Website Design Guide

Website Design Guide: How to Design a Website That Works

A good website needs to do more than look attractive. It should help visitors understand what you offer, find the information they need and take the next step, whether that means contacting your business, making a booking or buying a product. You don't need to be a professional designer to create a website that looks good and works well. With some planning and a clear idea of what you want your website to achieve, you can make design decisions that suit your business and your customers.

This guide covers the main things to consider when designing a website, from planning your pages to choosing a layout, writing content and making sure your site works on mobile devices.

1. Start With a Clear Purpose

Before thinking about colours, fonts or images, decide what you want your website to achieve. For a small business, the goal might be to generate enquiries, explain your services or help people find your contact details. An online store will have different priorities, such as displaying products, making checkout straightforward and answering questions about delivery and returns.

Your website's purpose should guide your design decisions. Ask yourself:

• Who is the website for?
• What information will visitors be looking for?
• What do I want people to do when they visit?
• What questions or concerns might stop them from taking action?

Once you know the answers, you can plan a website around your visitors rather than trying to fit everything onto the homepage.

2. Plan Your Website Pages

A website is easier to design when you know which pages you need and what each one should do.

A typical small business website might include:

• Home: Introduces your business and directs visitors to important information.
• About: Explains who you are, what you do and why customers might choose you.
• Products or services: Describes what you offer and who it is for.
• Testimonials or reviews: Helps visitors understand other customers' experiences.
• Contact: Makes it easy for people to get in touch.
• Frequently asked questions: Answers common questions before customers need to ask.

If you're not sure where to start, read our guide to planning your website before deciding on the layout and design.

You may need additional pages depending on your business. For example, a builder might have a portfolio of completed projects, while a consultant could include separate pages for each service. Avoid adding pages simply to make your website seem bigger. Each page should have a clear purpose and provide something useful to the visitor.

Our guide to which pages your website needs explains what to include and why each page matters. If you're still working out what your website needs, start by planning the pages before moving on to the design.

3. Choose a Layout That's Easy to Use

Your website layout determines how information is arranged on each page. A good layout makes it easy for visitors to understand what they're looking at and find their way around. Keep the structure familiar. Most visitors expect to find the main navigation near the top of the page, the business logo in a prominent position and contact information somewhere easy to locate. Think about the order in which people need information. For example, a service page might introduce the service, explain its benefits, describe what's included and finish with a clear way to make an enquiry. You don't need to fill every available space. White space, or the empty space around text and images, helps separate sections and makes a page easier to read. Keep your layout simple. If visitors have to work hard to find basic information, they may leave before discovering what your business offers.

4. Use Colours and Fonts Consistently

Your website's colours and typography help establish your brand and influence how people experience the site. Start with a small colour palette. You might use one main brand colour, a secondary colour and a contrasting colour for buttons or important links. Make sure the text remains easy to read against its background. Choose fonts that are clear on both large screens and mobile devices. Decorative fonts can work well for a heading or logo, but they are often harder to read in longer paragraphs. Consistency matters more than using lots of different styles. Use the same colours, heading styles and button treatments throughout the website. This gives your pages a connected appearance and helps visitors recognise important elements. If your business already has a logo, signage or established brand colours, use these as a starting point for the design.

5. Choose Images That Support Your Message

Images can help visitors understand your business, see what you offer and get a feel for the people behind it. Whenever possible, use genuine photographs of your products, premises, team or completed work. These can be more informative and convincing than generic stock images. Choose images that relate directly to the page. A photo should help explain something, demonstrate a product or give visitors a better understanding of your business. Keep image quality in mind, but don't upload unnecessarily large files. Oversized images can slow down your website, particularly for people using mobile data. Before uploading an image, consider its dimensions, file size and how it will appear on smaller screens. Use descriptive file names and suitable alternative text where appropriate, especially for images that convey useful information.

6. Design for Mobile Devices

Your website needs to work well on phones and tablets as well as desktop computers. A mobile-friendly design adjusts to different screen sizes so visitors can read the content, use the navigation and interact with buttons without struggling.

When checking your design on a phone, look for problems such as:

• Text that is too small to read comfortably.
• Buttons that are difficult to tap.
• Images that are cropped in the wrong place.
• Content that extends beyond the screen.
• Menus that are difficult to open or navigate.
• Forms that are awkward to complete.

Keep mobile visitors in mind when choosing layouts and writing content. Short paragraphs, clear headings and well-spaced buttons can make a real difference. Don't rely on how the website looks in the desktop editor. Preview the actual site on different screen sizes before publishing.

7. Make Your Navigation Clear

Visitors should be able to find important information without having to search through every page. Keep your main navigation focused on the sections people are most likely to need. For many small businesses, this means Home, About, Services, Products and Contact, although the exact labels will depend on the business.

Use straightforward wording rather than clever labels that might confuse visitors. For example, "Our Services" is generally clearer than an unfamiliar phrase that doesn't tell people what they'll find. If your website has several related pages, group them logically. A dropdown menu or clearly organised section can help visitors explore more detailed information without overcrowding the main navigation. Make sure important pages are accessible from relevant places on the site. A visitor reading about a service, for example, should have an obvious way to contact you or request a quote.

8. Write Content That Is Easy to Read

Website design and website content need to work together. Even an attractive website can struggle if its text is difficult to understand or doesn't answer visitors' questions. Start each page by making its purpose clear. Visitors should quickly understand what the page is about and whether it contains the information they need. Use descriptive headings to break up longer sections. Keep paragraphs focused on one main idea, and use bullet points when they make information easier to scan. Avoid filling pages with vague claims such as "We offer quality solutions for all your needs". Explain what you actually do, who you help and what customers can expect. Your homepage doesn't need to contain every detail about your business. Its job is to introduce your offering and help visitors find the next piece of information they need.

