Top secret recommendations from our WordPress web designers

Our WordPress web designers share five tips to create a high converting WordPress website. 

Designing a website in WordPress can feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right tips and advice, you can create a stunning and functional website that stands out from the crowd. Today our wordpress web designers share five tips to help you with your WordPress website design, from selecting a reliable hosting provider to picking the perfect theme if you decided not to opt for a custom design from a designer, these tips will give you an edge when creating your WordPress website.

1. Choosing the Right Theme or Going Bespoke

When it comes to choosing a WordPress theme for your website, there are a few things to keep in mind before committing to a style. It can feel a bit overwhelming by the sheer number of options available, so we strongly urge you to be picky about what you are settling on and pick from quality themes if you’re not having a designer create you a custom design for your WordPress website. You can use the search feature in WordPress to help narrow down options.

If you are considering using a generated theme from WordPress rather than a custom WordPress design, it’s important that you ensure you’re choosing one that resonates with your brand identity. Your theme should match the typeface on your products, the colour palette of your logo and one that conveys the right message to your audience. Once you have found a selection of themes you like, read the reviews before committing, and I can’t stress this enough… ensure that you are picking one that falls in line with your brand!

While there are many free WordPress templates out there, sometimes it pays off to invest in a premium theme or if you want something truly customised to your brand and business the best option is a bespoke custom design created by a graphic designer that specialises in web design created using XD or Figma and then developed in the WordPress framework, and they are usually worth the investment as it offers higher levels of creatives, functionality and design than a free or paid theme. 

If you do decide to use a theme you can often find some great use of colour, typography and composition in paid themes. However, it is important to note that not all premium themes are worth the money. 
Considering 60% of user traffic comes from mobile devices, it is essential that you choose a mobile-friendly theme; otherwise, this could result in a loss of potential customers due to poor user experience for mobile visitors. 

2. Choosing the Right Host

Finding the right hosting provider for your WordPress website is critical to ensure your site's success. Your hosting provider should be able to handle your site traffic, keep the site running smoothly and quickly as well as avoid any downtime or crashes. 

Firstly, you’ll need to find the right web hosting plan for your website, as there are several types of them that come with different levels of features. When selecting a hosting plan for your WordPress site, there are a variety of options to choose from. Therefore, it is crucial to research the hosting plan before fully committing to ensure it is the right one for your website. Some hosts offer shared hosting plans, which are ideal for smaller sites. Other hosting plans can provide more resources for larger sites with higher amounts of traffic which may be more optimal depending on what you need.

It is important to be aware that there is not a set list of features that every hosting company will provide. Look closely at exactly what services they are offering in the plan to ensure you are getting everything you need.

Overall, it's important to find the right hosting provider for your WordPress website, you can select one through WordPress or have a shop around to see what else is on the market that better suits you.

Here at Brainiac Media we provide a selection of hosting plans for both small and large sites check out our hosting plans here. 

3.  Adding SEO Plug-ins 

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) should be one of your top priorities in mind when creating an online presence. SEO helps your website rank higher in search engines which means more visitors, more potential customers and ultimately, more success for your business. So it's a good idea to start thinking about this in the very beginning of your website build.

There are several plugins available that can make managing your SEO a lot easier. Installing an SEO plugin helps you to analyse keywords, track your performance, create sitemaps, and so much more. However, keep in mind that whilst plugins are a nifty tool, the actual optimisation work still falls on your hands. It’s worth the cost to invest in an SEO specialist that will have the knowledge and expertise to help you create the best campaigns and maximise the ROI for your business.

To find the right SEO plugin for you, you can browse through the WordPress Plugin Directory. There are plenty of options to choose from depending on the features you need.

By keeping these tips in mind when designing a WordPress website, you can ensure that your site gets the visibility it needs for maximum success.

4. Optimising your Site for Speed

Optimising your website for speed is another crucial aspect to consider when creating a website. No matter how amazing your website looks, if it fails to load quickly enough, you will likely see a sharp increase in your bounce rate. Slow site speed can be caused by video backgrounds taking too long to load and high-quality images with large file sizes. To avoid slow site speeds, you should look for ways to optimise WordPress and reduce site assets without sacrificing user experience. 

Ultimately, ensuring your WordPress site is optimised for speed is essential for delivering a great user experience. By taking the time to optimise WordPress, you can make sure your site loads quickly and effectively.

5. Having a Responsive Design

A responsive website design is essential for any website. This means making sure your website is mobile-friendly is a MUST. In fact, a majority of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so if your website looks great on a desktop screen but is difficult to navigate on a smaller device such as a mobile, then it’s not responsive, which is an issue you want to nip in the bud from the get-go.

Fortunately, making sure your website is mobile-friendly with WordPress isn’t as complicated as other CMS (Content Management Systems). The first step is to choose a theme that looks great on a mobile device. Secondly, there are plenty of WordPress plugins you can choose from to make your website more responsive, and these will often focus on providing a better menu experience and readability.

If your website works like a gem on a mobile device, it should be easy to navigate on a full-sized screen too. So if you’re looking to create a WordPress website, make sure you take the time to ensure it is mobile friendly. It will certainly pay off!

Once you have created your WordPress website, you’ll need to grow your online presence and generate more traffic to your site. The best way to do this is with enhanced SEO check out our free SEO tips to start ranking higher in the search engines to drive traffic to your WordPress website and increase sales. 

If you need help creating your WordPress website, we offer a free initial strategy session to discuss your online business journey and work with you to achieve maximum return on your investment.