Web Designer Top Ten Must-Have Elements

Web Designer Top Ten Must-Have Elements

A good web designer knows that including the right elements brings in more organic traffic, more customers, more online sales, and better brand recognition. Here we outline our top ten must-haves for websites in 2022.

1. App-like UX

Users have come to expect interaction, animation, and dynamic experiences like they find in the latest apps. Your web designer should include elements that either mimic or echo these experiences.

2. Lean Design

Sites with fewer pages and pages with fewer elements are becoming more popular. This is partially due to SEO emphasis on loading speed, but also because they are simply easier to navigate.

3. Mobile Responsive

The mobile experience of your website is critical in this day and age. Users won’t return if they have a hard time finding what they’re looking for. Beyond that, search engines rank websites that are not mobile-friendly lower in their results. 

4. Authoritative Content

E-A-T, or Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness, have been Google SEO ranking factors for a few years, but they are of ever-increasing importance. It is imperative not only to do your keyword research but to understand the user’s intent when searching for those keywords and provide content that is relevant and helpful.

5. Quality Links

Another way to signal authority to search engines is to link to other credible, authoritative sources. A few high-quality outbound links demonstrate that your knowledge is up to date and that you care about providing value to users. Linkbacks within your own site are also helpful for SEO, and a few should be included on each page.

6. Negative Space

Negative space, also called white space, simply refers to empty space within a design. It creates a break for the eyes, which helps to highlight critical information and aids in reading comprehension.

7. Accessibility

An inclusive and accessible website that provides for the needs of users with disabilities can increase conversion, boost your SEO, and help you reach a larger audience.

8. Technical SEO

Web design needs a strong Search Engine Optimization (SEO) foundation from the onset when building a new website. Generating SEO traffic is key to the success of a website or blog. It means the difference between getting traffic from online searches to your site or staying invisible. A web designer must consider sitemaps, meta tags, linking, keyword research, JavaScript use, and even the way content is laid out on your site.

9. Google Analytics

Installing Google Analytics before launching your website helps you collect important data about how your website is performing. You can review your analytics and make changes to improve your SEO ranking. It is the best SEO tool to use to track who is viewing your page, how they found it, and when they viewed it.

10. Sitemaps

Sitemaps make your website more visible to search engines with more accurate search results. They make your website rank higher and result in higher user involvement. The most effective sitemaps for SEO are XML sitemaps, making it easier for search engines to discover and navigate your content. With the rise of lean design, footers are increasingly functioning as sitemaps available on every page.

When you need a web designer, contact KC Web Specialists, the leaders in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area in quality, results-driven web design.

KC WEB SPECIALISTS

(913) 489-7866, ext. 107

Overland Park, Kansas