Top Tips for Web Design
Content is King. The most
important thing to remember
about popular web sites is
that they are always rich in
content.
Stick to your subject. Don't
try to be all things to all
people. Keep your goal in
mind. Creating a web site is
challenging and fun. The
temptation to put as many
bells and whistles as you can
on a page is almost
overwhelming. But unless
your site is involved with
bells and whistles, don't do it!
The purpose of designing a
site carefully is not to make
it look cool, or win awards.
It's to accomplish the
intended goal of the site. It's
a good idea to write down
the goal of your the site
before starting any design
work. It will help you make
design designs for the site as
a whole.
First impressions count!
Think about the message you
are sending to your
customer. The first page of
your web site should be a
concise description of the
website. Don't make this
page too busy - entice
visitors to dig deeper into
your site through the use of
inviting text and interesting
graphics. If you are serious
about your business, buy
your own domain name and
don't use a "free" hosting
service.
Design sites, not pages. Your
primary concern should be
the site's overall design.
When starting to design a
new site from scratch, you
should try to create a design
that will make sense to
users, has a consistent look
and feel, and is not to
difficult to extend in the
future. The consistency of
design of a site is one of the
factors that differentiates
amateur sites from
professional ones.
Make it easy to get around
your site. Your customer
should be able to easily
navigate to any page in your
web from any page in your
page. It's important to link in
a consistent, well thought
out manner that users can
learn to navigate. Have clear
links to your pages and, if are
selling a product, make it
easy for people to buy it!
Show your business name,
address, phone number and
E-mail address on each an
every page. Invite customers
to contact you with their
questions or comments. Add
links to other sites only when
necessary, or on a special
links page at the end of your
site. You want visitors to go
through your site before
surfing off to another! <
View your site through the
eyes of a stranger. Once you
have completed you site
outline, view it in other
browsers. Does it look like
you wanted it to look?
Don't forget to tell the world
about your new site. Make
sure that your URL is on all
your company business
cards, letter heads,
brochures, phone systems,
etc. Swap links with other
related web sites and
consider banner advertising.
List your site with the major
search engines, but read
their rules of submission
first!
Keep your site current. Come
up with a reason for people
to visit and revisit your
pages and recommend them
to their friends. This could be
a series of articles giving
tips, a daily cartoon, or other
attention catching event.
The words most likely to
attract visitors are: Free and
Special. Be sure you offer
something of value if you
uses these words!
Survey says... Ask users
about your site. Create a
survey and give a reward for
responding. Ask friends to
check out the site, then grill
them on what they thought
about it. This can be valuable
input on what improvements
are needed. Often, users can
be thrown by things a
designer might never see as
a problem. Don't ever stop
looking for ways to improve
your website. Subscribe to
professional E-zines, and
keep surfing the web doing
market research. What are
your competitors doing
better? Ask for feedback
from your friends, relatives
and customers. They will
often see things with fresh
eyes.
