Web Design
Ottawa Agency
Taking the time and guesswork out of designing and managing WordPress Websites.
Every Website Design and Build Includes:
- Best Practices
- On-Page SEO
- Fast Google Page Speed Load Time
- PHIPA Compliance (Healthcare)
- WCAG 2.0 Accessibility
What is Web Design?
Web design is the creation of the look and feel of websites. It is the process of creating and producing attractive, user-friendly, and brand-appropriate websites. Professional web designers develop the website’s layout, appearance, and sometimes content like images and font. Simple, user-friendly, and frustration-free websites should be the end-goal.
Web Design doesn’t just stop at the visual elements. When designing a website, it’s imperative to factor in functionality, accessibility, SEO, page speed and load times.
The Problem With How People Talk About Web Design
1. Many individuals, including clients and web designers, perceive web design as just making a website look attractive without understanding how it performs and serves visitors. This can result in having a nice looking website that is ineffective at delivering the result clients wants. The way a website is built should always be for specific results and outcomes. Ie: Lead gen, online sales, brand awareness etc. and should simultaneously factor in user experience and easy of use.
2. Poorly created, low-functioning websites are being created and delivered as “high-end” websites, and unsuspecting clients are being delivered less than what they are paying for. We often see websites that appear fine on the surface, but performance, page speed, and on-page SEO are terrible. To check and see how your website is performing, try using these free tools to analyze page speed and website structure:
For help understanding the reports, or to complete a complimentary SEO audit, email us directly.
3. Sharing the idea that web design is a one-time activity rather than a process. To adapt to shifting trends, technology, and user needs, a website is never “done.” Web design is an ongoing process of improvement. For best results, monthly maintenance is often advised.
Note: Certain hosting and site solutions minimize upkeeping cost. Email us directly for more information.
#4: Finally, some think web design can be done fast and cheap without time, resources, or skill. Websites that are poorly designed, hard to use, and ineffective at achieving desired outcomes can cost a lot more money in the long run. In our experience, amazing builds at great prices are rare.
Web design is more than just making a site appear good—about it’s making it fast, useful and user-friendly to satisfy visitors’ demands. It demands continual attention and commitment to be effective.
Get help with your website build and design. Get started today!
Web Design Does Not Mean WordPress
Although it’s estimated that over 40% of all websites on the internet are built on WordPress, it’s not the only Content Management System (CMS) that is beneficial for web design.
Some other popular CMS platforms include: Drupal, Joomla, Wix, Magento AKA Adobe Commerce, Shopify, Squarespace
For help finding Web Designers who use the platforms mentioned above, visit YWDO.
In the Market for a Website?
Here’s What You Need To Know
WordPress is not the only Content Management (CMS) that can be used for web design. It can be considered misleading to market WordPress web design as “web design” without specifying that the focus is on WordPress, especially since other platforms and technologies are available for building websites.
For example, if you’re building a large, complex website with many different types of content and functionality, a CMS like Drupal might be a better fit than WordPress. Or, if you’re building a smaller, more straightforward website focusing on e-commerce, a platform like Shopify might be a better choice.
When sitting down with us, you can count on full transparency and candidness. If WordPress isn’t the best solution for you, we’ll tell you and provide our recommendation.
Want to talk about what you need and what solution might be a better fit?
Are There Platforms Better Than WordPress?
The choice between other platforms and WordPress depends on a project’s specific needs and requirements. If someone tells you to use WordPress for everything, you should consider getting a second opinion. We’re always happy to chat if you want to learn about the different platforms and their strengths and weaknesses.
Three Important Components Of A Website
The theme, content management system, and web hosting are specific components that play critical roles in the functionality and performance of a website.
The theme provides the visual design and layout of a website, while the CMS manages the content and site structure. A theme should be compatible with the chosen CMS, as this ensures seamless integration and optimal performance.
The CMS is the backbone of your website, and it needs to run on a web hosting server. The speed, performance, security, and reliability of the hosting environment directly impact the CMS’s functionality.
The theme’s design, coding, and resource utilization can impact hosting server performance. Well-optimized themes load quickly, saving server resources and improving performance.
In short, get one element wrong and it can cause website performance and rankability issues.
Frequently Asked Web Design Questions
What Makes a Good Website Design?
The factors that determine whether a website’s design is good or bad are:
- The user experience
- Simple navigation
- Speedy page loads
- Aesthetically pleasing layouts
- Responsive and Mobile Ready
- Branded Content
- On-Page SEO Optimizations
Why You Should Hire a Web Designer?
You should consider hiring a web designer because they create professional, visually satisfying websites that match your brand. A professional designer should be able to optimize your site for SEO and ensure compatibility across devices and browsers, improving user engagement and conversion rates. Although the upfront cost might seem high, you will save time and money in the long term.
How Much Does Website Design Cost?
The cost of having a website designed is subjective and can range from $500-$5000 for a simple everyday website. Complexity, features, and designer expertise determine website design prices. Complex websites with unique features can range from $10,000 to $50,000+. The designer’s hourly rate, project scope, and desired functionality affect web design costs. Compare designer quotes to get the best deal.
How Long Does It Take To Design A Website?
Complexity, functionality, and customization determine website design time. Complex websites can take 2-6 months, whereas simple ones can be finished in 1-4 weeks. Client comments, changes, and designer efforts might affect timelines.
What is Responsive Web Design?
Responsive web design optimizes user experience by adapting layout, pictures, and navigation to multiple screen sizes and devices. This method streamlines browsing on computers, tablets, and smartphones, enhancing accessibility and user engagement.
What is a Wireframe in Web Design?
Wireframes show a website’s layout, navigation, and content hierarchy. Web designers use wireframes to define and develop site structure before visual design and coding.
What is a Web Designer
Web designers develop attractive, easy-to-use websites. Layout, color, typography, user experience, and responsive design are their specialties. Web designers work with clients to understand their goals, design preferences, and audience to create a website that matches their needs.
What is CMS in Web Design?
Content management system (CMS), a web-based platform, lets people create, amend, and manage website content without technical experience. WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal are popular CMSs. CMSs streamline website upkeep and team communication.
Why is Web Design Important?
Web design matters for initial impressions, brand identification, and user engagement. A well-designed website simplifies information discovery and action. Effective web design boosts SEO and organic traffic.
How to Choose a Web Designer?
Consider a web designer’s portfolio, experience, and client evaluations. See if their design fits your needs. Communication, responsiveness, and timelines matter too. To get the best deal, get quotes from designers.
What's the purpose of Responsive Web Design?
The goal of responsive web design is to deliver a consistent and user-friendly experience across a wide range of devices and screen sizes. This improves accessibility, and user engagement and can result in higher conversion rates. SEO benefits from responsive design as well, because search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their search results.
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If you are contacting us regarding a new project you would like to work on please be sure to provide us with as much detail as possible.