Great websites are composed of multiple amazing parts that seamlessly fit together to create a holistic representation of your brand.
To help you understand the various parts of a website, we’re going to break them down and elaborate on their purpose. This article will cover the main components of sites as well as some important web design jargon to help you get through the design process.
There are some components of websites that are so essential to web design that all sites must contain them to function properly. Together these parts form the backbone of your website:
Header & menu
The header is at the top of the site. This is usually the first thing a visitor sees when entering a website, and almost always includes the brand logo and website menu. This site menu is a map of your site that helps your visitors find what they’re looking for, whether it’s details about your products or information about your business.
A typical header contains your main pages, which can vary depending on the type of website you’re building. For example, if you have an online store, you can separate your titles into categories based on the kinds of items you sell. On the other hand, if you have a non-profit website, a donation page in the header might be more appropriate. Frankly speaking, including the correct category in your title is critical to helping visitors find your most important pages, and can ultimately mean the difference between success and failure for your website.
Image
Immediately below the title is an image of some type, a series of images, and sometimes even a video. Together, the header and main image make up the top of your website – often referred to as “above the fold” – and are essential to making a good first impression. Featured images in particular can have a noticeable impact on whether users stay on your site or give up within seconds of entering it.
With that in mind, this visual should convey something important about your company. Whether it features images of your products or services or just gives the user a feel of what your brand is about, it must relate to your site as a whole. We suggest choosing your best images or browsing the images and videos available through Wix to give your website a professional edge.
Website content
What makes a website a source of information is the content. Generally speaking, content means the word written on your page that explains what your website is about, what you offer, and what you are trying to explain
Discussing website content means we are referring to almost everything on the website, although, it often means the paragraph that talked about the essence of your sites. Content can also mean the word that is placed on your button.
A single word on the button of your site might seem insignificant. But, it is the driving force of the website itself. This is why optimizing the performance of a website often starts with making clear what the visitor should expect when they click the button. Take the time to carefully plan out your website content to ensure that any site visitor can understand your brand as well as you do.
Footer
The footer is the bottommost part of a site. It usually contains a sitemap with a link to the pages available on your site. The essence of this part is to help your visitor navigate your website.
A well-planned footer could increase your business performance as it can help visitors to crucial information such as contact information and possibly your physical store location.
Footers also might include a social bar that contains small but recognizable icons that lead users to your social media pages. This can help you gain followers on social media platforms, ultimately bringing about greater brand awareness and potential business growth.
Summary
Building a website that is suitable for your business and audience will require a lot of planning and attention to detail. Even a small icon on your website may give a boost of advantage to grow your business presence.
Since you have a basic understatement of building a website, you might as well check our next discussion to take your business site to the next level.
