By: Steven Boaze
Copyright © 2005
Design is a crucial element of any web page. This is truly
where the little things mean a lot. Hits are not enough,
although driving traffic to your site is very important.
Good web page design turns a browser into a customer, a
business prospect into a client, and a proposal into a deal.
Stick to the Basics- Always keep your pages simple and to
the point. This does not mean boring. Incredible graphics
and introductions, and poorly designed graphics can cause
long load times. The 8-second rule works great. If a
visitor to your site cannot load your page in this time
they will move on. At the most, a page should never take
more than 20 seconds to load. Using all connection speeds
to check it will help determine the load process.
Have a Well Designed Page Layout- Do not cram too much on a
page. All the pages should be neat, organized and easy to
navigate. Like a regular paper document, there should be
enough "white space" so that a browser can properly read
the content and locate navigation buttons and menus. When a
visitor searches for a specific topic to find you, and they
arrive at your page to find that topic, they will leave if
there are no means to navigate.
Incorporate a Theme- Settle on a visual theme and stick to
it. Graphics, fonts, content, colors, and borders should
all be within a theme that provides an identifier for your
business. If your company's logo incorporates a flag and
the colors are red, white and blue, your web page should
not have graphics that use orange, green or black.
The 3 Clicks Rule- If you incorporate navigation buttons
into your page design, a visitor should never be more than
3 clicks away from his/her goal. When designing a web page,
always keep the visitor's needs a priority and your goals
second. Although you would like to lead the visitor through
several different web pages while taking them to their
navigation result, more than 3 clicks will cause frustation,
and the visitor will go elsewhere. By keeping this priority
structure in mind, you can incorporate your goals while
providing for the needs of your visitor.
Take the easy Road Home- Every web page should have a
button or link to take your visitor to the home page while
visiting other pages throughout the entire site.
Content Publishing Know How- Remember that all content on
your pages must fit within the popular internet medium.
Something on a paper document must be edited and formatted
for publishing on the web. Web pages must be condensed and
to the point. Web site visitors do not want to scroll
endlessly to read a rambling editorial or sales
presentation.
Go Professional- If you are designing a web site for your
business and can afford it, hire or contract Professional
writers, editors and a page designer. Professional editors
will ensure that your information is timely, correct and
appropriate for your audience. Professional writers will
provide reader friendly content, industry contacts and will
keep your pages up to date on the latest trends with news.
Professional web page designers are worth every penny spent
and more importantly worth the investment.
Your World Wide Audience- If your business has global
dealings, shoudn't you have your content in several
languages? This will allow all of your prospects to feel
confortable. Your audience may be disabled. This is why it
is important to incorporate audio, visual and video options
so that a variety of people can access your content. People
who are color blind have a particularly rough time with web
pages, and this condition is more prevalent than many
realize.
Be careful not to Offend- Color is important in the success
of any web page. However, colors mean different things to
different cultures. If your business deals with several
different cultures, be sure to research the importance of
colors and their meanings. This includes the colors of
fonts, graphics and borders.
Give the page a Sting Affect- A web page that has nothing
of value for free. Example; content, resources or expert
opinion is nothing more than a sales flyer. Most of these
type are discarded without a second glance. A good rule for
layout and design is that 50 percent of your content should
only offer free news, resources, or opinion in your
business industry. This can give a stingy teaser affect
causing your visitors into becoming clients and later
buying from you.
The Domain Name Game- Spend the money to register your own
domain name. To do otherwise is like answering the phone in
your office by another business's name. Identify your
business by registering your own domain name.
Only One Choice of Purchasing- If your web page offers
products or services, always offer secure credit card
ordering using more than one method to purchase. If your
visitor finds only one way to purchase, there's a 50%
chance to leave without clicking further. Supplying this
option makes your visitor feel comfortable and most
importantly secure when performing money transactions.
Old News, No Changes- It is amazing how many web sites do
not update their information regularly. Why should a
customer return to your page to find no change or an update
has been made? Smart designers provide content areas that
visitors know will be updated regularly for news and
information. Some designers place rotating content code so
when the page is re-loaded there will be new content
displayed keeping regular customers coming back.
Being Unavailable- Many web pages forget to include
something as simple as contact information. Visitors should
always be able to easily find the same information that
would be on your business card for following up with you.
Contact forms work the best along with contact name,
mailing address and phone numbers. This will also gain the
visitors trust in your site.
Ignoring Marketing Opportunities- Not offering a free email
newsletter with news and updates is a huge mistake. Putting
a simple subscription form on your pages can build a
database of prospective business clients and contacts. This
allows you to build a relationship with your subscribers
and include specials or latest product or service
information.
Not Doing Research- Before you design your pages you should
research your prospective clients. Know their needs, wants
and what would attract them to your page over and over
again. If you have a page dedicated to automobiles, offer
links to other sites, videos and profiles of various
automobile classics, editorial featuring the larger or more
sophisticated models etc.. Offer links to anyone you
partner with, updates on the latest trends and news,
magazines, content from relevant associations.
Spelling and Grammar mistakes- Presentation is the key.
And, nothing is more unprofessional than finding a page
with these errors.
Incorrect Information- This is why there are so many
disclaimers found on the web. It is higly recommended not
to publish information on your site that are not positive.
Doing so could result in creating a lack of trust from
visitors or a lawsuit from a company or person that feels
maligned.
Technical Difficulties- Make sure every link you design
actually takes you where it says it will. Also ensure that
all of your navigation links and buttons work correctly.
Visitors can become lost and frustrated with a web page
that doesn't keep it's promises.
Being Too Creative- There is a fine line between creativity
and chaos. Personal web page design can incorporate the fun
to the funky colors, graphics and special images. However,
businesses must remember that perception is everything.
Graphics should be appropriate and in moderation. Stick to
no more than three colors; your best bet is those
identified with your business.
Following these tips, your web pages will be informative,
Professional and well organized. Not only will you and your
business have a web presence in the marketplace, you will
be represented in a manner that will attract and retain
your target audience.
About The Author
Steven Boaze, Chairman, is The Owner of Boaze.com
Corporate Web Solutions. Steven is the Author of
two successful Books, thousands of articles featured
in radio, magazines newspapers and trade journals.
Steven has 25 years experience in journalism, copywriting,
certified Web Developer. http://www.copywriteplus.com
http://www.boaze.com Copyright © 1998-2005 Boaze.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment