The Basics
We all know the importance of making a good first impression. Your web site design is no exception to this. A well designed site can more often than not be the key to success or failure.
When designing your site, you should never take the view that one size fits all. Every business is individual. If your site is promoting you personally, you need to make sure your personality comes across. If the site is a commercial site, you need to make sure your products and services are accurately reflected to your potential customers. You need to spend time researching your market. Look at your competitors who have similar businesses and see how they have put their sites together. Decide what works well and what is best avoided.
You need to include key words and phrases in your content to ensure your site ranks highly on search engines, but don't go overboard. Make sure your writing flows and your site is visibly appealing.
There are three steps to effective web design -
Design Plan
To create an interesting web site, initially, you need to write a good design plan. You wouldn't contemplate setting up a business without a business plan and your web site is exactly the same. In your plan, you should include the following -
1. What is the objective of your site and what do you want it to achieve for you?
2. What information do you want it to cover?
3. How many pages do you need?
4. How are your customers going to navigate around your site?
Effective navigation is the golden key which will reap your rewards. Poor navigation leads to frustrated customers who will look elsewhere and never return.
Once your design plan is complete, focus on content.
Content
The size of a web page and the content depend on the information being provided. For ease of reading, it is better to break down the content logically, into sections that are digestible.
Web pages with high volumes of traffic, tend to be extremely well written with no spelling or grammatical errors. You need to update your content regularly to build a relationship with your customers. Good quality and originality will capture your audience.
Consideration
Consider your target traffic.
Do
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use bullet points.
3. Use paragraphs when necessary.
4. Use easy to read text.
Don't
1. Avoid awkward fonts or strange coloured backgrounds.
2. Try to be too adventurous with colour
3. Be inconsistent. Consistency creates a more professional image
4. Place unnecessary advertisements on your page - too many adverts will steer your clients away.
Overall, this will ensure your website becomes a mutually beneficial package for your business and your visitors.
