Web design is a process of designing and formatting websites and web pages. Web designers use a variety of tools to create the desired look, feel and usability of the site. From a digital marketer’s perspective, solid web design can effectively benefit SEO, boost conversions, strengthen PPC campaigns, outshine competitors, and so much more!

But what happens if you’re not a designer? If you’re wondering what you need to know before you begin the web design process, this guide will provide some insight.

Introduction: The Basics of Web Design

Web design is not only about making sites attractive and readable; it also needs to make sure that they are user-friendly. An effective business website design should be such that the visitor doesn’t need any additional guidance or instructions to navigate through its content. Bad web design can truly make or break a website!

A great way for beginners to learn basic web design is by following simple tutorials on the internet. There is an abundance of online resources that provide step-by-step instructions on how to build specific components of a website like menus, headers, navigation bars etc.

Step 1: Planning

Planning is one of the most important phases of the web design process. The planning phase includes some basic tasks such as:

• Defining your company’s goals and objectives

• Studying and researching competition and what content is trending

• Defining target audience

• Collecting data about target audience’s interests, demographic, and behavior

• Creating a content plan to deliver on the company’s goals and objectives; this also includes an outline on how to keep that plan updated.

This stage is crucial for any business seeking success with their website. This will help you figure out what design decisions you need to make in order to meet your goals.

Step 2: Wireframing

The wireframe is a crucial part of the web design process. A wireframe is a diagram that represents the structural layout of a website or application. It covers the site’s content, hierarchy, interactive elements, and navigational flow. Wireframes can be created with pen and paper before they are transferred to more sophisticated design tools like Photoshop or Illustrator. 

The goal of this process is to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page before any work begins on visual design, coding, or development processes. This way everyone knows what to expect from each other and can plan accordingly.

Step 3(a): Designing the Layout

Web design is the process of creating a design solution for a website. This includes gathering and analyzing information about the desired content and the intended audience, and then creating a representation of these on screen.

There are some basic elements you need to consider when designing your web layout:

• What is your goal?

• What are you trying to communicate?

• Who is your target audience?

• How much space do you have?

• How many pages do you want on your site?

There are also different layouts that can be used such as: grid, mobile, one column, two column, etc. Be sure to research your layout options before deciding on one. 

Step 3(b): Designing Typography

Typography is the work of selecting typefaces, point size, line length, letter spacing, and adjusting other elements of type to create a particular mood or tone. Additionally, it includes features that are more decorative in nature, such as choosing colors for text and backgrounds.

A person skilled in typography design is actually referred to as a typographer.

With so many factors to take into consideration when designing typography for your website, it can be hard to know which fonts are best for your project. Typographers have studied the factors that affect legibility and readability on screen or paper so they know what matters most when designing fonts. One factor is x-height which is the height of lowercase letters relative to capital letters in proportion to their widths. This is just one example, but there are many factors a web designer should consider with typography. That’s why having an experienced designer is so important to web developement!

Conclusion & What’s Next?

Let’s conclude by saying that the future of web design is going to be a bright one. We predict that these next years are going to bring a lot of changes and new technologies for us to explore. To maximize your website performance and get the most out of web design, it’s helpful to partner with the right web design agency. Contact us online today to schedule a free marketing consultation! 

Have you ever wondered how many pages a website has? Whether it’s a competitor’s site or even your own, knowing how many pages a website has can be extremely beneficial. In this quick guide, we will share with you some helpful website page counter tips and resources. Keep reading to learn three easy ways to find the number of pages on a website.

How To Find Out How Many Pages a Website Has

As mentioned above, there are three easy ways to accomplish this:

1. XML Sitemap Method
2. “Site:” Operator Method in Google Search
3. Google Search Console Method

1. XML Sitemap

Using the XML sitemap is a simple way to count the number of pages on a website. Plus, the sitemap method is available to anyone! To access a website’s sitemap, scroll to the website footer and follow the link to their XML sitemap.

If you can’t locate a “Sitemap” link on the website, there is another quick solution. View any sitemap in your browser by using either of the following URLs. All you need to do is replace “sitename” with the name of the website!

For example, if you wanted to check the number of indexed pages on our website, marion.com, you would search: https://marion.com/sitemap.xml

If the website you are checking uses advanced sitemap plugins, such as YoastSEO, the URL count will be automatically shown. Otherwise, you’ll need to count the number of pages manually.

2. Site: Operator

For this method, you will need to open a new Google search and copy the following search query, replacing “sitename” with the name of the website you are looking for:

site:sitename.com

For example, if you were checking our website, marion.com, you would search: site:marion.com.

The results will show the number of indexed pages on Google. However, it is important to note that this may not be an entirely accurate count of web pages on the site. Rather, it gives you an idea of the approximate number of indexed pages on Google.

3. Google Search Console

Lastly, the Google Search Console is also an option for determining how many web pages are indexed by Google. This method is beneficial for checking the number of pages on your own website. In order to use Google Search Console, you must either be a verified owner or be invited to access the data.

In your Google Search Console account, you will need to go to “Google Index” and then “Index Status.” From there, you will be able to view the total number of pages on your site. You are also able to view the details of total indexed pages submitted to Google by navigating to “Crawl” and then “Sitemap” on your Search Console account.

Why Your Website Needs an XML Sitemap

XML sitemaps are especially beneficial for large-capacity websites, new websites, and websites that use rich media content. However, almost all websites will benefit from incorporating this feature. Sitemaps allow Google to easily locate web pages and determine when they were last updated.

In addition, website page counters can be used for:

• Clarifying how many active web pages your site has
• Seeing all of the pages on your competitor’s domain

Refresh Your Website with MARION

After reading these three methods, you should now confidently know how to find all pages on a website. You will find that most sites you come across have a direct sitemap link conveniently located in the footer section. If not, you still have a few other viable options that we discussed here today.

MARION is a trusted Texas marketing agency that has been supporting local businesses for 40 years. Whether you’re looking for responsive website design, online marketing, or SEO services – our marketing team can help!

Schedule a free marketing consultation with MARION today and learn how we can help grow your business.