on creating a streamlined navigation structure that facilitates easy browsing and encourages users to explore the site further. Complex navigation menus are confusing, resulting in frustrated users who may leave the website.

What is the importance of visual hierarchy in web design for businesses in 2023?

Visual hierarchy is essential in web design for businesses in 2023 because it helps users easily find what they are looking for and encourages engagement with the website. It refers to the arrangement of elements on a web page in order of importance, ensuring that the most important information is presented prominently while less important information is placed further down the page.

How does consistent branding support effective website design?

Consistent branding helps users answer the question, “Am I in the right place?” Website design that’s consistent with brand image and messaging used in advertising and social media reduces confusion.

The web design best practices outlined above are crucial for businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve in 2023. By prioritizing mobile responsiveness, page speed, simple navigation, visual hierarchy, consistent branding, engaging content, clear pathways, accessibility, search engine optimization, social media integration, personalization, and continuous improvement, businesses can enhance their website’s user experience, increase traffic and engagement, and ultimately, drive conversions.

Author: James Hipkin

Since 2010, James Hipkin has built his clients’ businesses with digital marketing. Today, James is passionate about websites and helping the rest of us understand online marketing. His customers value his jargon-free, common-sense approach. “James explains the ins and outs of digital marketing in ways that make sense.”

Use this link to book a meeting time with James.