13 Essential Design Elements for Crafting User-Friendly Business Websites

Are you looking for elements to create an engaging, user-friendly website? Or is your current website design not appealing enough to retain users? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you are in the right spot.

Almost 70% of online businesses fail because of web elements that complicate user’s navigation on their websites. And if your site is not user-friendly in 2025, you could be in big trouble.

But worry not – as we have got you covered. A user-friendly website is not only about the fonts that ‘pop’ and the colours that ‘sing.’ The following 13 elements will turn your visitors into advocates. Let’s cut to the chase and find out more below:

1. Ensure Responsive Design

A responsive design refers to a web layout that can be adjusted for every type of screen size and device. A responsive website is more likely to convert 11% more users than a non-responsive one. Keep in mind the following key principles to create a quick-to-load design for your website:

  • Use fluid grids or percentages instead of fixed pixels to create the layout. This implementation will allow the website to adjust proportionally.
  • Implement CSS properties like “max-width: 100%” for media elements so that they can fit the container appropriately.
  • Try to design your website for mobile users, as Google also crawls a site in mobile format. This strategy also optimizes the speed loading times as well.

2. Optimize Loading Speed

Loading speed is the time that your website takes to load its full content after the user’s request. From an SEO perspective, your site should load in under 3 seconds to impress the users. In fact, almost 79% of users prefer not to return to a site with slow loading times.

To uplift the loading speed, you can employ Lazy Loading techniques that will delay the load of media elements and reduce the initial load. Further, try to compress the images and use formats like JPEG or PNG to reduce the server load. You can also leverage static files that are stored on the receiver’s end and reduce the server load time by 80%.

Take help from tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to learn about your site’s loading speed. Keep in mind that a faster site not only makes a user happy but also improves the search engine ranking.

3. Simplify Navigation

Navigation refers to the points that help users to sail across your site and find relevant information. The use of buttons, menus, and links makes it easy for a user to easily navigate your website.

To make things easy, you should have a clear and visually distinctive navigation bar. Further, try to order your links based on importance. For instance, the most critical link would be at the top. This will lead to more engagement and lower bounce rates.

Don’t forget to include a search bar at the top so that users can easily find their target on your site. Test using tools such as heatmaps and session recordings to find the pages that need your attention.

4. Use Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)

If you have a SaaS-based or tool-based website, you can’t ignore the need for a strong CTA. A call to action, or CTA, is required to increase the user’s conversion rate on your site. A clear yet direct CTA can increase engagement by 161%.

While placing CTAs, avoid generic ones. Choose buttons that communicate clearly and create urgency. Place your CTAs strategically, where they are more likely to be clicked. You can put them at the end of the content or where the most crucial thing is being said. Take help from an expert such as a copywriter on how to write compelling CTAs and use A/B testing to gauge the performance of the button.

5. Integrate Effective Invoice Systems

Service- or product-based businesses need invoice systems to bill their clients. For effective invoice systems, you should use automation tools like ERP as they eliminate the need for manual entry. They often use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for an enhanced accurate entry.

Invoice systems are always available online and you get one for your site with just a few clicks. For example, if you are in the landscaping business, you can find landscaping invoice templates online.

While choosing a system, keep in mind that it is compatible with already existing accounting software. Plus, it should have the ability to automate things to quickly process orders.

6. Enhance Visual Appeal

A visually appealing website makes a great first impression. In fact, more than 94% of first impressions are driven by the design. Therefore, you need a simple yet attractive web design.

The following approaches help you create a visually appealing website:

  • Use bold colors for a memorable experience. Try to incorporate gradients, shadows, and textures to highlight the areas of importance.
  • A minimal approach is highly appreciated, as it not only increases the server load time but also encourages the user to take action.
  • Play with the fonts and use bold and dynamic ones that can convey your brand appeal to the scrollers.
  • Add buttons, forms, animations, and tables throughout your content to retain the user’s attention.
  • Keep an eye on the negative space and use it effectively for element placement, to improve readability, and to guide the user on your website.
  • Don’t forget to include the dark mode option to complement the modern look and decrease the strain on the eyes.

7. Ensure Accessibility

Accessibility means making your website accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Various countries, such as the USA, have made it mandatory to include web accessibility features on their sites.

To make your website more accessible, the POUR (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust) principle is applied. Further, you need to include high-contrast colors so that users with visual impairments can read the text.

Try to implement semantic elements like

or ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) for easy interpretation. Further, use alt text for images, provide transcripts for audio and video content, and ensure keyboard navigability.

8. Incorporate User Feedback Mechanisms

User feedback mechanisms don’t inherently make a website responsive. However, it provides you insights on behalf of the reader, allowing you to make improvements.

If you are adding surveys, ensure to ask context-relevant questions while targeting user segments. For instance, you can put a survey right after the user is logged in or has completed a purchase.

Further, use multiple channel support, like in-app, email surveys, as well as social listening. To increase user engagement with your feedback system, you can also put in incentives. A nuanced benefit is that this will increase your bounce rate. Monitor the user behavior with web analytics tools and act on the feedback to improve your website.

9. Prioritize Security

Security is one of those aspects that indirectly enhances the user experience with your website. A secure site not only protects your business but also builds trust with your customers. Amid an increase in cyber threats, you must find the vulnerabilities and prevent the loopholes in your business.

As a best practice, you need to implement SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates for data encryption. Further, you should update your database firmware to address malware and other security-related issues.

You can also enable a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious requests along with incoming traffic. Plus, keep a check on user access to ensure that only authorized personnel can enter your site’s dashboard.

10. Provide High-Quality Content

Content takes the lead among all the elements that enhance the user’s experience on your website. The plus point of high-quality content is that it improves your site’s ranking as well as traffic and helps you get authority in your niche.

The simple rule for user-directed content is that it should be valuable, relevant, and engaging. Write personalized content that talks to your audience. Try to include visuals, images, tables, and infographics to enhance the user’s interaction. Take help from tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, and Keywords Everywhere to find low competition and high-volume queries to rank for.

11. Optimize for SEO

Optimize your website both for users and search engines. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, increases your website’s visibility as well as traffic.

Key SEO strategies for 2025 include proper keyword research, on-page optimization, good content creation, internal linking, and page speed optimization. In short, good SEO practices increase your site’s visibility, organic traffic, leads, and potential customers.

12. Integrate Social Media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest help the user behind-the-scenes stories about your brand. It also helps them relate to your brand, leading to more traffic and customer retention.

One quick way to integrate social media is to include a social button that directly redirects users to your website. You can also embed these platforms to display live updates. However, don’t clutter your website with too many social media widgets or features as this can greatly lower the user experience.

13. Use Analytics and Reporting

Finally, you can get help from analytics to improve the experience of the user with your website. In 2025, there are various tools to assist you in data collection. These include Google Analytics, Hotjar, Crazy Egg, and Matomo.

Once you have your hand on the data and analytics, it’s time to analyze it by setting clear goals. Regular reporting and data analysis is crucial to learning about the needs of the users. Further, connect other platforms, such as CRM systems, to manage all the data and analyze it on a quick basis.

Conclusion

User experience is one of the core metrics for the success of your website. To enhance the experience of the visitors with your site, you need to factor in various elements. These include a responsive design, less loading time, simple navigation, compelling CTAs, enhanced visual appeal, etc. Further, you also need to keep an eye on the SEO, content, and analytics of your site to get higher ranks as well as improve the traffic of your website.

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Daniyal Pervez

Website strategy session

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