| Free Adobe Photoshop website templates by Colorifer.com. Web design articles | |
|
|
|
|
11 Steps to Sticky Web Site!
An attractive and user-friendly Web site is crucial to attracting prospects and holding their interest. Seems obvious, yet poor design and even more poorly written content clutter the Web. The basics of a good web site are simple. Generally, if the purpose of your web site is to convey information, the emphasis should be on clear navigation and engaging text. If however, your purpose is to showcase a portfolio or develop a brand identity, then it will be more appropriate to limit the amount of text, and concentrate on the graphics. However you define the purpose of your web site, following a few basic guidelines will keep your web site user-friendly. Keep It Simple. This is the most important rule of Web site design. Keeping things straightforward from a user's perspective requires some thought and planning. If people find it difficult to get into or move around your site, they may not stay for the show. Ditto if you make it difficult for them to contact you or place an order. A little research into what your visitors will be looking for when they click on your Web site will help keep them happy. Make Your Links Clear. An important part of keeping it simple is making your links clear. If you use icons or pictures for your links, be sure to give them text titles. It may sound boring, but your site visitors don't want to waste their time trying to guess where to go next. Also, make sure that your links are easily visible. Don't make your visitors have to scroll across to find them. Typically, links are found across the top of the page, or vertically arranged on the left. Use Straightforward Navigation. Make sure your visitors always know where they are by providing a navigation bar or map on every page. Also, try to arrange your information so that it is never more three clicks away. Make it easy for your visitors to find what they're looking for, and to get around your site. Tell Them What to Do. Web users like to know what's expected of them. If you want them to order your product, sign up for a newsletter, or contact you - tell them. And then give them an easy way to do it. Give 'em What They're Looking For! Your home page should include enough information about your site to let your visitor know they have found what they're looking for. Nothing annoys users more than wading through click-thru's, only to find that you don't have the information or product they're seeking. Clear, engaging, value-driven content is essential to your web site's success. Lame language and garbled grammar will ruin your professional image. Minimize Download Times. Big graphics, flashy animation, intricate images - they all take time to download. Take care when using whistles and bells. Again, consider your typical visitor. Will they have access to the latest technology? Or will they be dialing up from their rinky-dink home desktop? All the flash technology in the world won't impress your visitors if they don't stick around until the page loads. Use Images Sparingly. Images are a great way to add some pizzazz to a Web site. Too many, however, can detract from your site's appearance or message, and they can make your site slow to load. Try using images that support and add value to your text, not as a substitute for information. Remember too, that although JEPG files are better for photographs, GIF files are quicker to download. Avoid Unnecessary Forms. This is especially relevant for e-commerce sites, but applies equally to subscription forms for anything. Long forms complicate the ordering process, and prospects may not be willing to fill in what they see as unnecessary details. Color. Use color with restraint in your Web site design. Too many colors may make your site look garish and incoherent. Stick to two or three complimentary colors to make a better impression. The same goes for textured or colored backgrounds. Often such backgrounds make text difficult to read, for example, a light blue background with yellow text or a black background with light blue text is virtually unreadable. (Don't laugh! I've seen 'em both.) Text. Different browsers support different fonts, and not all the same ones. So that unusual lettering that you think looks so good as your font choice, may show up as indecipherable gobbledy-gook on your visitor's screen. But all is not lost. There are a few fonts (called "true type" fonts) that are common to all browsers. The ones most commonly used are Times New Roman, Ariel, Helvetica, and Verdana (which was designed specifically for the Web). Also, allow plenty of "white space" on the page. Spaces give readers a visual break, and allow them to focus more fully on separate elements of the page. Following these simple guidelines, or using them as a checklist for your existing web site, will save you time and money. More importantly, your site visitors will feel understood and appreciated. And that's a good thing! ©Copyright 2004. Collette Gillian dba bestWriter4U.com. All rights reserved. About The Author Collette Gillian is a copywriter specializing in Web content and Web copy with an emphasis on usability and results. She also helps her clients optimize the content of their Web sites to improve search engine positioning. Visit http://www.bestwriter4u.com for more helpful articles and information.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Website Checklist 10 Basic Things Your Website Should Have .. 