Think like a user
Lots of website creators forget this, but someone will have to use it at some point. There’s nothing quite as frustrating as having to visit a website that is slow, hard to read, and even harder to navigate. More often than not, this is caused by the designer either not updating it to match user needs, or by the designer putting too many options and features on the screen, leading to user fatigue.The solution is to plan out your website from the point of view of the user. What does he or she need from your site? Think in terms of an individual - the personification your target audience - what are the most important functions for that person? If you’re a site that sells clothes, isn’t it a good idea to put a really obvious link to either your best offers, or to your online store homepage?
If you’re a news site or a blog, you should consider having a link straight through to your latest story, so as to direct traffic to the thing you want people to see.
Don’t make it too busy
It’s crucial, when thinking how to make your website attractive and professional, to think about how ‘less is more’. This means that you must be careful not to clutter the screen with links, pictures, videos, columns, icons, and extras that do not contribute to the overall user experience. In other words, don’t make the website too ‘busy’.The same thing applies to colours. Think about your colour palette as you would if you were going to paint your house. Blue can make a room feel cold, and it can also make a website feel frosty. Orange is aggressive and imposing, but it can put viewers in a bright, sunny demeanour. Choose colours that reflect your website’s intended mood, as one of the things you can do to make your website attractive.
Give everything a brand identity
This follows on from the point about colours, but for a truly professional website, it is crucial that the site has the same corporate look on all pages. That might mean creating a logo — an identifier which can help people to think a certain way about your company and the service they offer.Think of the Apple logo. It’s clean, memorable, and it brings most people an instant feeling of any product it is on being of premium quality. If you want to be the Apple of your market, make sure your brand identity is on point, as one of the tips to make a website attractive.
Include multiple media
We’ve warned against using a video landing page unless absolutely necessary (there aren’t many reasons why it would be absolutely necessary). However any website must not only tell, but also show. This means having good photography on there. That’s because most users won’t make a commitment to use or purchase anything which they can’t see clearly.It’s one of the reasons why Instagram is such a fantastic platform for stimulating sales - the attraction to buying a product comes in seeing it in action, and in making that product aspirational. Again, the iPhone, or indeed a Tesla car, are great examples of this. People love how they work, but they found them initially appealing because of their looks.
A word of warning if you want to know how to do attractive website design - stock photos are okay, but in moderation. Because of the proliferation of websites using the likes of Unsplash to make an impression, users have got wise to stock photography. Try to use your own pictures, or exclusive pictures, if you possibly can afford it. Also, a little bit of embedded social media, or even a YouTube video showing your product being enjoyed, definitely doesn’t hurt.
Work within your limitations
This is the most essential tip to bear in mind if you’re wondering how to make your website look better. Many people believe in their hearts they are great marathon runners, or rock singers, or racing drivers, until the point when they realise their talents lie elsewhere.Take it from someone who tried too hard to make my website look the best it could, on another website builder, and just made a hot mess - if you can’t hire a professional web designer, Voog’s beautiful, smooth templates will help you to create something that is simple and effective.
Don’t be afraid that your website looks too simple and too basic; when you’re starting out, that’s how you want it to look. It’s far better to build something small, and then add to it as time goes on, than to pack something full of non-essential items, then watch as it baffles end-users.
Let Voog show you the way to a gorgeous website!