Setting Your Sites on Success: How to Approach Building a Better Webpage

In the digital age, building a trustworthy, functional website is paramount to success for individuals, brands, and organizations. In fact, over three-quarters of consumers check out a company’s online presence before considering going into one of their real-life, brick-and-mortar stores [1].

On top of that, 94% of internet users will simply click away from websites they deem poorly designed—bad news for organizations who haven’t updated their page since the days of GeoCities [2].

While web design and coding can seem complex, crafting exceptional web pages doesn’t need to be an insurmountable task. To help you refine your approach to website building, we’ve asked Matt and Travis from Coal Creative’s web team to share their expert insights. 

Establish an image and idea

Prior to drafting your first design or coding your first line, it’s key to establish a vision for your final product. If you’re already working from an existing image or brand, imagine how to incorporate it into the finished site.

At Coal Creative, Matt and Travis first “[discuss] the vision of the website with our collaborators and [review] their current assets.” That way, when mocking up visual design elements and a sitemap, we have an idea of brand aesthetics and imagery that will be incorporated into the final product. This allows us to steer development and construction from an early stage, ensuring we incorporate visual elements as necessary, rather than having to restructure later to squeeze them in.

Some “final details” that you may actually want to think about early in the web-building process can include: 

• Color schemes
• Logos
• Photos
• Established copy, such as company history or mission statements

Utilizing these elements during the design and mock-up phase means drafting a solid blueprint to follow during the building process. It also helps collaborators get an idea of what their site will look like when completed. 

Keep clients in the loop

At Coal, our collaborators can keep quick tabs on their projects by monitoring their website’s progress on a development server. If you’re also designing a site for a client, keeping them up-to-date on your progress means there’ll be no surprises or major revisions when it comes time to launch.

If your clients do request revisions during the build, you’ll be able to cater to their exact standards. This reduces the chances of having to repeatedly rework different elements and makes it simpler to achieve your client’s vision.

Maximize mobile potential

Mobile devices account for well over half (58.33%) of all internet traffic and, as recent trends indicate, that number will only continue to rise in the coming years [3]. Thus, it’s essential to optimize every website for both desktop and mobile browsing. Not every organization has (or even needs) a dedicated mobile app, so be sure to access your build from your laptop and phone before going live to eliminate any visual or functional inconsistencies.

At Coal, every site we create is mobile-friendly and focuses on delivering an optimal user experience (UX). We work closely with our collaborators to ensure their site runs smoothly on any device—from gaming PCs to Smart TVs.

Don’t overlook the obvious

Meticulous mapping and careful coding are the backbone of reliable websites, and these underlying elements can make or break their functionality. Dwelling on these aspects, however, can often cause designers and developers to miss the forest for the trees. 

To keep your build detail-oriented, Matt and Travis share some of the most overlooked aspects of website design:

• Well-written content and appealing photography – While appearances are important, if your offerings lack substance, you’ll quickly upset your clientele. Blurbs and blogs should be engaging, informative, and topical. Likewise, visual content, such as photos or graphics, should be aesthetically appealing and on-brand.
• Navigational menus, page flow, and UX  – Designers and developers can take their familiarity with a project for granted and forget that not all users are as technically inclined as they are. To that end, try to step back and look at your build with a new set of eyes. Is it easy to get from page to page, find what you’re looking for, and generally fun to browse? If not, perhaps it needs some retouching before launch day.
• Technical aspects – Elements such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and accessibility practices are some of the final aspects Coal implements in our builds. Other technical aspects, such as performance optimization and hosting, should likewise be fleshed out in the late stages of the website-building process. While these tasks may be last on the list in order of workflow, they’re paramount when it comes to functionality once your site goes live.

Collaborate with Coal to build breathtaking, fully-functional websites

If you want to streamline and simplify your website’s build, consider collaborating with the pros here at Coal Creative. Matt, our master designer, will work alongside your creative staff to establish an image, idea, and outline for your page. Then, Travis, the developer of the duo, will bring your vision to life—and teach you how to operate, maintain, and optimize it going forward.

Building websites is complex, but it doesn’t have to be impossible or unnerving. With the key tips outlined in this guide—and some outstanding support from our web wizards—your site can enchant browsers and have them coming back for more.

Want to level up your web game? Request a proposal to learn more about collaborating with our dynamic team.

Sources: 

[1] “76% of Consumers Look at Online Presence Before Physically Visiting a Business.” PR Newswire. April 20, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/76-of-consumers-look-at-online-presence-before-physically-visiting-a-business-301272462.html. Accessed November 20, 2023.

[2] “25+ WONDERFUL WEBSITE DESIGN STATISTICS [2023]: HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT WEBSITE.” Zippia. January 16, 2023. https://www.zippia.com/advice/website-design-statistics/. November 20, 2023.

[3] “Percentage of mobile device website traffic worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 4th quarter 2022.” Statista. April, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/. Accessed November 20, 2023.