Building a website without a wireframe is like building a house without a blueprint. It will resemble a website when you’re finished and serve its purpose for a little while. However, it won’t take long for cracks to appear in its facade.
Therefore, the first thing you should do when planning to create a new site for your company is figure out how to wireframe it. Although you will need to invest resources in creating a wireframe, doing so can save time and money and serve as a foundation for success.
Learn more about what a website wireframe is and discover how to wireframe a website either on your own or with help from web design specialists below.
What is a wireframe?
When you start designing a website, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Your company’s success likely hinges on your ability to create a compelling website, so you don’t want to make any crucial mistakes that could prevent your site from generating traffic and converting visitors into loyal customers.
The problem, of course, is that there are so many different elements involved in creating a great website design. This can make it challenging to decide where to begin, so it’s important to take things step by step.
A wireframe can help you push past this part of the website design process. It’s essentially a map you’ll create to showcase your site’s main features, complete with details on everything from the headers that will appear on each page to any interactive elements you’d like to incorporate into the mix. It can even include a page hierarchy highlighting the general structure of your website and its various pages.
The stronger the wireframe for a website is, the easier it is to begin building a website from scratch. You can increase the chances of your website attracting attention by piecing together a wireframe that is simple yet detailed. Without it, your users will be just as confused as you are.
Website wireframe vs. mockup vs. prototype: What are the differences?
As you hear about how to wireframe a website, you might wonder, “What makes a website wireframe different from a mockup or a prototype?” It’s a fair question since some business owners use these terms interchangeably.
Here is a brief breakdown of the differences between a website wireframe vs. a mockup vs. a prototype:
- Wireframe: Low-fidelity, two-dimensional sketches that outline the basic structure of a website and its functionalities
- Mockup: Medium-fidelity, static renderings that inject colors and other visual details into a website
- Prototype: High-fidelity, interactive simulations that demonstrate how a visitor will interact with a website
Ideally, you should aim to create a wireframe, a mockup, and a prototype for your website before all is said and done. It’s the perfect approach to take when you want to create an amazing user experience for everyone who visits your company’s website.
Key elements of a successful website wireframe
Learning how to wireframe a website for the first time is all about finding the delicate balance between making it too detailed and not including enough details. Too many details can make the web design process drag out, while not including enough details can lead to a web designer having to ask too many questions and causing delays.
Generally speaking, you can strike the right balance when creating a website wireframe by ensuring it includes a handful of key elements. Let’s take a look at them next.
Logo and icon blocks
Studies have shown that almost 90% of website visitors are more likely to remember company logos placed in the top-left corner of a website than the top-right corner. For this reason, one of the first steps you can take when creating a website wireframe is adding a logo block to the top-left corner. You don’t have to put your company’s logo in this block yet, but it should appear prominently along with a header if you’d like to use one and an icon block.
Navigation block
When designing a website for your company, your goal is to bring visitors to it and get them to stick around. You can encourage people to poke around on your site by adding a navigation block to your wireframe. This will illustrate where you would like a web designer to place buttons, arrows, and other navigational tools.
Content block
Once your website is up and running, you’ll need to populate it with more than enough content and keep it updated. This can work wonders for your search engine optimization efforts. Make your commitment to SEO a top priority from the jump by creating a content block for a website wireframe that includes both text and image blocks.
Form blocks
Research has revealed that only about 3% of website visitors fill out the forms many companies include on their sites. That number is low, but it’s still an indication that at least some people who visit your site will want to contact you through these forms. Add form blocks to your wireframe to indicate where you want them to appear.
Image blocks
You’ll probably want to include at least one large image on each page of your website. Using aesthetically pleasing images is a fantastic way to break up content and make it more easily digestible. Image blocks can show where you want to place images to maximize their impact.
CTAs and buttons
Over 70% of American businesses now have websites set up for their companies. The vast majority have finally taken a shine to websites to create better connections with customers.
Incorporating CTAs, such as “Call Us Today,” along with CTA buttons that direct people to your contact page, is a wonderful way for companies to form these connections. Point out where you wish to place them on a website wireframe.
Search blocks
If you plan to sell products and/or services on your company’s website, know this: Just under 70% of people head straight to the search bars on many e-commerce sites to find what they’re interested in buying. Include a search block on a website wireframe to take advantage of this.
Basic steps on how to wireframe a website
Now that you have a better understanding of what you should include in a website wireframe, it’s time to talk about how to wireframe a website effectively. As long as you follow several simple steps, you can create a wireframe capable of bringing all your website ideas to life.
