Launching a website is easier than ever—but getting it live is just the beginning. If your site isn’t designed and optimized properly, it won’t deliver results.
Why does design matter so much? People form an opinion about your website in just 0.05 seconds. That’s 50 milliseconds to make a lasting impression—good or bad. And the vast majority of that impression comes down to design.
Design affects more than looks. It influences your conversion rates, your brand’s credibility, and the overall success of your online presence. While no site is perfect, your goal should be continuous improvement and optimization.
Consider this: After a poor experience, 88% of users say they won’t return to a website. And according to a recent report, 77% of marketing agencies believe subpar design is the top weakness of their clients’ sites.
Bottom line: If your design isn’t built with user experience (UX) in mind, it’s working against you. That’s why we created this guide.
Web design is a mix of art and strategy. To help you get the most from your site, we’ve compiled 12 essential best practices. Follow these, and you’ll dramatically improve site performance, engagement, and rankings.
Use this checklist to ensure you have a winning design
- Minimize text
- Show, don’t tell
- Use short sentences
- Try shorter paragraphs
- Choose a color scheme that fits
- Make your CTA clear
- Reinforce actions with familiarity
- Simplify the navigation
- Optimize your design for mobile
- Prioritize SEO
- Monitor your page loading speed
- Continuously run A/B tests
1. Minimize text
Avoid overwhelming your pages with walls of text.
This doesn’t apply to blog content, where depth and detail are helpful. We’re talking about your key pages—home, product, landing, and about pages. Keep text tight and purposeful.
Of course, you want to share what makes your business great. But try to do it in a few sentences—or better yet, a few powerful words.
2. Show, don’t tell
Images, icons, and visual elements do more than break up text—they communicate meaning faster and more effectively than words alone.
Harry’s product page is a great example of this principle in action:
Let’s say your site sells premium shaving kits via monthly subscription. Your razors are handcrafted and stylish enough to gift.
You don’t need to describe all that in a paragraph. A clean photo of the kit with a phrase like “delivered to your door” says it all. Just four words and a strong image tell the story.
Deeper explanations can come later, on secondary pages. Your homepage should hook attention quickly with compelling visuals.
3. Use short sentences
Short sentences improve readability and retention.
Avoid long, complex sentences that overwhelm visitors. Alternate between short and medium-length lines to keep your content flowing and digestible.
Variety keeps things engaging—and easier to scan.
4. Try shorter paragraphs
Break up large blocks of text with short, skimmable paragraphs—especially on your homepage and landing pages.
Don’t go overboard with one-line paragraphs everywhere, but lean into brevity and clarity.
Start each paragraph with a new idea. That way, users scrolling down can instantly grasp what each section is about and decide if it’s worth reading.
Less clutter also makes your calls to action (CTAs) more visible. A standalone CTA paragraph will command more attention than one buried in a block of text.
Need to share multiple points? Use bullet lists instead. They’re easier to scan and retain.
Bullet points improve readability and help guide your reader’s eye to your most important takeaways.
5. Choose a color scheme that fits your branding strategy
Your color palette is more than a design choice—it’s a psychological trigger that shapes how visitors feel about your brand.
Studies show that users form judgments about a website within 90 seconds, and much of that judgment is based on color.
When selecting your website’s color scheme, start with your logo. The colors on your site should complement and reinforce your brand identity.
Consider Starbucks as an example.
When you think of the brand, you probably picture its signature green logo or storefronts. Now look at their website.
Unsurprisingly, the site features a green-themed design that aligns with their branding. If it were red and yellow, it would feel off-brand and confusing.
Consistency in design reinforces familiarity. And as you’ll see in the next section, familiarity builds trust and confidence.
6. Make your CTA clear and obvious
Your call-to-action (CTA) is the single most important element for conversions. Yet many sites hide them in clutter or make them too subtle.
According to research, most websites fail the three-second test—users can’t find a CTA within three seconds of arriving.
That’s a problem. Your CTA needs to stand out instantly with bold styling, concise text, and clear direction.
It’s also a mistake to place your CTA only on your homepage. Every high-value page—product, features, pricing, and even blog posts—should include one.
Check out this example from Litmus:
Minimal text. Clean layout. And a standout “Try Free” button that’s shown in multiple places. There’s no confusion about what you should do next.
Pro tip: On blog posts, place CTAs both at the top (above the fold) and at the end of the content to capture readers at both entry and exit points.
Go deeper: Want better conversions? Here are 11 ways to improve your calls to action.
7. Reinforce actions with familiarity
Consistency breeds trust. That means using the same CTA messaging across your site if the action is the same.
Visitors don’t always convert on the first page they see. They may click around your site for a while. If your CTAs look or read differently on each page, it disrupts that journey.
For example, if you have an ecommerce site, avoid this inconsistency:
- Homepage: Checkout now
- Category page: Buy it today
- Product page: Click to purchase
That kind of variation creates unnecessary friction. Instead, pick one clear CTA (like “Shop Now”) and stick with it across all pages.
See how MVMT does it:
No matter what section you visit—watches, sunglasses, or jewelry—the CTA remains the same: “SHOP NOW.”
This consistency, along with their minimalist black-and-white design, strengthens their brand identity and makes user journeys feel seamless.
Apply this same reinforcement strategy to your own site—not just in CTA buttons, but in tone, style, messaging, and layout.
The more predictable and polished your experience, the more likely visitors are to trust—and convert.
