11 Web Design Principles to Help Create Engaging and Effective Websites

Alastair Manning • June 9, 2023

Website design plays a crucial role in establishing a strong online presence and attracting visitors to your website. Today a website serves as a virtual storefront for businesses. It is often the first point of contact between a company and its potential customers. A well-designed website can leave a lasting impression, build trust, and drive conversions. In contrast, a poorly designed website can turn visitors away and harm your online reputation. Therefore, it is crucial to implement the best practices in website design to create a positive user experience and achieve your online goals. Here we’ll explore some of the best practices to keep in mind to create an engaging and user-friendly website.


Website design encompasses various elements, including layout, colour scheme, typography, navigation, and more. These elements work together to create a visually appealing and functional website. Aesthetics aside, the importance of website design extends to user experience, search engine optimisation, branding, and conversion rate optimisation.

1. User Centred design

One of the primary goals of website design is to enhance the users experience (UX). This approach involves understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviours of the target audience and designing the website accordingly. It sets the purpose of the website. Having a clear intention on all pages helps your audience interact and complete what they’re wanting to achieve. By conducting thorough user research and incorporating user feedback, you can create intuitive navigation, clear information architecture, and seamless interactions, all aimed at enhancing the user experience.

2. Visual Hierarchy

Creating an effective visual hierarchy is essential for guiding users' attention and prioritising information. By using size, colour, contrast, and positioning, you can direct the user's focus to key elements such as headlines, calls to action, and important content. A well-executed visual hierarchy ensures that users can easily navigate and comprehend the website's content.

3. Navigation

Intuitive navigation is a cornerstone of an excellent website. Users should be able to effortlessly explore the website and find the information they seek. Clear and well-organised menus and logical page structures contribute to a positive user experience. Implementing breadcrumb navigation and providing easy-to-understand labels further enhances the usability of the website.

4. Colours and Contrast

Colours evoke emotions and convey meaning, making them powerful tools in web design. Carefully chosen colour palettes can create visual interest and reinforce the brand identity. Additionally, when designing your site you must ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colours to guarantee readability for all users, including those with visual impairments.

5. White Space

White space, also known as negative space, refers to the empty areas between elements on a web page. It allows content to breathe, improves legibility, and creates a sense of visual balance. By strategically incorporating white space, you can enhance the user's focus, emphasise key elements, and create a clean and uncluttered design.

6. Accessibility

Web accessibility ensures that people with disabilities can perceive, navigate, and interact with websites effectively. By adhering to accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), you can make your website inclusive and enable equal access for all users. Providing alternative text for images, captioning videos, and implementing keyboard navigation are examples of accessibility best practices.


If you think this only applies to a small group of people and they’re not your target customers, Think again. 1 in 4 New Zealanders are limited by a physical, sensory, learning, mental health or other impairment.

7. Loading Speed

In a fast-paced online environment, users expect websites to load quickly. Slow-loading websites not only frustrate users but also negatively impact search engine rankings. To aid in page loading speed you should optimise images, minify code, leverage caching techniques, and employ content delivery networks to ensure swift loading times, providing a seamless browsing experience. Tools like PageSpeed Insights can provide direction on where improvements can be found.

8. SEO-Friendly Design

A well-designed website considers search engine optimisation (SEO) principles from the outset. Websites should be structured in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index the content. This includes using descriptive URLs, incorporating relevant keywords, optimising meta tags, and creating an XML sitemap. An SEO-friendly design increases the website's visibility and organic traffic.

9. Security

Implement robust security measures, such as SSL certificates, firewalls, and regular updates, to protect your website from potential threats and reassure users about their data's safety.

10. Testing and Optimisation

Regularly test your website's functionality, responsiveness, and compatibility across different browsers and devices. Analyse user behaviour and make data-driven optimisations to improve performance.

11. Tracking and Analytics

Integrate analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to track website performance, user behaviour, and conversion metrics. Utilise this data to make informed decisions and continuously improve your website.


Website design is a multifaceted process that requires careful consideration of various elements to create a user-friendly and visually appealing online presence. By implementing some of the practices outlined in here, you can enhance your user experience, improve search engine visibility, and achieve your online goals. 

FAQs

  • How important is web design for a business?

