When creating a successful website, I undertook research (found here: http://everydaydesigner.net/design/top-10-successful-web-designs-trends-of-2015) into finding what works and what doesn’t, making ultimately this core list of basic website design elements to succeed:

• A responsive layout (Mobile friendly and easy to use).

• Clean and Simple (Visually pleasing and easy on the eyes).

• Minimalism (Keeping everything tidy and accessible).

• Parallax imaging (Making scrolling enjoyable and desirable).

• Fixed Headers (Keeping your brand always visible and reminding users where this information comes from).

• Background imagery (although this can take away from a minimalist approach, it can make a website more welcoming).

• Story telling/ Galleries (imagery and designs will attract users to revisit websites and further develop their interests within the product).

• Animations? (In the case of some websites animations and interactive design making the experience feel more unique and user friendly).

• Single page scrolling (Keeping everything to one page stops new pages and over loading of the website which can look messy and become annoying).

• Know your audience (Understanding what an audience wants and what fits in with the ‘theme’ of the product is the most crucial element into making the website work).