Your website is your storefront or shop window on the web. It needs to appear as inviting as possible to the majority. It may not be to everyone’s taste of course, but it’s got to make a decent first impression and is why website design is important.
As users, we gravitate towards the simple, familiar and predictable when it comes to websites. Dare I say it’s comfort we seek in the boring?
How do you decide to create your online shop window as a small business? Can you afford to hire a web designer to create one from scratch? If not, you can still design a simple and clean website on your own, with little to no coding experience!
Website design without coding is popular with startups and small business owners because it’s website design for free. And by ‘free’, you still need to account for the costs of your labour, time and effort. When strapped for cash at the start of your business journey though; this could well be your best or (only?) option.
Web designers charge anywhere from £200 - £10,000 in the UK depending on the complexity of the website required. If you’re struggling to find the money, opting for a DIY website builder is the right choice. Best to keep it simple, cost-effective and accessible.
No code, low code
There is a plethora of DIY less code and no code tools available to build your website. All part of the most disruptive trend of 2021 - no code low code. The rise of less code and no code platforms for more than website building in recent years is extraordinary!
Check out Dan Siepen’s 33+ best no code tools post to speed up decision-making for building your websites or apps. A very fun website to scroll through too.
Don’t miss Bubble.io’s showcase of examples of web apps you can build without code. You’ll be amazed at how complex a build you can achieve sans code. Another example - Uizard.io is a no code design tool for everyone - I can’t wait to try it.
To template or not to template
You’ve probably noticed in the past decade or so, that websites look quite similar to each other. Most websites tend to have certain go-to background colours, typefaces and fonts. This is largely due to the use of low code no code website builders and customisable templates with standard 2-3 columns etc.
The overall result is quite cookie-cutterish. It’s a similar trend with visual-first platforms like Instagram too and the excessive use of popular social media post templates. You could argue that homogeneity is a snooze - thing is, a lot of the time it works!
As mentioned at the start - most of us users enjoy simplicity, familiarity and predictability. Website design obedience primarily stems from this fact.
If you really miss the creativity of the web circa the 90s and early 00s, rebel against what’s become the norm. Read Boris Mueller’s 2018 post on visual conformity of the web and how to shake things up - great examples from his students.
Custom artistic designs often come with a hefty price tag. If you’re a creative professional (artist, musician, filmmaker, dancer etc.), this may be a form of self-expression and a way to make your mark online. It could be well worth the price.
How do I template but still stand out?
Nowadays, no code website builders offer many attractive highly customisable templates. These are mobile-responsive, so efficient and get easier to use day-by-day. You can definitely stand out with just creative use of colours and fonts.
Colours: Pantone’s colour of the year announcement should not be the way to decide on your brand’s signature colours as these change every year.
It’s picked Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow for strength and hopefulness in 2021. (Can’t believe I almost called this one myself - picked similar shades for this website before this announcement came out - yay, me!)
Need help finding complementary colours for your website? Canva color wheel is a really fun way to select colour combinations. Lastly, be inclusive when it comes to background colours. Readability is enhanced with warm hues like peach, orange and yellow over cool tones when it comes to dyslexia.
Fonts: First off, an image to clarify the difference between a typeface and a font 💎
What’s in a typeface? Brand typography is so important because it’s your own unique visual voice. It needs to match your brand personality. Here’s a great Google Fonts resource for easy-to-read fonts. Don’t you love how they used The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song lyrics? Nostalgia-hit ✅
If you want to step up your corporate or brand font game, set yourself apart with a custom or stylistic font. Read how big corporates are investing in their very own typeface in the ultimate corporate flex.
Final words
At the end of the day, your website needs to work for your business and its objectives. The decision to code, no code or low code your website should be based on the same. Your website has to be user-friendly, mobile-friendly and optimised for search engines like Google - your main driver of traffic to your website. It also needs to be expressive, showcase personality and work well for your web marketing services.
Finding that sweet spot of creativity and usability is key.
Comments