    Web design is crucial for a business as it directly impacts user experience, brand perception, and conversions. A well-designed website can attract and engage visitors, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

  • What is user-centered design?

    User-centred design focuses on understanding the needs and preferences of the target audience and designing the website accordingly. It ensures the website is intuitive, easy to navigate, and caters to the users' goals and expectations.

  • How does responsive design benefit websites?

    Responsive design allows websites to adapt and provide an optimal viewing experience across various devices and screen sizes. This ensures that users can access and interact with the website seamlessly, regardless of the device they are using.

  • Why is accessibility important in web design?

    Web accessibility ensures that individuals with disabilities can access and use websites effectively. By making websites accessible, web designers promote inclusivity and equal access for all users, regardless of their abilities.

  • How does SEO-friendly design impact website visibility?

    An SEO-friendly design incorporates techniques and practices that make it easier for search engines to understand and rank the website's content. This, in turn, improves the website's visibility in search engine results and drives organic traffic.

Recent Posts

MCI & Associates and Yorb: A journey from support to strategy

April 10, 2025
MCI & Associates is an accountancy firm with over 45 employees across offices in Dannevirke and Pahiatua. The practice services a diverse range of clients, including those in the farming and commercial sectors, and its core services include tax preparation, business advisory and planning, and general accounting. The relationship between Yorb and MCI goes back over three decades to when both companies were in their formative stages. The trust-based relationship has endured and evolved as each business has grown and matured - going through name and ownership changes.

Cyber security in small-town NZ: why it’s time to pay attention

March 26, 2025
If you think cybercriminals only go after big corporations in major cities, think again.  The majority of incidents recorded by the NCSC impact individuals and small to medium businesses, proving that cyber threats don’t discriminate based on location - they target opportunity. With over 23,000 reports to the Netsafe helpline, and $17.8M in losses reported last year, small-town businesses are very much in the spotlight. In the past few months alone, three local accounting firms in regional New Zealand have suffered a data breach,and local ISP - Inspire was recently the target of a malicious cyber attack.

What's happening at Yorb - Q1 2025

March 21, 2025
We've had a flying start to the year, and given we're really just past the point where you start to realise what day it actually is, we thought we'd share everything we've been working on lately. 2024 In Review As we reflect on 2024, it's clear that this year has been one of remarkable achievements and significant advancements for Yorb. We were very proud that we won the Reseller News Innovation Awards in the Regional Partner Category, a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. AI has continued to dominate the headlines, with some businesses making great strides in how they work and interact. However, the majority are still grappling with understanding the full impact of this technology on their business, industry, and society. As we navigate this evolving landscape, companies must adapt to the security implications, ensure the integrity of data, and adjust to changing work and consumer patterns. In line with our commitment to security, we launched our new Security Platform, Yorb Defender 2.0. Designed from the ground up to be Essential 8 compliant, we believe this solution is now a best-in-class product that meets the requirements of modern business. 2025 Looking Forward Looking ahead to 2025, we have set ambitious goals following the EOS business framework. Our recent Annual Planning has helped us develop our 10-year, 3-year, and 1-year goals, with a strong focus on several key areas: Client Experience: We are dedicated to ensuring that every interaction with Yorb meets and exceeds your expectations. Automation Platforms: We will continue to develop our automation platforms to provide more consistent and efficient service. Investing in New Technologies: Our focus will be on AI, Hyper-Automation, and Data Governance to stay ahead of the curve. Team Development: We are committed to investing in our team, ensuring they receive the best skills training in technical, people, professional, and business areas. We will are also excited to be launching business peer groups focussed around AI, bringing together business owners and leaders from across the regions to explore what the future holds for all of us. This year we are injecting new energy into our Total Support agreement, we believe there is more to our partnership than phones calls, Teams Conferences and remote support. We are therefore introducing ongoing scheduled visits as part of the contract, alongside a productivity focus with scheduled access to our development team. Kicking off this year will be monthly seminars on topics such as Security, AI, Productivity, we want to hear what topics matter most to you. Look out for your invite in the coming weeks. I’m incredibly excited by 2025 and the opportunities it brings, we call breath a collective sigh that 2024 is behind us lets get cracking on what promises to be a great year. Daniel Goymer CEO