Dedicated Developers
Introduction

The evolution of the custom web development services industry has created a situation whereby trends that were relevant in 2018 might not apply in 2019. Considering the fact that you have so much at stake, you cannot afford to hire a web designer who isn’t conscious of the best practices to adhere to for the year ahead.

An ideal website is one that isn’t just fancy to look at, but one that ranks well according to the widely accepted standards of the internet. You don’t need to carry out a detailed search before you see examples of websites that do not cut the mustard. However, with the best practices highlighted here, you‘ll be equipped with all you need to have a successful business year ahead.

Recap of Website Design and Development Best Practices in 2018

  • Having a header with intuitive features embedded in it. 
  • Footers with sign-up or subscription boxes, as well as social media profiles.
  • Animation, GIFs, and compelling videos.
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning for data analytics.
  • Responsive, interactive, and intuitive mobile designs.

A Landing Page that Serves its Purpose

In the process of hiring a web development company to get custom web development services, it’s important to hire a web designer who knows what a landing page is for. Your landing page should be designed with the sole intention of getting visitors to act in the desired manner. Sadly, there are many websites out there that do not leverage the function of a well-designed landing page. 

The beauty of a landing page is that it can be suited to your taste. If you have an e-commerce website, it will be the page that convinces your customers to purchase some of your best-selling products. If you have a blog, a landing page is your opportunity to make sure the viewer reads the most important posts you have. For companies offering services, your contact information and a summary of the service you provide should be made available. 

Related Article: Difference Between Web Development & Web Design?

Have a Call-to-Action that Works

A CTA is not an element of a website that’s used to beautify the page, or it’s a button that can be clicked at will. The mistake many companies make is that they hire a web designer who sends their visitors on a wild goose chase. The information is all over the place and there’s no clear message being passed. We might not even bat an eyelid if this was in 2018, but now, the game isn’t what it used to be.

To make sure your customers are well-engaged, you should optimize your CTA buttons with the following tips. 

  • Use “I” instead of “We” when you phrase the statement. 
  • Use brightly colored buttons that are more likely to captivate viewers who aren’t paying much attention. Orange and red are some colors to consider.
  • Make the CTA as personalized as possible. 
  • Reduce clutter around the CTA, ensure the button is the only thing they see.

Improve Your Website Loading Speed

It’s 2019 and it’s still a priority to make sure your page loads in less than 2 seconds. This is a fact that is almost already a standard; if your load time is not above par, you’ll have lots of potential customers leave the website before they even see what you have to offer.

You should hire a web designer who is able to develop websites that reduce your bounce rate and encourage customers to stay on your website for a long period of time. 

Tips on How to Improve the Loading Speed of Your Website

  • Reduce the image sizes on your website
  • Eliminate any form of redirects
  • Clean up “bad HTML” or broken links
  • Ensure you optimize your cache
  • Try to minimize HTTP requests
  • Compress files before you upload them to your server

Create an Effective Content Delivery Network 

Another practice to emulate in 2019 is to implement a personalized content delivery network. With this kind of system, you can have your network of servers that will allow you to deliver your content whenever you want. This way, you can keep control of your content and pass it across when it’s needed. 

Related Article: Top Ways to Cut Your Software Development Costs

Why Should You Have a Content Delivery Network?

  • It helps you to improve page load speed
  • You can handle higher traffic loads
  • With a content delivery network, you’re able to block spammers and bots
  • You can reduce bandwidth consumption
  • Finally, you’re able to protect your website from DDoS attacks

Summary of Best Website Design and Development Best Practices 

  • Devote extra effort to the header and footer. This space can be utilized for navigation, contact information, and so much more.
  • Make use of fonts that are unique to your brand and consistent across the website.
  • Ensure the most important actions are easy to find.
  • Be quick to display associated badges, logos, awards, and any other visual that can boost credibility.
  • The pages that are most important/most visited should be included in the navigation menu.
  • Try to keep the same color palette throughout the design.
  • Each page should include at least 500 to 1000 words of relevant content for the sake of search engine optimization. 
  • Have a mobile-friendly website design.
  • Use pictures and videos that are visually compelling. 
  • Build your e-mail list carefully and consciously. This is a tool which can offer significant advantages in the years to come.

Conclusion

Are you looking to redesign your website based on the practices we highlighted above? Have you been looking for a web development company to provide you with bespoke custom web development services? More importantly, do you want a service that is done by a team with a wealth of experience in User Testing, A/B testing, and monitoring analytics? Reach out to us today and you’ll be glad you did.

To know more about Web Design and Development Services reach us at +1(770)274-4482 or visit our website Dedicated Developers. Reach us at inquiry@DedicatedDevelopers.com