The First Step of Internet Success
Website design is what determines the look and feel of your website.
It is what forms the first impression of your website for visitors coming to your site.
A good web site design is one which is easy to use, easy to navigate,
easy to understand and read, and also attractive.
By attractive we don’t mean you need to put in lots of graphics and animations,
even a simple site like Google can be termed as attractive.
The important point to remember is that the site should not be cluttered
with too many things as it can take the focus away from your
content which is what you are trying to convey.
Importance of good website design
The debate between website design and content is a never ending one.
While some feel that content is the main part of a website, others are of the
opinion that it is the design which holds more importance.
The answer is that both are required for a successful website.
If the design is not good then your visitors will not even look at your content,
and if the content is lacking then the visitors will never come back.
A good website design is what compels the visitor to read what you have to
say and forms the first impression of your site.
Planning before website designing
It is important that you put in time to plan the website design strategy before starting work on it.
The website design should be decided keeping in mind the field the website is related to and the target audience.
For instance, a site for business executives needs to portray a professional look with an uncluttered, minimal, and attractive design.
On the other hand, a site aimed at kids needs to be full of color, graphics, and maybe even music.
Accordingly, you need to give proper importance to the browser and settings you are designing your website for.
Any site which incorporates horizontal scrolling is difficult to navigate and not liked by many people, thus you may be alienating a large percent of your traffic. Cross browser compatibility is another issue to be looked into during the planning phase.
Also remember to keep the design consistent between the different pages of the site.
Use of color and graphics in Website design
One of the most important though not so obvious aspects of your website design
is the background color and the color scheme you use for the site.
For instance, a white background conveys a more professional look, lets you
experiment with different color schemes, and is best suited for professional sites.
However, for an artist wanting to display his or her work the color may be too
dull and they should try different colors.
Black is often chosen by those daring to be different, and if you have
say a rock n roll band then it may be a good option for you.
Graphics are a great way to make your site look attractive, but remember too many of them on one page can make the page look cluttered apart from increasing the time the page takes to load.
The same rule applies to animations as well.