I love showcasing sweet websites, and I also love showcasing local businesses. Today I get to do both! DuckaDilly is a studio and seller of Liberty fabrics in downtown Ann Arbor. Their website is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and beautiful to boot. Keep reading to learn what I particularly love about their website and how you can apply each to your site!
An Above-the-Fold Homepage that Does it All
Take a look at the screenshot at the top of this page. What does it include?
- A top menu with helpful links like About, FAQ, Downloads, and Contact
- A link/coupon to get 10% off your first order
- A search bar
- The cute-as-can-be DuckaDilly logo
- Links to get to your customer account or view your shopping cart
- A main menu with gorgeous popouts (more on that next) to shop the way you want
- A stunning photo of some of their Liberty fabrics
- A call-to-acti0n to get straight to the shop
- A “chat with us” button in the corner
Whew! That’s a lot of stuff, and it’s all above the fold (i.e. viewable without having to scroll down at all). A great way to start a user’s journey on the site.
Do it on your website: Take a look at your homepage upon the first page load. What can you see? Is there anything critical to your user’s experience on the site that they can’t see? And is there a way you could potentially fit that in there?
Popout Menus that Display Beauty + Options
Hover over any of the primary shop navigation links i.e. Shop Liberty Fabrics, Collection, or Bundles – and you get not a skinny dropdown menu but a popup display that shows you photos along with your options to continue exploring the site. The photos provide not only an attractive splash of color but also are helpful in communicating to the visitor what the items are such as Stash Packs, Charm Packs, or Jelly Rolls. Winning!
Do it on your website: Popup menus upon hover will only make sense if you have a large enough site and navigation that warrants it. If you think this could be you, please get in touch, and let’s talk about making it happen on your website.
Flourishes + Fonts that Fit
Subtley but effective, the DuckaDilly website includes copper-colored floral flourishes all around the site. As a regular visitor, you might even notice them but I guarantee you’ll feel them. Those flourishes along with the slightly whimsical serif font used in headings and in the first letter (in dropcap style) of paragraphs give the website a storybook look – which is exactly what they were going for.
Do it on your website: Would flourishes of some kind make sense for your website? It could be flowers, dots, or anything really. A small graphic that’s the right vibe for your business can reinforce your brand throughout the entire website! Make it small and subtle – enough to feel but not stand out.
Freebies that Help Users + Attract Site Traffic
I love that DuckaDilly gives away dozens of downloads for free (think pattern templates for fabric lovers) as well as calculators for various purposes like figuring out how many squares or hexagons you’ll need for a project. It’s a true win-win: users get fantastic free resources they can return to again and again, and the shop owners undoubtedly get a big boost in site traffic for all the visitors these resources will attract.
Do it on your website: Any website can offer free resources to its visitors. What can you offer? To figure out what will work best, you’ve got to get into the heads of your customers. What might they do an online search for hoping to find? Another option is to ask 10 of your customers to see if they might have any ideas.
In Closing
It’s a collection of components and qualities that make a website that dynamite combination of helpful, easy-to-use, and also wonderful to look at and experience. Above I’ve listed some of these components for the DuckaDilly website. If you think any of these features would help give your website a boost, please do feel free to get in touch! Let’s talk 🙂
