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There’s nothing quite like a camping trip. The fresh air, blue sky, and the opportunity to experience nature in a unique way. It allows us to get in touch with the origins of our most basic elements of survival. Just like camping, there are several basic elements that we need to focus on when designing a website.

Decide on a destination. Knowing your goals

Before you even get going on your trip, you need to know where you want to set up camp! Did you want to be near mountains? Or possibly a nice lake to go fishing?

In the same way, you need to know which direction you want to take your website. What is most important? Would you prefer to showcase your products front and center? Or maybe it would be more beneficial to focus on your mission statement or describing what you stand for that sets you apart from the competition.

There are several ways to accomplish these goals, but first and foremost, you need to decide what you want to do.

Don’t forget your Swiss army knife! Responsive design

One of the most important camping tools you can have is a multi-tool. This is the tool that you can transform to use for almost any situation.

This also relates to web design since you need your website to transform and resize to all screen sizes. Gone are the days when a majority of people would view the internet on a desktop computer. If you want to reach the widest audience possible, you need to make sure that your website is mobile friendly.

Pack light! Simplifying your content

For most camping trips, you will have limited packing space and need to think carefully about what you want to bring. You can’t overload your backpack, otherwise it will be too heavy to carry to your destination!

Just like this example, you can’t overload your website with copy and content. If your pages are too cluttered and difficult to navigate, the user won’t be able to find what they need! This becomes even more important if you are trying to promote products and services. If you limit your content to the bare essentials, not only will it be easier for people to find what they need, but it will be a more enjoyable experience!

Have your important tools at the ready. Prioritizing your content

Now that you have the essentials you will need in the wild, you need to make sure your most important tools are easily accessible. For a camping trip, that might be your water bottle, multi-tool, or a map.

For your website, that could be your products, services, or whatever you feel is most important for the consumer to see. You will want to make sure these items stand out the most, and appear at the top of the homepage. Those things that are less important can be shown further down on the page, or on an inside page. You can also use call to action links or quick links to bring attention to other pages that are important.

Tell others about your great camping trip! Search engine optimization

Who doesn’t want to tell others about a great trip and perhaps encourage them to enjoy the same great experience you had?

You want your beautiful new website to appear near the top of a search when someone is searching for products and services you offer. Your site should be strategically engineered via content and coding to achieve these results. Use SEO to increase web traffic, build trust and creditability, influence the decision process and increase your brand awareness.

In conclusion, a well designed website takes a lot of thought and intentional planning. So the next time you decide your website needs to head in a new direction, make sure you remember some of these tips!