A website is one of the most important tools a business can have these days. Without a website, you’re likely to fall into oblivion, but a poorly designed website can also keep you from being noticed. With the sea of voices clamoring for attention, you want to ensure that your voice gets heard.

One way to do this is to make sure you put the right amount of attention into your web-page designs. For the best results, you need to keep functionality in mind as well as beauty. There are some questions you must ask yourself to ensure the right balance.

What Features Should Be Included?

The features you include will depend on the purpose of the page. Taking the time to map out the goals of the page will help you determine which features to include. When setting your goals, keep these questions in mind:

  • What problem am I trying to address?
  • What content do I want to draw attention to?
  • What is the simplest way to draw attention?

Remember, you want to make your page easy to navigate, and you want to make sure the page has a clear message. Too much clutter, such as multiple fonts or too many colors, can work against you, creating a visual strain for the reader.

It’s best to keep things as simple as possible while maintaining a pleasing visual.

What Content Do I Need?

Image via Flickr by Digital Marketing

Each page should serve a specific function, so you want to make sure you offer content specific to that function.

You can play around with the type of media you use to draw attention to the content, but make sure it’s relevant. Using media such as video or animation can be a fun way to present information if you do not deviate from the goals.

Most people are going to scan your page relatively quickly, looking for information that is relevant to them. Keep this in mind, and keep content as focused as possible, putting the most important content toward the top of the page to draw attention to it.

How Do I Choose a Layout?

The layout of your page also depends on the purpose. The layout needs of a small business will be different than an that of an influencer because the purpose is different.

Whatever the focus of your page, you want to keep in mind that the layout needs to be readable across multiple devices. People are using mobile devices more frequently, and this will change the way your layout appears on the screen. To help minimize content disruption across devices, a grid to help structure the layout can come in handy.

Creativity is important to getting noticed, but so is functionality. Remember this when developing web pages.