8. Simplify the navigation
Navigation should never frustrate your visitors. If someone lands on your website and can’t figure out how to find what they’re looking for, they’re going to bounce.
Put yourself in your user’s shoes. Why are they here? To buy something? Learn more? Browse services? If they can’t complete their goal in a few clicks, your design is getting in the way.
Today’s web users won’t hesitate to leave your site and find a competitor that’s easier to use. Clean, intuitive navigation is non-negotiable.
Don’t try to get too clever with your menu structure. Stick with familiar conventions. Most websites use a top horizontal nav bar for a reason—it works.
Keep your menu simple. Fewer items mean less cognitive load for users. This principle is backed by Hick’s Law, which states that more choices lead to decision fatigue.
One study, often called the jam experiment, showed that more options can actually lead to fewer conversions:
- Day 1: 24 jams to sample ? 60% stopped to try, but only 3% purchased
- Day 2: 6 jams to sample ? 40% stopped to try, and 30% purchased
Fewer choices = less overwhelm = more action.
Apply this to your site’s navigation. For instance, don’t use a “Home” button—most users know the logo takes them back. That’s one less link cluttering your header.
Square does this exceptionally well.
Their site is clean, with a minimal menu and bold CTA. Users instantly know what to click next.
If you offer many products or services, simplify by using a dropdown, a mega menu, or a search bar to organize items logically. Avoid overwhelming your visitors with a dozen top-level tabs.
Pro tip: SaaS and ecommerce sites often group detailed offerings into one “Features” or “Products” tab rather than giving every feature its own navigation link.
9. Optimize your design for mobile devices
More than half of all web traffic comes from mobile. If your site isn’t mobile-optimized, you’re losing traffic—and hurting your Google rankings.
Google’s mobile-first indexing means your mobile site version is the one that matters most for search rankings. Consider these recent stats:
- 87% of smartphone users run at least one search per day on their phone.
- 58% of all Google searches are mobile.
- 70% of page one results on Google are mobile-optimized.
Mobile SEO isn’t optional anymore—it’s foundational. If your site is clunky on a phone, users will bounce and search engines will demote you.
Use responsive design, test across screen sizes, and make sure navigation, buttons, and text are tap-friendly and readable without zooming.
10. Prioritize SEO
Design and SEO go hand in hand. Every element you build should consider its impact on search visibility.
SEO is no longer about sprinkling keywords. It’s about building a site that aligns with search intent and Google’s experience-first priorities.
For example, an ecommerce landing page should be optimized with:
- Usability: Easy navigation and intuitive layout
- Mobile responsiveness: Works flawlessly on smartphones
- Keyword targeting: Includes relevant phrases in titles, headings, and body text
- Internal linking: Connects to other key pages to build site structure
- Headlines: Clear, concise, and keyword-rich
Create an XML sitemap to help Google crawl your site efficiently. Sitemaps clarify your site structure, update frequency, and content hierarchy.
This also reduces duplicate content issues and boosts indexation across your site.
Don’t forget less obvious SEO signals, either. These include:
- Domain quality: Keyword in domain, age of domain, trustworthy TLDs (.com, .org, etc.)
- Site credibility: Includes About and Contact pages, SSL certificate, uptime, and trust signals
- Backlinks: Links from high-authority sources, with relevant anchor text and preferably from trusted domains (.gov, .edu)
11. Monitor your page loading speed
You might be wondering, “What does loading speed have to do with design?” The answer: everything.
Yes, your hosting provider, server configuration, and traffic volume affect speed. But your design choices—especially large media files—can significantly slow down your site.
Every image, video, or animation you add increases your page’s load time. And that directly impacts bounce rate and conversions.
According to recent research, 25% of users abandon a site if it takes longer than four seconds to load. That’s just four seconds to make—or lose—a quarter of your visitors.
Most users expect a page to load in two seconds or less. Design accordingly.
Here’s how to speed up your design:
- Compress image file sizes
- Use browser caching tools
- Limit the number of HTTP requests
- Reduce TTFB (time to first byte)
- Minify and combine CSS, JS, and HTML files
Tools like WP Rocket help optimize WordPress speed by automating these actions. For broader analysis, use Google PageSpeed Insights to monitor performance and identify issues.
12. Continuously run A/B tests
Your website design isn’t a one-and-done project. It should evolve based on data and real user behavior.
That’s why you need to be running A/B tests consistently. These tests compare two design variations to see which performs better. Then you optimize accordingly.
Start simple. Try testing two versions of the same landing page with different CTA placements or colors. The one with the better conversion rate wins.
Here are a few quick A/B test ideas to improve your design performance:
- Test the placement of your CTA button (top, middle, or bottom)
- Test button color contrast against the background
- Test CTA text: “Start Free Trial” vs. “Get Started Today”
- Test different images or hero sections
- Test headline variations
- Test the number of menu items in navigation
If you’re new to A/B testing, we’ve got you covered. Read our full Beginner’s Guide to A/B Testing to get started.
Conclusion
Saying that web design matters is an understatement. Your design decisions directly impact whether your site succeeds or fails.
- Every website has room for improvement. Use this list to guide your updates and boost performance.
- Start small and don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to implement everything today—just take one step at a time.
- These recommendations are backed by real data. Every tactic here is grounded in user research and proven design principles.
Keep this in mind: Your website is always a work in progress. The more effort you put into fine-tuning your design, the better results you’ll see.
Whether your website just launched or has been around for years, these design best practices are essential for staying competitive in 2025 and beyond.