Nine out of ten visitors check the website header design of your site after landing on it. By seeing it, they get to learn a lot about your site. Upon liking its description and features, they stay on your site for a long time and interact with its features. Your website can benefit from it in two ways. It can offer sizable traffic to your site, and it can also keep the bounce rate on your site under control. Both these features can boost the SEO rankings of your site while working together.
You might want to invest in the header design of your site for the above benefits. You might want to do so, regardless of the size and type of your business. A good understanding is a must if you wish to utilize the concepts of a website header and its types for business advantage. You will get detailed information about both aspects in this post. In my recent post on web design trends for 2023, I touched on evolutions in design aesthetics and user experience. Today I’ll explore some specific signs indicating your website needs a redesign to keep up.
An insight into website header and its vital elements
A website header is known by different names. To some people, it is the masthead of a website. Others perceive it as a website banner. In layman’s terms, it is the top section of a web page that houses the vital elements of a website. These include its navigation menu, logo, and other relevant information about it. Visitors can learn a lot about a site by going through the contents of its header.
The primary objective of a website header is to inform visitors about a site. In addition, it also simplifies navigation for them throughout the duration for which they stay on a website. An ideal website header fulfils both of these requirements. By fulfilling these objectives, a website header can help you create a solid impression of your brand in the minds of your business prospects. Additionally, you can make your business website stand out among your target audience by paying attention to the following elements:
- Visual appeal: A visually pleasing website header draws the attention of visitors instantly. It has the potential to create a solid impression in a way that lasts for a long time.
- Responsiveness: This is the element that promotes visibility on a website. You can ensure the availability of the content of your website for mobile devices of all sizes by taking care of the responsiveness of its website header design.
- Functionality: The majority of internet users do not want to spend more than a few seconds to get to a web page. This explains the importance of a functionality-rich website header design. If your website design is good in terms of functionalities, it will help you drive more visitors to your website than others.
- Consistency: While you may feel like applying different header design ideas for different sections of a website header, just like you feel about different web pages, keeping it consistent will simplify things for yourself as well as for your visitors.
- White space: Clear visibility influences the navigation experience of a visitor on a website. You can improve the browsing experience of visitors to your site by allowing some white space among the elements of its website header.
- Clarity: By giving a simple and easy-to-understand description in the header section of your website, you can simplify it for your target audience to understand its products and services. This will help you set up your expectations in the right way.
- Branding: You can create a solid impression about your brand among your business prospects by choosing the right logo and putting it on the header.
- Load time: Most visitors expect a website to load in just a few seconds. Your site can load quickly only if its header doesn’t take more than a few seconds to load fully.
These are some of the top features that give a visual appeal to a header design and also make it useful. Now that you know about the vital elements of the header design of a website, the next thing you would want to know is the different types of header design choices from which you can pick your option.
15 website header designs to create a solid impression among your business prospects
The website header design may vary from one site to the other. You can achieve your business objectives with ease by choosing a website header design according to your business requirements. Most visitors do not get to a website by typing its web address directly on the address bar. They enter a website through a search engine like Google. To ensure healthy traffic, your website needs to have a proper description of web pages. This feature will help with the indexing of web pages on your website.
Do not worry even if you haven’t been able to decide on the design of your website header yet. Despite the overwhelming number of options for website header designs, you can choose your pick by exploring their features. For the best outcomes, try choosing an option that aligns with your business needs and goals in the best possible way.
Below, you will find 15 distinct header ideas. You can choose one of them to fulfil your business objectives.
1. Classic Header
This type of header has a non-complicated design that promotes ease of use. Being versatile, it is useful for a wide range of websites. It consists of logos, navigation menus, and call-to-action buttons.
2. Sticky Header
Have you seen a website header that stays put on the screen even when you scroll down one of its pages? It is a sticky header. A logo and a navigation menu are its two primary components. You can make it the default header of your website to help visitors spot the navigation menu when they land on your website.
3. Fullscreen Header
A fullscreen header consists of a large-sized background video or image that can cover a screen fully. Apart from an image or a video, it can also have navigation and other pieces of content. Some websites want to give a solid impression to visitors on their first impression. A fullscreen header is an ideal option for such websites. It helps them set the right tone to attract sizeable traffic.
