Building your own website?
6 Web Design Tips To Remember
Whether you are designing your own website or having it designed by someone else, there are a few basic things to keep in mind. Website design starts at concept and it is important to know what your end goal may be, before you begin the design and layout of your new website. Here are a few basic things to remember.
1. Think about the user
It’s easy to get caught up in how a site looks and forget about the people using it. Ask yourself: is navigation clear and accessible? Can visitors find what they need quickly? Does a first-time visitor instantly know what your business is about? A website should have a natural flow that mirrors human behavior. Give visitors what they want quickly and clearly, and always include strong calls to action. The result is lower bounce rates and higher conversions.
2. Think like a robot too
Search engines are “visitors” as well. Googlebot and other crawlers need to understand what your pages are about. Use proper heading tags, title tags, and meta descriptions. Write your content naturally and avoid keyword stuffing, which confuses users and can even lead to penalties. A balance between writing for people and signaling to search engines is what works best.
3. Use appropriate images
Images can make or break a website. Stock photography can add trust to a new business, while authentic images may work better for established brands. Either way, always make sure you have the rights to use whatever you publish. Great options include Creative Commons licensed material or free sources like Pexels. If you have your own high-quality photos, even better.
Image size and format are just as important as the image itself. Do not stretch small images into large spaces, as this looks unprofessional. Start with the correct dimensions, and then optimize the file size for speed. Tools like Paint.NET are fast, lightweight, and perfect for resizing and cropping. Photoshop or Canva can do the job too, but they can be overkill for quick edits. For the web, save images in WebP format when possible, or use JPG for photos. Compression plugins can further reduce size and improve page load times.
4. Keep it simple
When in doubt, leave it out. A clean website beats a cluttered one every time. Avoid distracting animations, busy backgrounds, or too many competing ideas. Focus on clarity and direct calls to action. Visitors should not have to dig for basic information or fight through distractions to do business with you.
5. Use fewer pages, but make them count
There was a time when people thought “more pages = better SEO.” That is no longer true. In fact, thin and unnecessary pages can hurt your rankings and confuse visitors. These days, it is better to have fewer, well-structured pages with meaningful content. Many businesses even use one-page layouts that pack everything essential onto a single scrollable site. Search engines want depth and relevance, not fluff. If your “About Us” page has one paragraph, you are better off folding that content into a stronger homepage.
6. Pick a color scheme and stick to it
A limited, consistent color palette creates a professional and polished look. Too many colors can feel chaotic and distract from your message. Choose two or three core colors (for example, blue, gray, and white) and use them throughout your design. Match your images to your palette when possible for a more cohesive feel. Free tools like Paint.NET can even help you match colors precisely, without the heavy load of bigger design programs.
Final words
These six tips are the basics that still matter in 2025. A site built with users in mind, optimized for search engines, filled with quality images, and designed with simplicity and consistency will always perform better than one overloaded with distractions. If you need guidance, do not hesitate to reach out. I am always happy to help small businesses build websites that truly work for them.