WordPress is arguably the most common platform used to create a website. However, things get tricky when it comes to customizing the UX/UI design to create a website that suits the tone of your brand.
A lot of new or small business owners tend to take website designing lightly and think that simply choosing a free website template would do. And, that’s where everything falls apart.
If you are in the middle of committing a similar design mistake, hold and read this article before you move ahead.
There are a lot of factors that play a vital role when it comes to creating a custom website design; even when using a WordPress theme.
In this article, we’ll discuss all these important web design factors and share with you some of the best practices and tips to design a WordPress website.
Of course, it is tempting to choose a free website template, especially, when you have so many options to choose from.
However, as a firm that has helped over 1700 businesses with custom website designs, we can assure you that picking a free template can be a lot of problems in the days ahead.
Ask any experienced web developer and they’ll tell you the number of issues one may face when choosing the free template; especially with the functionality and code structure.
A quick and solid solution to this is, picking a premium theme.
They are known to have an exceptional flexible structure and great code quality. You will also get a great assortment of functionalities that complements the great design.
Now, what we mean by flexible structure is that premium themes are mobile-friendly which, as you may be aware, is the need of the hour for any business website.
So, one of our very first WordPress design tips would be to be picky and only look at quality themes.
Always read the reviews, pick one that suits your project, and don’t be afraid to pay for a premium theme.
This is possibly the most important thing to keep in mind when launching a new business website.
Unless you have a reliable web hosting platform for your newly designed WordPress website, all your efforts would go in vain.
Finding the right hosting provider ensures success simply because, firstly, without hosting, your site can’t go live on the internet and, secondly, a reliable hosting provider needs will give you enough resources to handle your site traffic, avoid crashes and downtime as much as possible, and give you fast site speeds.
Some of the most popular and recommended web hosting platforms that you can look into are;
-BlueHost
-SiteGround
-Hostinger
-FlyWheel
-WP Engine
-Nexcess
It is important that you do your due diligence and pick the host that fits your budget and requirements.
Plugins are additional features that extend the overall functionality of your website.
Often, the theme that you pick (hopefully, a premium one; as suggested earlier) comes with built-in features. However, if that’s not the case, or it’s missing the ones that you think are important to your website design, you can add appropriate plugins for specific features; such as contact forms, newsletters, or live chats to your site.
But, it is important to understand that you should always try and limit the use of plugins in your website design. Having too many plugins can slow your site down, and even put your site’s security at risk.
Plugins are officially reviewed for security, but not for quality, so it’s always best to read user reviews as well.
Remember we mentioned the slowing down of your website speed as a consequence of adding unnecessary plugins to your website design? Well, the same consequence can happen due to several other factors as well. One such factor is the use of un-optimized media files.
The page load speed is one of the most crucialwebsite performance metrics that developers must include in their plan.
And while, of course, images, videos, and other animations add to the overall aesthetic of a website’s design they also happen to cause quite a bit of drag when it comes to site speed. Therefore, it is crucial to pay special attention to how images are uploaded, optimized, and deleted.
According to Google, 53% of people leave a mobile page if it takes more than three seconds to load.
Compressing an image reduces the file size, helping your site run faster and saving you precious storage space.
Fast site speed is like the holy grail of running a website. Speeding up your loading times can breathe new life into otherwise dead pages, and both visitors and search engines love a fast-loading site. That’s why you must always compress your images and videos.
Typography and colors are two of the basic elements of design and, therefore, it is a no-brainer to consider these two when creating a custom website design on WordPress; or otherwise.
Certainly, setting up custom fonts on your site is quite time-consuming and needs extra effort. But, as mentioned earlier, picking the right typeface will help the right brand identity and personality that makes your site looks more trustworthy.
Additionally, custom fonts help your website to stay ahead of the competition.
Similarly, choosing the right color scheme is one of the most crucial WordPress website tips that you would receive from any expert UI/UX developer or designer.
Interestingly, a lot of new businesses go for their favorite shades of color. But, when it comes to designing a professional website, it’s not about your favorite color; it’s about the color that complements your brand.
Colors not only play a vital role in attracting your customers by creating apsychological impact but, also help in creating a visual hierarchy and ease of content consumption by providing enough clarity through contrast and whitespaces.
Whether you have picked a free WordPress theme or a premium one, there are chances of a similar-looking website existing; possibly from the same industry domain.
And, therefore, it is of vital importance that you create a website design that not just differentiates from your competitors but, also stands out in the entire industry segment.
As a professional design agency, GraphicsZoo has always pushed the limits to come up with a unique website design for each of its clients.
Another thing to check in order to avoid being ‘just another WordPress website’ is to keep your design updated.
Apart from the routine security updates that WordPress keeps releasing on a regular basis, you should also stay informed about the latest andupcoming trends in website designs; otherwise, your site can become outdated and vulnerable to nasty bugs.
To conclude…
Creating a website using premium or free WordPress website templates or themes may sound simple and a walk in the park. However, there is a lot of technical work that goes behind creating a unique website design that keeps your brand different.
And, that’s why, it is always recommended, especially for small business owners and startups, tooutsource graphic design services in order to get professional designs.
Speak with one of our design experts today at support@graphicszoo.com to understand how we can help with your website design plans.