Web Design in a Nutshell

What is web design?

Designing websites involves creating attractive web pages that include both visual elements (such as colors, fonts, graphics) and functional elements (like links, buttons, text boxes).

The term “web design” encompasses both frontend and backend development. Frontend refers to how a website looks while backend refers to how it works. When you hear people talking about “backend coding,” they’re usually referring to the server side programming that allows the website to function properly. In contrast, “frontend coding” is the code written directly on the client side, most commonly using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery.

Web Design vs Web Development

The terms “web design” and “website development” are often used interchangeably, but there’s actually a big distinction between the two. A website developer builds the framework of a site while a designer creates the look and feel of it. While both are important parts of creating a successful online presence, you’ll want to make sure you hire the right person for each task.

Functional components of web design

Website functionality essentially refers to how a website works; everything from the speed and ease of use to what specific actions can take place on it. This includes things like whether or not navigation is intuitive, whether or not you’re able to find information easily, and how fast it loads.

Speed

The term “speed,” like many things in life, has become overused. But there’s no denying that it’s important. A quick load time is crucial to keeping people engaged on your site, and even more importantly, converting those potential customers into paying ones.

In fact, a study conducted by Stanford University found that a 38% increase in bounce rates occurred when a webpage’s loading times exceeded 3 seconds. And according to Google, a faster site is better for both mobile and desktop users.

So what does this mean? Well, it’s simple: If you want to win online, make sure your site is loading fast.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving how your website appears on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. By focusing on several key areas, such as keywords, metadata, and navigation, you can ensure that your website ranks high on search results.

The more people who are able find you on Google, the more visits you’ll have using your site. This is why it’s important to focus on getting your business found online.

Although SEO is an ongoing task – it’s something you should always keep working on – there are some things you can do to improve your site’s performance from day one. For instance, with Wix’s SEO tools, your site’s built in infrastructure will already support positive SEO. You can also take advantage of our pre-built templates and starter themes, which will make it easier to optimize your site without having to build everything yourself.

User Experience or UX

The explosion of computers in the 1980s brought about the need for a whole new field of study. With the rise of the internet came the need for people to understand what makes a good online experience. In response to this, the field of User Experience Design was born. UX designers work within the realm of interaction design, information architecture, visual design, graphic design, interaction design, and many others. They are responsible for making sure that the end user gets exactly what they want out of a particular website.

While UX designers are concerned with the elements listed above, they are also involved with looking at the bigger picture, finding ways to improve the products, brand, design, usability, functionality, and overall quality.

Website maintenance

The web design industry is one where constant change is the norm. New trends come and go, new technologies emerge and disappear, and new ways of doing things become popular. As designers, we’re always looking to find out what’s next. But along with the excitement of innovation, there’s often a downside: the cost of keeping up with the latest developments. If you want to avoid having to spend thousands of dollars updating your site every few months, here are some tips to help you maintain a successful online presence without breaking the bank.