Step 1: Creating the site architecture
How would you like your website structured? Answer this question before doing anything else to give your website some much-needed structure.
You can choose from several types of site architecture, including the follow ng:
- Hierarchical structure: Takes a “top-down” approach by featuring a homepage, category pages, and subcategory pages
- Flat architecture: Similar to the hierarchical structure but utilizes fewer levels to emphasize simplicity and speed
- Sequential structure: Also known as linear structure, keeps people moving through a specific series of steps
- Matrix model: Offers visitors freedom by showing them a mixture of category and subcategory pages and allowing them to pick their own path
- Database model: Relies on a “bottom-down” approach by inviting people to conduct searches and create custom experiences
Step 2: Deciding whether to sketch manually first or go straight to digital
Once you know which structure you plan to use for your company’s website, start creating low-fidelity, two-dimensional sketches by hand or working through this part of the process digitally. Decide which option is right for your site.
Manual
If you can’t wait to get started on wireframing a website, manual sketches on the spot might work best. This is the ideal solution for those who want to tinker with a few different ideas using pencil and paper before moving to the digital realm.
Digital
Using digital tools while figuring out how to wireframe a website can make it less time-consuming. There are free tools you can try along with paid tools that might be worth the investment.
A couple of great free digital tools we would recommend are:
Figma: Offers a free wireframe kit containing many easy-to-use user interface elements (note that some features found in Figma require a subscription)
Wireframe.cc: Provides the most straightforward tools to create website wireframes
If you have room in your website design budget, we would also recommend these paid digital tools:
- Abode XD: Extends prebuilt wireframing elements and other tools that make it our preferred choice for web design
- Sketch: Delivers a vector graphics editor that makes collaborating on website wireframes easy
Step 3: Creating a low-fidelity wireframe
When you reach this point, you can begin creating a low-fidelity wireframe. Remember user flow as you do it.
User flow refers to the predicted pathways people will take when they visit your website. It can provide insight into how visitors will navigate your site and help you make decisions when it comes to its layout.
Step 4: Creating high-fidelity wireframe mockups
After you have a low-fidelity wireframe, seek to improve it by pinpointing any potential problems. Once you are satisfied, you can turn it into high-fidelity wireframe mockups complete with colors, company logos, etc. These will help inject energy into your site and paint a clearer picture of how it will look.
Our wireframe design process
Running your own business is no walk in the park. Surveys have shown that one of the biggest challenges business owners face is having to take on multiple roles within their companies. About 40% listed it as their top obstacle.
If you’d prefer not to take on yet another task by learning how to wireframe a website, leave this job up to the professionals from Connective. Here’s how our wireframe design process will work when you bring us on board to help.
Step 1: Performing client intake
We begin by holding a meeting with a client to talk to them about the website they want to build. We ask questions like:
- What is your goal in launching a new website for your company?
- Do you like a particular website layout?
- What do you want to appear on your website?
- Who is the target audience for your website?
- What will motivate your target audience to take action on your website?
Step 2: Coming up with a homepage outline
After our initial meeting with a client, we’ll have a better sense of what they want out of their website. This allows us to create a homepage outline that includes the following key elements:
- A header with buttons for category pages, CTAs, etc.
- A hero section near the top that points out a problem people might have and a solution the company can offer
- A section that explains more about the company and what makes it unique from its competitors
- A products and/or services section that highlights what the company can provide for consumers
- A footer that includes the company’s name, logo, contact information, and links to relevant category pages
Step 3: Creating a website wireframe
Once we’re finished with a homepage outline, we’ll dive headfirst into creating a website wireframe for a company. We’ll come up with low-fidelity versions first and seek feedback to see what a client does (and doesn’t!) like before making changes accordingly.
We’ll also expand on each of the sections that appear on a website’s homepage as well as its other types of pages. We’ll use Lorem Ipsum text as a placeholder for any actual words that will eventually get added to these pages. This can help a company visualize a finished site more effectively and continue to tweak it to its exact specifications.
Final thoughts
Creating a well-thought-out wireframe is an essential step in building a successful website. It provides the blueprint you need to ensure your site is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and effective in driving engagement. By focusing on structure, flow, and user experience early on, you can set your website up for long-term success and avoid potential design pitfalls. Whether you’re handling it yourself or seeking outside support, starting with a solid wireframe can save time, reduce stress, and lead to a better end result for your business.
