Ingredients For Great Web Design

There are few businesses that can afford to operate today without a web site. But if you’re not a web geek, you might feel intimidated by the idea of designing your own site. Here are some basic tips on good web site design from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Website” by Paul McFedries:

Keep it simple. McFedries cautions against using every color, image or visual gadget available on your site. A well-designed site is a simple site. “You just need to avoid the most egregious graphical faults, such as ugly backgrounds that make text hard to read, colors that clash with each other and excessive use of fonts,” he writes.

Words matter. Pretty colors are nice, but “content is king.” If web users can’t find what they need or what is of interest to them on your site, a nice logo is wasted.

Keep a consistent message. Be sure to use the same color scheme from page to page and place important elements in the same place on every page.

Don’t hide the goods. Too many sites are way too confusing. Make the important stuff obvious, like how to contact you by mail, phone, e-mail or fax.

Be welcoming. McFedries recommends laying out “a virtual welcome mat” to make all the visitors to your site feel at home. The way to make it feel inviting is to have “good content and a consistent, easy-to-figure out layout” as well as “social elements,” including feedback forms and bulleting boards.

Source : http://www.wbjournal.com/