Getting your new business off the ground takes work, and you can’t overlook the digital side of things along the way.  Building your digital presence is just as important as working to build foot traffic in your brick and mortar store, and it all starts with a capable website design.  

A well-built business website will grant you a digital outlet to a global consumer base.  If you’re not sure where to begin with your design, take some time for some light research.  Here is a brief compilation of a few website design tips for beginners.  

Make it easy to explore

One of the most important elements of your website design is the navigation setup.  If your setup is too complicated, web users will get frustrated.  

Designing a simple way to move around and explore your pages will help boost traffic on your site.  This site for a senior living facility shows a simple navigation bar in action.  

The simplicity and familiarity of a stationary navigation setup will help users feel more comfortable checking out what your business website has to offer.  

Add social media sharing buttons

Linking your website to the pages of social media is a great way to add built-in exposure for your business.  People know exactly what to do when they see a sharing icon.  

All your business needs to do is provide content that is sharable.  Adding a blog space to your site will give you a good spot for quality, sharable content.  Sharing icons are also great when placed on the homepage.  

Make it mobile ready

When you start working on your first website design, you should have no question about mobile optimization.  Mobile optimization is a necessity for a winning design.  

Mobile users will be prevalent on your site, so make it easy for them to interact with and enjoy the content of your website.  Specifically research what makes a website optimized for mobile users, and implement what you learn within the scope of your design.  

Add communication to your design

Your website is your connection to your global consumer pool; you want to make it easy for people to communicate with your business.  Of course, your site needs a “Contact Us” page, but you can add other elements to encourage users to leave their mark.  

Dig into the specifics of SEO

Finally, you definitely need to take some time to learn the specifics behind search engine optimization.  Learn to speak the language of the search engines, and you’ll create pages that draw attention.  

SEO will help you create a website that ranks better in the SERPs (search engine results pages) when users are looking for the type of products/services your business provides.