How to design an enterprise website that balances branding, UX, and scalability

Unlike smaller websites with fewer features, an enterprise website has to address the needs (and expectations) of multiple audiences, from various customer segments to company executives. It also has to handle more technical requirements — and keep the brand intact. 

So, how can you design a website that blends branding, UX, and scalability? Read on for the best practices to get this balance right.

What defines enterprise web design

Enterprise website design focuses on creating websites as a revenue stream for corporations and large organizations. These websites have to handle large volumes of content and traffic while providing an optimized and safe user experience across all devices. An enterprise website also plays a role in making a company's brand more credible and attractive. 

In other words, branding, UX, scalability, security and the ability to bring in revenue all define enterprise web design.

What matters for enterprise website design and development

Enterprise website design must take into account the following factors:

• Branding: Consistent visual language (logo, colors, fonts, and other design elements) across all website pages. 
• User Experience (UX): Clear navigation and architecture, engaging CTAs, fast page loading times, accessibility features by WCAG (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) guidelines.
• Scalability: An enterprise website has to handle increasing traffic, growing content, large databases, and expanding features. It has to operate on a hosting plan that can withstand the pressure.
• Security: Business websites should feature SSL/TLS encryption, multi-factor identification, DDoS protection, data backup, and other safety systems. 
• Customization: Enterprise website development often requires customized solutions and integrations. Examples may include integrations with CMS and ERP systems.
• SEO and conversion optimization: SEO-friendly URLs, optimized content, compelling CTAs, and landing pages for lead generation also matter to enterprise websites.

Making sure all of these aspects are covered is no small feat. For this reason, it's wiser to opt for a solution that allows you to collaborate on a website design with multiple stakeholders at once. Readymag allows you to add 10 collaborators on its Advanced plan or even invite a custom number of teammates with the Extra package. 

Readymag also ensures that one opinion doesn't erase another when collaborating on a website. The "Layout Locked" mode allows non-designers to safely edit content without affecting the overall design.

Best practices for enterprise web design

Understand the user landscape. Customers, business partners, employees, and executives all interact with the site in unique ways. Consult with all of them if you can. As enterprises typically have the info about ideal customer profiles, marketing plans, and the CEO's vision, ask for that info in advance (and be prepared that fitting in all the requirements can be tricky).

Communicate vision and mission clearly. Users should instantly understand what the business stands for and what value it offers.

From the enterprise website design point of view, you should create pages about the company's mission and vision per the brand's guidelines and industry. For example, a traditional Italian shoemaker can use these pages to highlight the brand's history, craftsmanship, and quality materials. To do that, you can place old photos depicting the brand's early days to create a visual story.   

Maintain strong visual and brand consistency. This stage is crucial for ensuring that your website not only looks polished but also supports business goals and maintains brand consistency. Here are some recommendations to follow:

• Standardize typography, color palettes, UI components (buttons, inputs), and iconography.
• Go for modular design components that can be easily updated or expanded.
• Maintain consistent spacing, margins, and alignment across all pages for a clean structure.
• Use a clear visual hierarchy to guide attention to important content.
• Follow the 60/30/10 rule: 60% primary color, 30% secondary, and 10% accent for visual harmony.
• Prefer a consistent photography style and image treatments that don't contradict the brand.
• Incorporate multimedia (like videos with testimonials) to engage visitors and highlight the brand.
• Ensure that buttons and CTAs are easy to find and act on.

Even within strict brand guidelines and enterprise website design strategy, there’s room for creativity. The key is to strike a balance between adhering to the brand's identity and innovating within that framework.

