Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts, and we provide high quality, effective, web design solutions for a range of local companies and businesses across Manchester, and the surrounding area. This includes Blackburn and Stockport. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about website headers.
What is a website header?
A website header is the bar that is positioned directly at the top of the page, above any other detail. This might be a different colour to the rest of the page, or it might be completely transparent to show a background hero image. Either way, utilizing your heading with practicality, efficiency and the user experience in mind, can be a key step to web design success.
So, why is a website header important?
So, how important is the header? And do you really need to plan the design? Well, the right header can help your website stand out and improve performance, by meeting the requirements and needs of your potential customers, immediately. In fact, your website header can bring a range of benefits including:
- Meet user needs- people landing on your website, especially if you provide a service, could be looking for your contact details, as quickly as possible. Providing these in the header of the page is a great way to predict the needs of your potential customers, and dramatically improve their user experience.
- Show off your company branding- a header is a great way to show off your company branding, immediately. Positioned at the top of the page, your logo will be the first thing your users see, and this really connects the rest of their experience with your brand.
- Support easy and quick navigation- Frequently, the navigation bar can be positioned as part of the header, and this makes it much easier for your potential customers to navigate your website, and find the pages and information they need. This can be in the style of a hamburger menu, or a fixed main menu. Some sites even include a search bar too, for specific search inquiries.
What are the key features of an effective header?
To make sure your website header is effective, and brings the maximum benefit to your website, you should consider including:
- company name or logo
- contact details and opening details if applicable
- search bar icon
- shopping cart icon
- sign in button or icon
Using small icons in the header allows you to alter the width of the header, from a ribbon design, to a wider header, to suit the overall design of your website, as well as your company branding. However, these icons need to be instantly recognizable and easy to see, especially on mobile devices too.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.