SpyreStudios

Web Design and Development Magazine

  • Design
  • Showcase
  • Inspirational
  • Tutorials
  • CSS
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • UX
  • More
    • Mobile
    • Usability
    • HTML5
    • Business
    • Freebies
    • Giveaway
    • About SpyreStudios
    • Advertise On SpyreStudios
    • Get In Touch With Us

Web Design Puzzle – How to Put Together an Impressive Website Layout

October 28, 2020 by Spyre Studios

A website is like a puzzle; it’s made of thousands of tiny pieces that fit together seamlessly to create a functional whole.

Subjectively speaking, you can say that many websites are variations of the same theme. Why is that? And is it a bad thing? Many platforms like WordPress offer access to free templates and stock images, so unsurprisingly businesses use the same layouts and backgrounds to construct websites. But brands should look for ways to create a strong visual identity, become easily recognizable, and draw out an emotional response from their public. Websites can help them communicate their mission and values and stand out on the market.

Good web design starts with the layout that most times, users don’t even notice. Visitors like practical web pages where they can easily find product specifications, promotional offers, the shopping cart, and purchase button without looking too much around. The more time they spend trying to figure out the website menu, the less attention they pay to the content.

Web page layout is about balancing practicality with aesthetics. The website should look nice, but also offer the user the experience which they came for. Internet users leave a web page in 10 to 20 seconds, but sites with clear value proposition hold their attention longer. People have little patience for a difficult to browse page. Yes, a good website layout won’t always retain customers, but it shouldn’t be the reason they leave.

Here are the fundamentals for creating a website that visitors won’t bounce from.

Identify the website layout’s goals

It may sound too simple, but the only purpose of a website layout is to support the goals of the brand, whether that is to increase customer retention, build brand awareness, provide entertainment, or inform the users. Content expresses the website’s goals, and the layout design establishes what the best strategy for delivering the content effectively is. Keeping this in mind, the average website layout can serve some functions.

It provides information. The website layout should organize pieces of information to fit together in an established sequence so that users find it easy to scan and understand. A good website layout focuses on the most critical elements and tools that make the menu intuitive and easy to use.

It engages visitors. A functional layout makes the website visually engaging, guides visitors towards the exciting bits of information, and encourages them to browse more pages.

It builds branding. Web layout plays an essential role in branding through different elements (scale, font, alignment, spacing, colours) that are consistent with the business’ brand.

Alongside the general functions  website layout has, a business can also establish specific ones.

The website layout design process

 The website mapping process occurs in the first stage of building a web page, often after establishing the website strategy and before choosing the graphics for the interface. Web developers visualize the layout through a wireframe (a skeletal map of the website) that shows them how the elements and content fit together. Wireframing is different from web design (the process of creating the visuals and end graphics of the pages), but it’s an essential part of the journey because website layout always starts with wireframing.

The ideal website design follows the layout, and each element is placed strategically rather than according to aesthetics preferences. Custom web design services always rely on website layout to build websites’ skeletons because it allows them to organize elements and create functional and practical web pages.

How to create a website layout?

Identify content areas. When establishing the website layout, web developers use rectangles and squares to point out where images and text are inserted. It’s useful to know ahead of time the amount of content the brand wants to upload, to fit the elements together perfectly.

Build prototypes and wireframes. Creating layouts should be a straightforward task like pen-drawing on a piece of paper. In fact, many web experts still use pen and paper to draw web pages’ layout. But there are also programs like Whimsical that automate the process. Wireframes aren’t meant to look like works of art, but rather to organize elements. Web developers often create a collection of layouts for the same website to provide the clients with more options. The layout has no fancy graphic features to distract the clients’ attention; it’s simply an arrangement that allows users to explore how intuitive the web design is. During this step, web experts create the layout for all devices (mobile and desktop).

Test and feedback. Once the web developer delivers the layout options, the website owner consults with prospective users to gather feedback. Some apps like Figma allow creators to build interactive prototypes so that users can test the navigation and buttons and evaluate their functionality. A trial version of the website reveals UV stumbling blocks and allows the website developer to improve the experience before the website is even launched.

The most popular types of website layouts

Rarely, a web developer creates a website layout from scratch, and this is why most websites look similar. Modern websites are based on some established layout schemes that come with small variations to meet the client’s requests.

Single column layout. It arranges the content sequentially in one column, usually in the center of the screen. Many modern websites work with this layout because developers first create the mobile design, and then arrange the elements to fit the desktop variation.

Two-column layout. It often looks like a split-screen pattern that displays content side-by-side. It’s used when the brand addresses different audiences because it counterbalances graphics.

Multicolumn layout. It’s also called magazine or newspaper layout because it accommodates high amounts of content within the same page. Developers use grids to organize elements and create a hierarchy. This layout gives more space to essential details like the navigation menu, banner and sidebar.

Asymmetrical layout. It arranges the elements in unequal proximity and scale, but without creating a chaotic image. Even if it achieves it in an unexpected way, the asymmetrical layout is always reaching balance.

Bottom line: Creating the layout of a website is similar to solving a puzzle, you put pieces together and try multiple combinations before you get the complete picture.

Filed Under: Design Tagged With: web design, web layout

Recent Posts

  • 31 Fresh Design Elements for Spring and Easter
  • 10 Templates for Music Concert Flyers
  • How to Build a Web Scraper Using Node.js
  • Best PHP Books, Courses and Tutorials in 2022
  • How to Get Your First Web Design Client

Archives

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008

Categories

  • Accessibility
  • Android
  • Apps
  • Art
  • Article
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • Bootstrap
  • Business
  • CSS
  • Design
  • Development
  • Ecommerce
  • Fireworks
  • Flash
  • Freebies
  • Freelance
  • General
  • Giveaway
  • Graphic Design
  • HTML5
  • Icons
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Infographics
  • Inspirational
  • Interview
  • Jobs
  • jQuery
  • Learning
  • Logos
  • Matrix
  • Minimalism
  • Mobile
  • Motion Graphics
  • Music
  • News
  • Photoshop
  • PHP
  • Promoted
  • Rails
  • Resources
  • Showcase
  • Tools
  • Tutorial
  • Twitter
  • Typography
  • Uncategorized
  • Usability
  • UX
  • Wallpapers
  • Wireframing
  • WordPress
  • Work

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

SpyreStudios © 2022