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The idea behind good website
design is to offer your viewer a logical flow while making
it interesting and easy to navigate.
Lead your viewers to the
starting point and then direct them through your site
without confusing them.
Here are some excellent
tips that can help you develop a user friendly site and
please your visitors senses. Give yourself a chance before
they get away.
1. Use lots of white space.
Don't feel that because you
have a whole screen that you need to fill it up with
stuff. Your page should follow a clean outline. Include
your site name at the very top. Below that list the
subject of your page and below that expand on your topic.
Leave adequate space between each section. Don't cram a
lot of pictures and ads. If you have an ad keep it off to
the side or subtly intersperse it between your text. The
idea is not to overwhelm your reader.
2. Don't use animation and
flashing objects.
As advertisers we feel the
need to get our viewers attention. This is important but
we need to do it gracefully. Flashing objects and
scrolling images distract your visitor and take away from
the content. If your product is better demonstrated with
animation or some other multi-media, allow your viewer to
select the option. Don't force it on them.
3. Every page of your site
should contain an 'about' link.
The internet can be a
rather cold and quiet environment. If someone can come to
your site and find out about who you are and what you are
about, they can feel a little better about doing business
with you or taking advice from you. Always include your
business address and phone number and email address as
well. This lets viewers know that you are serious about
your business and that you welcome contact.
4. Include a 'Privacy' Link
Viewers like the
reassurance that you have a policy that follows privacy
guidelines. They want to know that you will not sell or
give away their information. In these days of rampant
spam, your privacy policy needs to be prominently
displayed. Many viewers and business partners won't do
business with you unless you have it.
5. Always keep your links
in blue.
Why does that matter you
might say? It's an expectation that viewers have along
with the links being underlined. There's certainly no law
that says they need to be as such but people spend a lot
of time on the internet and it's good practice to keep
your navigation consistent and recognizable. If it's not
you may lose out on clicks.
6. Keep navigation
consistent
Keep your site's navigation
consistent. What you do on your index page should be done
the same way on the rest of your site's pages. Keep the
colors consistent as well. Don't force your viewers to
relearn each page of your site. Keep your navigation bars
and links the same for each page.
7. Understandable buttons
and links.
Title your links
appropriately. Don't use cute or misleading names. For
example, if you have a link to sports equipment don't
label the link 'Great Outdoors', call it 'sports
equipment'. If you have a link to 'cameras' don't label
the link 'hotshots', label it 'cameras'. Your viewers
don't want to waste time figuring out what things are. Be
clear with your labeling.
8. Focus on the 'YOU', not
the 'ME'.
Make it obviously clear to
your readers that you are there for them. What can you do
for your reader? What benefits are there for your viewer?
How can you make their life or business better or more
profitable? Request feedback on their success. Find out
what they want to know or how you can offer them what they
need.
9. Make sure your page
loads fast.
If viewers have to wait for
a page to load they will click elsewhere. Here's a site
that will help you determine how well your page loads. If
a page doesn't load in 8 seconds you lose 1/3 of your
visitors. Here's a great free tool to help you check your
website's load time:
http://www.1-hit.com/all-in-one/tool.loading-time-checker.htm
10. Use a site map.
A site map will give
visitors a "guide" on viewing your site and also
eliminate confusion, especially with larger sites. It's a
road map for your visitors to follow while they are on
your site. Sitemaps will also increase rankings and
placement within the Search Engines.
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