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Know about Designing a WordPress site:
A website is an integral part of the visual identity of any brand. According to Impact, 81 per cent of consumers search about a business online before visiting its physical store. And Statista reports that e-retail spending in the US alone will amount to over 638 billion USD by next year!
Therefore, to realize the benefit brought about by the online world, you must have a website. But, merely having a website isn’t enough. After all, as per the Internet Live Stats, there are over 1.5 billion active websites on the web right now. And even within your niche, there is likely to be a handful of sites.
You must stand apart and deliver a website that is aligned with your brand purpose. At the same time, you must regard the rules of aesthetics and functionality. A great platform to use for designing a WordPress website .
Like many other brands, if you are considering designing a WordPress site, here are the key things you must know.
According to WebFx, over 89 percent of consumers bounce to competing businesses after having a poor user experience with a given website. Therefore, it is important to base all your website designing decisions on their impact on your site’s overall performance.
This is where you might end up at a crossroad.
As you know, WordPress has quite a range of free themes. As a beginner, it is quite easy to get swayed by the aesthetics of these free themes. Not to mention that the no-cost solution may seem more feasible than purchasing a premium template.
However, there have been reports that the functionality and the code structure of the free themes can act up. Compared to this, the premium templates offer excellent structure as well as code quality. Not to mention users are provided with a variety of other complementary functionalities.
Therefore, if your budget allows you to, know that it is better to select a premium theme instead of a free one.
#2. You must have a professional logo
While WordPress may help you out in the aesthetics department (its scale depending on whether you choose the free or premium version), certain elements govern the success of your website that is beyond the control of the platform.
And one such element is a logo. It ensures brand recognition and consumers’ ability to link back all your online and offline marketing efforts to your business and products.
For instance, according to Brand Finance, Google, Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft, and Apple are the five most valued brands. We are sure that you can visualize their logos from the top of your head! That is the type of brand recall all businesses strive to achieve.
And an excellent way to do so is by strategically placing a memorable logo throughout your website. For that, you must first create a professional logo that is relevant, memorable, scalable and timeless. To do so, it is advised that you seek help from professionals like the Logo Design Valley.
#3. Plugins are a lifesaver
One feature of WordPress that isn’t often highlighted is how it transcends beyond its scope with plugins’ help. WordPress doesn’t do itself because it offers paid and free plugins to fill the gap.
As of now, there are above 45,000 free plugins available in the directory of WordPress. And a wide variety of premium options too!
If you feel that the plugins and platform features do not have what you need, you can write a code from scratch and create your own plugin! However, for this, you will have to know the coding language, PHP.
Therefore, if you are a coder, you cannot do anything when creating a WordPress website.
#4. Speed optimization can change the game
As a user, what do you hate the most about some of the websites out there? The chances are that some of you might have answered the loading time. After all, page load time is a crucial factor in deciding whether a given website is worth it or not.
Web Alive reports that there is a direct correlation between site visitor bounce rate and page load speed. And a separate study by Infront Webworks illustrates that a boost in website speed can help reduce bounce rates by 7 per cent.
You must keep this feature in mind when Designing a WordPress site as well. While the platform offers a variety of features and elements, using them all is not a necessity. See what your website truly needs to function and deliver the experience required.
Try to improve page speed by eliminating redundant design elements as well as images. The simple, minimalistic and clean website won’t just be more aesthetically pleasing and sophisticated, but it will also enrich the overall user experience by reducing load time.
#5. Leave the default theme files as is
There are some things in life you just don’t mess with, even if you have the opportunity to. And in the world of WordPress, one such thing is the default theme file.
WordPress offers default child themes to users, allowing you to easily alter and add on to the functionality of your chosen theme without changing the core files. Don’t try to be creative with it. These default files have been carefully created and coded to offer a smooth experience to users.
If changed, you can increase your workload by distorting the features and conveniences already set in place. Whenever you think that a simple alteration to the files won’t cause any harm, remember our admonition – it would!
#6. Choose colours wisely
Just like a logo is an important part of your brand efforts, the same is true for the colour scheme. Don’t just follow the crowd and select colours based on what other quality WordPress websites are using.
For instance, consider the famous WordPress website – Walt Disney. The brand colours of the company are blue and white. You will see a similar scheme being followed on its website as well.
Therefore, such decisions need to be made, keeping in mind your branding.
Just because a colour helps boost the design of the site doesn’t mean it should be used. Instead, from the get-go, when you are finalizing these elements from a marketing perspective, choose options that will represent your brand and look visually appealing across all collaterals and mediums.
Begin Designing!
Designing a WordPress website is no different than creating any other website. It would be best if you kept similar factors in mind. What the platform does do for you is make your life easy in various regards, ranging from themes to functionality.
Make sure to meet the platform halfway by taking care of the factors within your control. Create a spectacular website with a flawless user experience, and watch as your site visitors are converted into profitable customers!
For those of you who are successfully running WordPress sites – are there any tips that you feel will help your fellow businesses out? If so, let us all know by sharing in the comments section below.
Author Bio
Erica Silva
Erica Silva is a blogger who loves to discover and explore the world around her. She writes on everything from marketing to technology. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and experiences with readers and believes her blogs can make the world a better place.
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