For practical advice on planning and writing your pages, read our guide to writing website content.

9. Include Clear Calls to Action

A call to action tells visitors what they can do next. Depending on your business, this might be:

• Contact us
• Request a quote
• Book an appointment
• Shop now
• View our services
• Get in touch

Make your calls to action specific and easy to find. A contrasting button can help an important action stand out, but you don't need to put a button in every section. Think about what makes sense for each page. Someone reading about your services may be ready to request a quote, while someone visiting your About page might want to explore your work first. Give visitors a clear next step without making the website feel pushy.

10. Keep Search Engines in Mind

Website design also affects how easily people can find and use your site through search engines. Search engine optimisation (SEO) isn't just about adding keywords. Your website needs useful content, a logical structure and pages that help answer what people are searching for.

As you design your website:

• Give each important page a clear, descriptive title.
• Use headings to organise the content.
• Write unique page titles and meta descriptions.
• Make sure the website works well on mobile devices.
• Use descriptive links that tell visitors what to expect.
• Add relevant internal links between related pages.
• Optimise images so they don't unnecessarily slow down the site.
• Make sure important pages can be found through your site's navigation or internal links.

For a closer look at the fundamentals, read our guide to website SEO basics.

Don't sacrifice clarity to fit in keywords. Write for your visitors first, and use the language they would naturally use when searching for your products or services. A well-designed website makes information easy to find for both people and search engines, but good design alone won't guarantee high rankings. Useful content, technical accessibility and other SEO factors also matter.

11. Make Your Website Accessible

An accessible website is easier for more people to use, including visitors with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairments. You don't need to be an accessibility specialist to make a useful start. Use sufficient contrast between text and backgrounds. Don't rely on colour alone to communicate important information. Add meaningful alternative text to informative images, use descriptive link text and give form fields clear labels. Organise content with proper heading levels so people can understand the page structure. Make sure visitors can navigate and use important features with a keyboard, not just a mouse. Keep language straightforward and forms as simple as possible. Accessibility is worth considering from the beginning rather than trying to fix everything after the website has been built.

12. Help Visitors Feel Confident in Your Business

People often visit a business website before deciding whether to make contact or spend money. The design should make it easy for them to understand who they're dealing with. Include accurate business information, clear contact details and a useful About page. If you have genuine customer reviews, testimonials, qualifications or examples of completed work, consider how these could help visitors make an informed decision. For a local business, displaying your service area and relevant location information can also help potential customers decide whether you're the right fit. Avoid exaggerated claims, outdated information or design elements that make the site feel unfinished. Check that links work, forms submit correctly and your contact details are up to date. Trust comes from the overall experience, not just from how polished the website looks.

13. Keep the Website Simple and Focused

It's easy to get carried away when designing a website. You might want animated effects, multiple fonts, moving banners, pop-ups and lots of different sections. Before adding an element, ask whether it helps visitors understand your business or complete an important task. Too many competing elements can make a website harder to use. Unnecessary animations may distract from the content, while intrusive pop-ups can interrupt visitors before they've had a chance to explore. Start with the essentials. You can add more features later if there's a clear reason to do so. A simple website with useful information and a clear structure is often more effective than a complicated design that looks impressive but leaves visitors unsure where to go.

14. Choose a Website Builder That Suits Your Needs

If you're building your own website, the website builder you choose will influence how you design and manage it. Look for a website builder that lets you create a layout suited to your business, customise the design and make changes without needing to write code. Consider the practical details too. Can you update text and images yourself? Can you add the pages and features you need? Does the website work well on mobile devices? Are the available tools suitable for your business as it grows? Think about ongoing costs and support as well as the initial design. 

A website needs to be maintained, updated and improved over time, so choose an approach you can manage comfortably. Website templates can be a useful starting point. You can select a design that suits your business, then customise the colours, images, text and page layout to make it your own. You don't have to get every detail perfect before publishing. Start with a professional, functional design and improve it as you learn more about what your visitors need. 

Explore our website builder templates to learn more about using a template as the starting point for your website.

Website Design Checklist

Before publishing your website, work through this checklist.

Planning

• The website has a clear purpose.
• The intended audience is understood.
• The necessary pages have been planned.
• Each page has a clear job to do.

Design and usability

• The layout is simple and consistent.
• Colours and fonts are easy to read.
• Images are relevant and appropriately sized.
• Navigation is clear and easy to use.
• Important information is easy to find.
• The design works on mobile devices.

Content and SEO

• Each page has a clear heading.
• The content answers visitors' questions.
• Page titles and meta descriptions have been checked.
• Related pages link to one another where useful.
• Images have suitable alternative text where needed.

Enquiries and testing

• Calls to action are clear.
• Contact details are correct.
• Forms and important links have been tested.
• Trust-building information is accurate and up to date.
• The website has been checked on different screen sizes.

Create a Website That Works for Your Business

Good website design starts with understanding your visitors and giving them a straightforward way to find information and take action. You don't need an elaborate design to make a good impression. Focus on a clear layout, useful content, consistent branding and a website that works well across devices. Website World's website builder gives you the tools to create and manage your own website, with the flexibility to build a site that suits your business.

Ready to get started? Explore Website World and see how you can build a website for your business.