Building a website today is easier than ever. But combining a beautiful design with strong UX/UI does take some planning. It takes visitors just a few seconds to decide whether they want to stay on a site or leave. If they cannot find what they need, or if your site loads too slowly, they’ll go somewhere else.
A good website should be straightforward to navigate, visually appealing, and work well on all devices. It sounds like a lot, but these aspects can all be learned and with some practice, you’ll get them down in no time!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to build a simple and user-friendly site step by step.
1. Have A Solid Web Development Plan
When starting a new website, it’s helpful to start with a plan. Identify your goals, and then divide that project into smaller parts. Designing, building, testing, and launching should be milestones to aim for one by one.
We recommend using Git or other version control tools to save your work. That way, if something breaks up, you can always retrieve your work. Also, remember to add security features like HTTPS, strong passwords, and data backups.
Keeping your content fresh is also key. So no matter how good your plan is, be prepared to add, remove, and change features as the months pass. Google and other search engines like updated websites, and so do users!
2. Focus on Enhancing UX/UI
UX/UI are two of the key pillars of web design. What are these two things exactly? We cover that in detail right here.
Good UX/UI means that your site is visually appealing and has a clear “flow”. Buttons are well-designed, menus make sense and contain all relevant information, and the text is easy to read. Too often, people try to add too many elements to their website. This often leads to none of the elements coming out the way they should, damaging the usability of the website altogether.
We also recommend optimizing the website for dark mode, and ensuring that every design element comes across on mobile devices just as well as on computers. Adding voice search options can also give your website a unique edge.
Personally, I like to get a few colleagues to test a website I create, before launching. If they get confused or lost, it’s a pretty good indication that a random visitor will be completely clueless. In these cases, I go back to the drawing board with my UX/UI ideas and rethink the layout and structure of the site. Even small changes like adding bigger buttons or choosing simpler words can make a difference in UX/UI.
3. Know Your Programming Basics
To control your site better, it helps to understand basic programming. You don’t have to be an expert, but knowing how to use variables, loops, and functions can help you fix problems or add features on your own. You’ll also avoid having to go back and forth with a developer who doesn’t understand your needs.
If you’re new to programming, we recommend taking a course in Python or another versatile language, or at least watching a couple of educational videos. Once you’ve mastered the theoretical parts, a great goal for beginners would be to build a basic contact form or email sign-up page. From there, you’ll just keep getting better and better.
4. Master Python for Web Development
Python is one of the most popular languages used in web development. It is easy to read and write, making it great for beginners. Today, tools like Flask Lite and FastAPI-X make building websites with Python even faster. And with a strong online community like the one Python has, you’ll never be on your own with questions.
Python isn’t some huge coding giant, you can also use it to do plenty of simple tasks. For example, you can write code that resizes pictures when someone uploads them. This saves time and keeps your website running fast (remember what we said about slow load times?).
There are also lots of code templates online that you can copy and change to suit your own website.
5. Implement Continuous UX/UI Testing
Finally! Your site is up and running! Your hard work is all done! Or is it?
A/B testing is a critical element to ensuring that your site is optimized. This is when two things are tested and compared to see which one performs better. For example, do users click the “Sign Up” button more when it’s big and blue, or small and yellow?
Heat maps can also help to see where users click the most. Then, you can use this information to place buttons and links strategically. Running regular speed tests can also help to know if your site is performing well or not.
With changes, start small and only change one thing at a time. This way, you can see clearly what makes your site better or worse. Over time, you’ll find exactly what works and what doesn’t.
Final Thoughts
To build a great website, you need to focus on strong UX/UI, hone in on some basic programming skills, build a solid web development plan, and conduct regular testing. These steps will help you build a site that people enjoy using, and that brings in the conversions that you’re seeking.
Ready to dive into web development?
Join us at Froggy Code and explore our online programming and web development courses. Learn by doing, and get ready to build your own user-friendly websites in just months!