If you’re just starting a business or getting into the digital marketing game for the first time, your website is one of the most important things to have done right. It’s going to be the most effective tool you’ll have to bring in new customers and enhance brand awareness. A custom web design Miami will give you an edge against your competitors, and make your website stand out while still reflecting your brand. But, before you start your search for a web developer, here are some must-have web design elements your site should feature.

5 Must-Have Web Design Elements for Your Website

Unique Typography

Typography just means the type of fonts (and font family) you want to use to create your web design. Typefaces give your website texture, instill tone, and even give it character. Think of the cartoonish Disney font, or the stately Adobe Caslon Pro of The New Yorker.

Along with other graphic design elements, typography helps to create your overall branding. It not only affects how people will read the content on your site, but also affects how they’ll perceive your brand identity.

Flexible Grids & Images

Grids and images are both key design elements that influence how people visualize and engage with your website. The basic elements of a web design include:

• Logo
• Navigation
• Header
• Body/Content
• Sidebars
• Footers & Copywrite

Flexible grids are responsive CSS layouts for websites. They ensure that all the elements (headers, navigation panels, body content, etc.) will be just as viewable on a desktop computer as, let’s say, a smartphone or an iPad. Flexible images do the same thing for pictures, videos, and any other multimedia. This is especially important since 52% of web traffic is done by mobile devices, and that number is only growing.

Graphic Design that Meets Form & Function

Graphic design elements like logos, color, shapes, and use of space should meet both form and function—meaning your web design should be creative, but still should best function for the type of business that you are.

If you’re running an e-commerce business, and you have a long list of products available for purchase, it doesn’t make sense to have a single page website design (and this doesn’t help your SEO either).

The bottom line is, the purpose of a custom web design is to be unique, but also be smart. Your website should be what you need it to be, while still being user friendly and aesthetically beautiful.

A Hierarchal Sitemap

Going back to functionality and being user friendly, people should be able to access and navigate your website easily. The user experience is almost the entire reason for responsive design elements like flexible grids and images, which means your website should have a clear hierarchy of web pages and portals.

Everything from the home, about, service, and contact pages should be easy to find. The main navigation panel or menu shouldn’t be too cluttered by design elements that will distract users from finding the information they’re looking for.

Internal links and buttons linking to “next” and “previous” pages should also be easy to find, along with contact forms, subscription buttons, and any other important CTA-related elements.

Contact Forms

Contact forms and other portals that encourage users to follow through on CTAs are important for any website. This is what helps make conversions and generate leads out of online visitors browsing your site.

These are separate from, and should not be confused with contact pages, which are just as important. The contact page has all of your business contact information, address and phone number, and possibly even links to Google maps.

Your service or product pages can include internal links that link back to a contact page for easy access. Meanwhile, contact forms can be included on any page, but are typically found on at least the homepage.