Ensure user-centric navigation. In the eyes of business owners, a perfect navigation system leads users to perform key actions on an enterprise website (such as purchasing a product) without frustration. Here are some tips for creating user-centric navigation:

• First, identify where users struggle. If you're working on a new version of an enterprise website that already exists, ask the marketing team behind it for user behavior insights. Knowing where users are frustrated allows you to address specific issues before they take a toll on user experience.
• In case you don't have access to this data, browse through websites in a similar industry and look for navigation features that seem to work well. 
• Proceed with internal and user card sorting exercises to define and categorize features. Keep categories clear and uncluttered. Minimize the number of steps required to complete each action on your enterprise website. 
• Ensure that navigation labels are aligned with user expectations. Use terminology that users are familiar with.
• Implement left-side or full-page scrolling for large content. It helps users stay oriented.
• Use compact hamburger menus, especially on mobile, to organize navigation without overwhelming users.
• Roll out navigation changes in phases to gather feedback and fix issues before a full launch.

Website design is a creative space, and you can always try out innovative approaches to navigation. However, user experience must always be your top priority.

Create a responsive and mobile-friendly design. Since the majority of people now browse the Internet via mobile phones, you need to ensure your website is both mobile-friendly and responsive.

Here are the best practices to rely on:

• Design with mobile in mind first, then scale up for larger screens.
• Keep menus short and easy to access, like a bottom navigation bar.
• Ensure that buttons are large enough (at least 48 pixels) with enough space around them.
• Optimize images and minimize animations to keep the site fast.
• Use large, high-contrast fonts so users don’t need to zoom in.
• Show essential details (like contact info or product pages) upfront for quick access.
• Make sure web design handles growing content and features without breaking the layout.
• Regularly check the site on different screen sizes to catch any display issues.

An enterprise website must be available to all potential and existing customers. Go through this checklist to ensure that it's accessible to everyone. 

Design for complexity and scalability. An enterprise website should operate on a powerful hosting plan and backend technologies that can manage larger databases and complex integrations. Another — and simpler — option is to pick a no-code platform like Readymag that offers an enterprise hosting plan and supports multiple integrations.

The design should utilize modular elements that can be easily updated, swapped out, or added as needed. For example, you could build with reusable design components (like header sections and content blocks) that can be repurposed for new pages.

Design your enterprise website with Readymag

You don’t need advanced design skills to create a site that meets your business needs with Readymag.

1. Start by signing up for a Readymag account and choosing the right plan with enterprise solutions for website design. The Advanced and Extra plans are ideal for larger websites. The Advanced plan offers higher visitor limits and the ability to collaborate with a larger team, while the Extra plan allows you to fully customize all that. 
2. Begin your project by selecting a blank page or one of Readymag’s templates to speed up the design process. You can manage pages, adjust SEO settings, and organize content with simple drag-and-drop functionality. 
3. Add images, interactive elements, animations, and text. Readymag allows you to upload custom fonts, ensuring that your website stays true to your brand guidelines.
4. Use the Grid & Layout settings to perfect your design across all devices, switching between desktop, tablet, and mobile views to ensure responsiveness.
5. Integrate widgets and adjust backgrounds, navigation, and layouts.
6. Once your website’s ready, preview it across devices before publishing.

That's it. If you’re looking for inspiration to build a complex and visually stunning website, take a look at these examples and tips.

FAQ

What are the steps to designing a website with Readymag?
Simply sign up, pick a plan, then choose a template or start from scratch, and use the drag-and-drop tools to add text, images, and interactive elements. Watch this video for more details.

Can I build a website on my own or do I need a developer's help?
You can build one on your own, especially if you use a tool like Readymag. With Readymag, you can build your own website using easy drag-and-drop tools and customizable templates. It also has enterprise solutions for website design, such as bigger upload limits and a custom number of visits. 

However, enterprise websites often need powerful backend solutions, so you may still need a developer for those.

How long does it take to make a website?
You can make a website in a day if you use one of Readymag's templates — or a couple of days if you build a website from scratch.

However, in the case of enterprise websites, the timeline is a bit more tricky. Enterprise web development can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete due to potential custom backend solutions and the involvement of multiple decision makers. 

How can I make my website unique?
Experiment with your layout. Play with interactive elements, animations, and micro-interactions to engage users in unique ways — but make sure not to break the user journey. The best enterprise website design combines creativity with convenience and business goals.