Web design has come a long way from the age of bland and unresponsive designs. Minimal designs are currently the in-thing, with designers looking to include as little content as possible on pages to make navigation simpler.
However, some websites don’t often have the luxury of cutting down on content without having a negative impact on user experience. Some websites will genuinely look better with a fuller design and additional content. For instance, academic websites, online marketplaces, and non-artsy businesses could use a bit more content to put their messages across. In order to find that perfect balance, you would need to have good web designer skills, as well as a good eye for the UX. This isn’t a simple task at all – that’s why it’s always a good idea to do a bit of research and find a custom web design company in New York that can give you some pointers, or even do all of the heavy lifting for you.
Plus, for some like marketplaces, content is a vital component of the design. When you consider the high cost of building an ecommerce website, getting it right from the get-go is of utmost importance.
Still, there is a fine line between rich content and excessive content – and it pays to know the difference. So, just how do you ensure your content-rich website walks this line?
- Make a robust design plan – and stick to it
A good idea usually requires a good plan for proper execution. Once you have come up with the content for each section of your website, use a wire-framing tool, design program, or even a pen and paper to sketch page layouts in as much detail as possible. A well-thought-out website design plan offers you the opportunity to create content-rich sites that help you connect with your audience.
If your website will be used to collect emails as part of a digital marketing campaign, ensure your design plan results into a flowing, easy-to-use website that engages users.
- Group text neatly
Typography is a key element of content-rich websites that will determine if your visitors stay on the site or leave almost instantaneously. You want your visitors to come to your site, scheme through the content, and leave with meaningful information without noticing anything about the characteristics of the font you’ve used.
You should also remember to group related text and content so that your visitors can easily navigate to relevant content within the site. These can be grouped under a common tab or block that will lead users to a certain part of the website when selected. This will also allow you to create a visual pattern that your visitors can follow throughout your website.
- Make good use of open/white spaces
Many content-rich websites often run the risk of overwhelming the visitor with too much content, which also makes any text on the website difficult to read. Even the most patient visitors will get tired of going through mounds of text on your pages, so make good use of the white spaces to improve aesthetics. Use things like lists, visuals, and subheadings to break up large chunks of content to make the website easy to navigate.
The robust design plan you created when starting out will enable you to come up with distinct content groups. Beyond4Cs, an online platform for would-be diamond buyers, is among an increasing number of content-heavy websites that have mastered this art. The website effectively breaks up content groups using white spaces to help keep visitors on the site.
White spaces also give you the opportunity to create a visually-appealing website with tons of relevant content.
- Include artwork and photos
Photos are a great way for you to add value while breaking the monotony introduced by chunks of content. Photos and other forms of graphics enable you to include large amounts of content while still staying aesthetically pleasing. One way you can use photos is by including them as part of a grid system that also allows you to include clickable links that lead to different sections of your website.
You can also incorporate animations and doodles to point users to specific sections of content, which makes content-heavy websites more appealing. These allow you to include large chunks of content while avoiding clutter.
If you do decide to go with photos, ensure you only choose the best quality from the internet or a personal collection. Also remember to include relevant tags with every photo or artwork when you include it on your site as this will boost your digital marketing efforts.
- Consider supplementing written content with video
Like minimal designs, videos are one of the hottest trending ideas in web design. Videos enable you to showcase tons of useful content to visitors on your website smartly. They help reduce the amount of textual content while improving engagement with users on your site. Plus, with dozens of tools at your disposal, integrating video into your content-rich website has never been easier.
Bottom Line
Website builders can help create a functioning, content-heavy website in no time. However, always take the time to plan and customize your website’s design, especially if your site will be heavy on content. Proper planning will help you increase traffic and popularize your content-rich website, even when conventional design principles scream at you to cut down on content.
