Achieving Web Design Standards For Your Website

When we talk about Web Design Standards, we mean to say the best designing practices that is being followed. These are nothing but set of rules to be followed by designers in achieving a quality website design which is acceptable by the users. Such guidelines ensure clarity and usability of the design.

So, What Are Those Web Design Standards?

Well, this can be understood through the stats that we provide further. However, it should be noted that it’s not mandatory to go behind a specific standard as no standard can be considered appropriate as the choice of a website may vary from the point of different users.

1. 1. Logo On The Website- Almost every website has a logo placed on the upper left corner of the homepage. This is what sets up the standard.
   2. Contact Button- Almost 50% of the websites have contact button on the upper right corner. Coming through this stats, we can conclude that though this practice is good, this is not be considered as a part of standard design.
   3. Primary Navigation At The Top- Around 10% of total websites do not have top-level navigation. Rest 90% follow top-level navigation approach making it a design standard.
   4. Above The Fold Message- Researches reveal that around 80% of marketing websites keep their intended information above the fold. This sets up a standard that a good design should focus on using highlighting crucial elements to deliver the intended message.
   5. Prioritising Call To Action– The stats in this case is almost equivalent to the previous category i.e. nearly 80% of the websites prioritise their call to action by showcasing them on front page of the website which can also be considered as a standard in designing of a marketing website.
   6. Search Option- Around 50% of total websites have search bar in their header. However, this cannot be considered a standard as you don’t need a search bar unless you own huge content on your website.
   7. Sign Up Button- Around 20% websites have sign up button on the footer. However, it is not a standard or a convention.  The common content for footer are ‘terms and condition’, ‘copyright’ etc.

• Social Media Icons- Social Media icons are often a part of the footer. However, there are no standards or conventions for social media icons. A good approach is in including small social media icons and enlarging its size while the mouse is hovered.

• Responsive Design- About 70% websites follow responsive design approach and are mobile-friendly. It is one of the popular design trends of current time. Although it is not a part of standard design, but it is soon expected to be a accepted as a major component of Web Design Standards.

The Bottom Line

Going behind the set standards is not a bad idea. However, in web designing, a new and creative design is often appreciated over usual design pattern. All the standards described above are in general, a common practice being followed by majority of designers. It only ensures that your website follows a standard, but in order to take your design to the new level, it is equally important to incorporate new ideas and techniques.

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Saurabh Tiwary