When thinking about all the key features of your website, you might be surprised to consider the search bar as a high priority. But this is an important feature for improving the user experience, and helping your potential customers and clients find the information they need, quickly and easily. So how can you effectively design your search bar to attract attention, and help users get results? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. From Wigan to Southport, we work with companies across Manchester and the surrounding region to deliver high quality web design solutions that really get results. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about designing an effective search bar for your website.
Why is the search bar so important?
The search bar is an important part of every website, as this is the tool that provides website users with the opportunity to directly search for the piece of information or the product that they need. It’s probably more important for eCommerce sites, especially if you stock a variety of items. But a search bar can also be useful for websites with services and general information too, as a search bar can help users save time, and this improves the user experience.
What are the considerations for effective design for your website search bar?
So, how can you design a search bar to ensure success for your company, and your website? Well, you should consider:
- the location of the search bar
- the colour of the search bar
- smart search solutions
Where should the search bar be positioned?
This is something that might be variable, depending on the purpose and type of website you have, and the location of the search bar may also be something you tweak particularly for mobile users.
Generally, your search bar should be positioned somewhere near the top of the page. It is generally found opposite the navigation bar, or directly underneath, and for eCommerce sites on mobile devices, you should consider using the full width of the screen for the search bar too.
For companies where search should be a secondary option for users, like websites for companies that provide a range of services, the search bar can be used inside a slide out menu, or a hamburger menu, to save space.
What colour should the search bar be?
Some companies use a search bar with only the icon that is highlighted in a different colour, to attract attention. While others opt to fill the whole box in a slightly different colour, or even white, to make sure users see the search option. Whatever you choose to do, its important for your search bar to fit in with the rest of your web design visually, and this means using colours that wont class with your design.
For more information or for professional web design support, contact the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.