Web site design tips

Web site design and development tips and resources

Website Design

In the last ten years website design has come a long way, largely due to the success of web platforms like Word Press. In the early years of the twenty first century web design was not always successful and surfers only saw a fraction of what websites had to offer. Some of these problems still exist today, but are less prevalent than before.

Navigation and Functionality

Most site owners recognize that navigation and functionality are far more important to visitors than the number of images contained on a page. When it comes to navigation for example, this works much better when you have an alt text along with the button. While a host of buttons might look attractive, they are useless to a visitor if it takes a long while to load the page they are searching for. Simple design and navigation features always work better than something that is complicated.

Keep it Simple

Increasingly people now use broadband rather than dial up connections because it is much faster, and therefore eliminates many of the loading problems that occurred with slow connectivity. However, fast connections are much more useful if a site's design and functionality are not over complicated.

Background and Text

When you are setting up your website don't be taken in by dark pages with colored text; this is difficult for visitors to read and they will not remain on the site for long. Font needs to be clear and readable so plain Arial or Verdana text is best for a web page. You should also keep paragraphs short and provide sub headings in any articles because tests prove that visitors scan the text rather than reading it in the conventional manner.

Optimization

If you want the search engines to find your site and bring you targeted traffic, then your site and its contents need to be properly optimized. Some designers feel that Meta tags are past their sell by date, and if you set up a blog with Google's Blogger system, they have dropped some of this. In spite of that, Meta information is important and most designers recognize that Meta tags can make the difference between a visitor coming to your site and landing on someone else's.

Most web designers now offer seo services as well as the design, this involves proper keyword research. If you are setting up your own website then don't underestimate the importance of keyword research and Meta tags. Make sure that you have a succinct description that uses your keywords, it is also a good idea to use one or more of your keywords in the header, the Url and in your website title. Whatever you do, keep it short and simple.

Word Press Platform.

If you use Word Press as a platform for your website and a hosting company that has Cpanel, then web design is easy. You can download one of the many free templates available and with some guidance you put together a website that is attractive, functional, easy to navigate and easy for the search engines to find.