4. Sidebar Header
Have you ever noticed the position of a header on modern websites? The majority of them have a navigation menu on one of the side portions of the screen. This feature defines a sidebar header. Placing the navigation menu of your website on the side of the screen, you can add a visually pleasing design to your site without compromising its functionalities.
5. Centered Header
Do you want to have a non-cluttered and minimalist look on your website? A centred header can help you accomplish this task. It places the navigation menu and logo of a website at the centre of the screen. Its major objective is to create a non-complicated website header design for easy navigation.
6. Split Header
Splitting refers to dividing something into two parts. A split header does the same to a screen. It creates two distinct sections on a screen: one for navigation, and the other one for different pieces of content. This form of arrangement adds a refreshing design to a website while enhancing its appearance. In addition, it also prevents the cluttering of the elements on a site.
7. Image Header
From the inclusion of the word image in the name, it stands out that this header involves an image as one of its hallmark features. Other than a large-sized background image with overlaid content, it also involves navigation. With its image and navigation features, an image header gives a striking look to a website.
8. Gradient Header
A gradient in the background in conjunction with different forms of content and navigation – this is the typical arrangement of a gradient header. It is tailor-made for websites that need a stylish appearance to generate healthy traffic. One obvious example of this kind of header is the header on Spotify’s website.
9. Video Header
Just as an image header has a large-sized background image, a video header has a video with overlaid content in the background. The combination of a background video and navigation, which defines the composition of a video header, adds an artistic appearance to a website. With this type of header, you can draw the attention of your target audience based on visual appeal. Besides, you can also rest assured that you will be able to get their approval.
10. Animated Header
Logos, texts, and graphics are some elements that define animation. Typically, an animated header has all these features. As a result, it stands out as a header with animated elements. Moving graphics constitute one of its leading or hallmark features. An animated header presents a dynamic appearance to a website. If you wish to give your target audience the impression that your brand website is a little playful, you might want to invest in an animated header.
11. Minimalist Header
Do you wish to declutter the website header on your site with just a few texts and a logo? If yes, then a minimalist header is the option you may want to try out. It brings the undeniable advantage of simplicity and a clean look to the table. With these features, it derives its importance for those websites that need easy navigation for the benefit of visitors.
12. Hero Header
Call-to-action buttons play a vital role in converting business leads into customers. They convince visitors to click on different buttons on a website. The conclusion of this action on the part of website visitors enables online businesses to generate sales. With a hero header, you can create an impactful and powerful look on your website. Because it allows the placement of call-to-action buttons on websites, you will have maximum chances of generating sales if you place it on your site. This way, you can achieve higher sales and boost your revenue.
13. Mega Menu Header
Do you sell several products to your customers and want to list all of them on your business site? If yes, you might want to put them in different categories to help your target audiences or business prospects spot them easily. By choosing a mega menu header as the standard header of your website, you can accomplish this task with finesse. As a major advantage for business websites, it supports an easy segregation of products. By using this feature, you can classify a wide range of products of your brand into different categories and subcategories.
14. Sliding Header
Which header comes to your mind when you think of a sliding header? The answer to this question is simple. When you think about it, the next thing that may come to your mind is the BMW website. Identifying a sliding header is easy due to its distinctive appearance. The unique look of this type of header is due to the presence of multiple panels. These panels are capable of sliding in as well as sliding out. You can utilize these panels to show distinct features and products to your customers.
15. Personalized Header
Preferences may vary from one individual to the other while choosing a header design. If you have some preferences in mind and you want the header of your website to be according to your preferences, a personalized header is the best option for it. The best part about this header is that it allows personalization, meaning that you can set it up in your way.
Final thoughts
In a nutshell, header design is critically important for a website. Getting it right maximizes the chances of acquiring high traffic. By bringing in new visitors, it enhances the likelihood of generating sales and earnings. Regardless of the type of business you own and the goods or services you sell, choosing the right design for your website header will enable you to achieve your business objectives with panache. If you have not decided on it yet, you can get started by choosing one of the above options.
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