10 Reasons Why You Need A Multilingual Website The internet continues to grow and has become the default point of call for businesses and individuals searching for goods, services or information. For businesses wishing to get that competitive advantage, a multilingual website now presents one of the most high impact means of expanding a client base and securing greater sales volumes. Increase Your Credibility With Web Site Awards Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward your site for a specific reason. They will usually give you an award graphic or text link to include on your site if you win. Website Promotion Ideas: 10 Tips On How To Use Your Picture Effectively To Increase Your Sales Seeing is believing.One trick to increase your visibility as well as your credibility is to use your photo at your website. Maximising Web Site Viewability - Browsers With so many different configurations internet users have their computers set up with, it can be difficult to decide how web sites should be configured so that it is viewable in as many configurations as possible.So in the last 6 months i have been logging the statistics from my web design site to achieve as accurate a result as possible to answer this question. 10 Tips for Killer Website Design Does website design make a difference in how long people will visit your website or if they'll stay and shop? You bet. You've seen the websites that scream "bad idea" and you know those folks are losing potential customers to their ineffective website design. Stop Sabotaging Your Sales Do your web pages, sales letters or personal presentations include subtle distractions that unnecessarily cause you to lose sales?Sometimes prospective customers get distracted during the selling process by outside interruptions. You cannot control those. Web Production And Design Tips You have identified that to have an internet prescence would be of benefit to your small business, however are not sure how to proceed. This article gives free tips on web design services and practices and on how to keep your web designer happy and on side. Good Web Design - What Is It? There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a website. Flash, Database, content management, Client Login, etc,etc. Getting Along With Your Web Designer You're all ready to get started creating your web presence and you've found a skilled web designer to build your website for you. Do you know what he needs from you to do an efficient job? Good web design requires cooperation between the architect and the user to create a product that will serve its intended function, and you don't have to be an internet expert to do your part. Quality Website Design At An Affordable Price I always have people asking me if I know of anybody who can build them a website which is affordable but also professional looking. They want the website to be search engine friendly, there is no point in having a website if no one can see it, and fully optimised. Are You A Bill Clinton Webmaster? One of the most frequent questions I get asked about my ebook, Don't Get Banned BY The Search Engines, is whether I amended it to include post-Florida Google. "Florida" is the code name that search engine optimizer wizards gave to a November, 2003, shakeup at Google that left many webmasters covering themselves up with makeshift fig leaves while dangling upside down above the proverbial crocodile moat. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters A highly effective website will always reflect its highly effective webmaster. Throughout the years of doing a number of websites, I've seen quite a few effective webmasters all over the web and I would like to share to you their successes by exploring on this topic: "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Webmasters. Internet Tip of the Week: First Impressions First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do business on the Web. After you refine your ads, and if you make your pitch to a targeted group, you will start to get visitors to your web site. 10 Important Web Design Tips: SEO Friendly Website A website should firstly be searched out by visitors before talking about attracting or retaining those visitors. Nowadays, a "well designed website" does not only relate to a web site's visual attractiveness but more importantly, how friendly it is with search engines. Digitalize It! : (Modification of images with tools such as Adobe CS and Corel) Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes for an artist and designer to create art. It was a box of crayons that make one happy designer during his early years of formation. Nine Effective Tips For Improving Your Website's Usability Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any web design. This is the driving factor that keeps your visitors coming back to your website. Great E-Cover Creation in 5 Steps There are several graphic software packages available to help you create your own e-covers for your product or service. Most provide you with a set of templates to choose from, and have varying degrees to allow you to modify the templates provided. How Do We Know When Its Time To Redesign Our Web Site? A question we frequently get asked is, "how do we know when it is time to redesign our Web site?" The answer undoubtedly varies.The first thing to analyze is your existing Web presence. Web Site Turn Ons When you develop a sales brochure, you have a mental checklist of what needs to be in it. You probably look at brochures from other vendors.
|
|
2007-2008 © Copyright colorifer.com. All Rights Reserved. Free Adobe Photoshop templates. Web Design Articles | Site Map | Terms of Use 
|