Blog · Updated for 2026
Purpose, content, visuals and harmony still hold. In 2026, speed, accessibility and AI search sit beside them.
Purpose and real content still come first.
Accessibility is now a legal question too.
Write so people and AI search both understand you.
2026 update · October 2026
The four principles in the 2021 article still hold: a clear purpose, real content, visuals that reflect your brand, and a layout that works as one. What has changed is what Google, the law and your visitors expect around them.
Google’s Core Web Vitals score loading, layout shift and, since INP replaced FID in 2024, how fast a page reacts to every tap or click. Aim for under 200 milliseconds.
Design to WCAG 2.2. The European Accessibility Act has applied since June 2025 to many businesses selling online to EU customers, including US businesses, and ADA claims continue at home.
Many people now get answers from AI search tools that summarize and cite pages. Clear headings, plain answers and structured data help your pages get found and quoted.
Design for the small screen first, with buttons and links large enough to tap with a thumb, then scale up to the desktop.
A new website with us takes 6 to 10 weeks. See our web design service.
Original article · 2021
Published in 2021 and kept as written. See the update above for what has changed.
These days, there are so many options when it comes to creating a website for your business. We at JLB always suggest going with a professional, preferably an agency, to create a one-of-a-kind digital presence for your most important asset – your brand. If you have not solidified your brand, or don’t know where to start, contact us now! If you do have a branding, and you are ready to put it to use online, we’d like to share some web design principles you’d like to take for your website.
Stunning website design does not come easy. As with any creative discipline, web design has several rules it must abide by. Navigation, visuals, and content must all work together to achieve the perfect balance – one that is functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Let us take a closer look at a few web design principles for 2021.
Calls To Action (CTA) are key in supporting your website’s overall goals. A website’s purpose can be providing information, presenting a company and their services, or promoting purchases.
Thoughtful website design adds purpose to your website. It is important to keep in mind who your audience is, and to study behaviors that will lead to visitor retention and continued revenue growth, whether that comes from clicking to “BUY NOW” or “LEARN MORE”.
Quality web content should be clear, useful and provide the audience with a guide on what they must do next to complete a certain action. Additionally, search engine optimization (SEO) should be considered when creating content for on-site use, so that necessary keywords are integrated without distracting the reader.
Working with real content from the beginning of the design process is a must – you will be able to spot issues and changes that need to be made, instead of continuously adjusting later. This is one of the most important web design principles of 2021.
Every design element visible on your website should communicate and reflect your brand’s identity. Illustrations, graphics, and photos are used to balance text segments and give visitors a rest from reading. These elements are also a great way to make a memorable first impression.
Visuals need to be high-quality, clear, and color-balanced, with some animated transitions added for a more interactive experience.
Every element of your website’s layout should work together in harmony. Oversized buttons and extreme contrasting colors don’t reflect professionalism. All these elements can have a detrimental effect on user experience – and that will cause your visitors to bounce, hurting your ranking with Google in the process.
Talk to us
Tell us about your business and what the site needs to do, and we’ll get back to you. Or call 954-539-5678.
