Simple websites are always on my mind, and I have some weird thoughts about design today. Websites have gotten way too complicated. It’s the simple websites that create a buzz for business.
Somewhere along the way, it was decided that websites need animations, pop-ups, sliders, videos, moving backgrounds, clever navigation, giant introductions, chat boxes, and flocks of things flying onto the screen…
This is all before a website visitor can figure out what the business actually does.
They’re sitting there thinking:
“I just needed to find your phone number.”
I’ve been around websites for a very long time. Decades at this point.
And my belief may not be trendy or exciting:
Simple websites are often the most helpful websites.
And helpful wins.
Simple Websites Don’t Mean Boring
First of all, simple does not mean ugly and it doesn’t mean outdated.
Simple websites can be made beautiful with:
- Great photography
- Helpful words and font styles
- Interesting brand colors
- Your personality
Simple means the design helps visitors find the information they need.
Tell Me What You Do
I know, I know, this seems painfully obvious.
And yet…
There are so many beautiful websites where I’ve had to scroll or click or scan just to figure out what the business actually does.
The homepage says:
Elevating Experiences Through Innovative Solutions
Yeah, sure, but what do you DO?
Do you build houses? Are you a restaurant? Maybe you sell online marketing services?
Vague headlines confuse website visitors.
Instead, your website should quickly answer:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Who do you help?
- Where are you?
- What should I do next?
I want to know these things in the first few seconds of landing on your website.
Simple websites can help visitors and keep them around longer.
Is Your Website Navigation Confusing?
I do love some design creativity. But not when it comes to website navigation.
Simple website navigation should be familiar with:
- Home
- About
- Services
- FAQ
- Blog
- Contact
Of course, there times when a different menu tab makes sense.
But calling your About page “Our Journey Into Awesomeness” might not make your website better and people might not click on that.
We all know what “About” means. (And an About page is one of the top pages people look for.)
Familiar is good, and it’s easy to understand.
White Space Is Good Space
My constant struggle when designing for clients is they always want to cram everything onto their homepage.
Clutter makes me crazy. I need some space for my eyes.
So stop trying to cram everything possible onto a page.
Resist the temptation to fill it with another photo or text block or button.
White space gives your website content room to breathe.
Plus, a little white space helps visitors because it’s easier to read.
Adding a little visual separation between ideas is a really good thing.
(Your website isn’t a storage unit.)
Every Page Doesn’t Need to Do Everything
Websites have become cluttered because we’re trying to make every page say way too much.
Your homepage doesn’t need to tell your entire life story.
A website homepage has one big job:
Help visitors understand where they are and what they should do next.
That’s it.
Give people enough information to choose their next step.
I design each homepage like a map with launching blocks to what my client really wants to get hired for.
Mobile is What Made Simple More Necessary
Helping visitors using their phone is where simple websites really shine.
Websites are much smaller on a phone than on a desktop monitor.
On a phone, you can’t have clutter or you’ll lose people.
A simple layout that’s fluid will display beautifully on mobile, especially if it has a clear headline, useful information, nice photos, and buttons made for thumbs.
Simple Websites Are Good For SEO
Remember, search engines like Google are trying to understand your website, too.
Google is looking for content that includes:
- Clear page topics
- Descriptive headings (H1-H6)
- Familiar navigation
- Helpful content (Q&A, FAQ)
- Internal links
To make your website search-friendly, keep it simple and less complicated.
Because, clarity is what both search engines and humans need.
Oh Boy – Now We Have AI Search
It feels like AI Search came on fast and furious, and changed search in a big way.
You’ve seen Google generating AI Overviews.
People are asking questions more conversationally.
AI tools now summarize information from websites.
Voice searches tend to sound like questions you ask a friend.
But website content hasn’t really changed. You still need clear, useful website content. That’s what matters.
If someone asks:
“Does this website designer offer web design in northern Michigan?”
Have I answered that question on my website?
My website has to provide a clear answer. (The answer is yes, by the way.)
AI tools are trying to understand exactly what your website is about so get detailed with it.
Clear information is becoming even more important.
Websites That Try Too Hard to Impress
Depending on the web designer, this can be a pretty big trap.
Look how fancy I can make this!
Look at this cool spinning animation!
Let’s make all your content stack or expand!
You know what happens? A website visitor is thinking:
“Where are their hours?”
“What is their phone number?”
Simple websites aren’t built to impress other website designers.
Simple websites help the person using it.
This is the design method I keep coming back to, and will use as long as I’m building websites.
Simple Websites Make Me Happy
In my opinion, the “best website” isn’t the one that tries to razzle dazzle me.
The best website is the one that helps me. It gives me exactly what I need, and fast.
No confusion.
Just useful information with some personality and an obvious path forward.
Simple websites don’t mean you were lazy about the design. It means you knew what to leave out.
We navigate an internet that’s constantly yelling at us.
So when a website quietly gets to the point, that creates the biggest buzz of all.
Creating a Buzz ~ Marcie Wolf
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