The Correct Standards For Designing Your Website (Sam Johnson)
Nov 5, 2010
Several new online business owners have the wrong idea about custom web design. It's not as simple as getting your website up and running. It's about designing every aspect of your website to lead your users to the ultimate end, a sale. Whether you plan to build a service-oriented website or offer many products, your site's design must have all the ingredients for success from the very start. Be sure the web designer you choose has an understanding of promotion as well as custom web design. Here are some features your site must have to survive among the Internet masses.
When a user arrives at any of your web pages within your site, he or she should understand what your site is all about immediately. You only have a split second to grab their attention. Make sure each web page has a powerful keyword-rich headline that will keep the user reading.
Graphics should be used to complement the site instead of being a distraction to the main content. Every website needs graphics for the aesthetics of the site, but be sure your graphic design and logo design do not dominate your pages. You want users to read your page, not look at your graphics. So, keep graphics to a minimum, and use them only when they help to create an even reading flow on the page. Many sites use a pleasant "newsletter" style when there is much to read on a page, sprinkling graphics or photos throughout the text in a wrap-around sense. For logo design, keep it small and simple. There's nothing more annoying than waiting on a page to load because its logo is too large.
When it comes to SEO and using keywords within the content, it is important that the designer understands Search Engine Optimization and keywords. Every page of your site should be designed with search engine promotion in mind. This means setting up your meta tags, link text for pages or in menus, headlines, image "alt text" contents, etc. to attract search engine traffic for the long term goal.
Navigation on your site must be straight forward and effortless. Most users will not take the time to "search" for hidden links or to browse through a confusing menu. If ordering custom web design from a professional, write out on paper how you would like your link system to flow from page to page. If you have content, place visible, colored links within the text to give users a chance to click while reading. Menu bars and links should be in the standard places such as sidebars and top or bottom parts of the page.
Many design firms provide website promotion services with a custom web design package. This may help you to get a head start on building traffic. You can leverage the design firm's skills and knowledge about Web promotion and search engine optimization. Remember to promote your website in every way possible. Print your website address on business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, etc. Targeted advertising online gives your website publicity and potentially more traffic.
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