How to Declutter Your Website
Removing clutter in website design is important – for many reasons.
Clutter directly affects several aspects of performance – both on the technical and user sides.
Do visitors come to your site but leave too soon?
Are the visitors lost on the page, unable to find what they are looking for?
Are you struggling to convert your visitors to customers?
These maladies can – at least partially – be due to a cluttered website.
Less is Better
Clutter confuses and leads to indecision. The easiest decision the visitor can make is to exit your site.
Simplicity gives clarity. Minimal friction. A clear path forward toward the action you want the visitor to take.
Why simplicity in design matters?
Technically – it improves:
User Experience
Conversion Rate Optimization
Website technical performance (loading speed, etc.)
Before You Start Decluttering Your Website
Before you start to slash colors, fonts, images, videos – whatever you have too much of on your website – ask yourself:
What is the priority of this web page?
And no, you should not have multiple competing priorities for a single page.
What is the goal of this page? What is the one thing I want the visitors to do/get out of this page?
Once you answer these questions, then get to work.
The Many Pieces to the Declutter Puzzle
Just like other web design aspects, decluttering a website design is a piece of the puzzle. The big picture. Your beautiful, outstanding masterpiece website.
Here are some of the most important pieces to evaluate and fix.
How to Remove Clutter
FONTS
Stick to a maximum of two or three.
Typically:
One font for your headers
One font for your body text
Q: How many fonts does your website have?
COLORS
Limit the number of colors. Three is a good number.
Main color
Secondary color
Accent color
You could add another 1-2 colors for accents e.g. a specific color for your buttons that is different from your 3-color palette, but it depends.
TEXT
Avoid long blocks of text, especially on your home page.
Note!
Always check what your website looks like on mobile. Most users are visiting websites via mobile. Long text blocks look much different on mobile vs. desktop.
WHITE SPACE
Give your web pages room to breathe. It makes the user experience much more pleasant.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
Buttons, graphics, animation, visual design elements – all of the elements should have a purpose.
If they don’t serve a clear function, it may be better to leave them out.
IMAGES
Quality over quantity.
Make sure the images enhance the user experience, not distract from it.
Note.
Make sure the images you upload are not massive (file size). All elements you add to a page cumulatively affect the page loading speed. Slow loading site is a problem.
VIDEO
When in doubt, leave it out.
Actually, leave it out in 99% of the time.
Videos present several problems: reduce the loading time of the website, playback quality is often subpar, and it can pose serious issues for accessibility.
Note.
These are general guidelines. There is no one size fits all. Everything depends on many other things from your brand, to your customers, to your style – everything is connected.
The Beauty of Simplicity
Simplicity isn’t just about removing things – it’s highlighting what is truly important.
It’s about providing your visitors a clear, friction-free experience. They will know what to do and where to go.
Clarity leads to improved conversion, helping you achieve your goals and delight your visitors.
/ Alie
11.11.23
P.S. At any point, if you feel overwhelmed, consider hiring a professional. This can save you a lot of frustration and headaches.
Website Design
User Experience
Branding