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Design Principles You Can Use To Build A Friendly Site
Today, designing a website is not the specialized challenge it used to be. Free and user-friendly software makes it something that almost any computer user can handle. If you want your website to be popular and easy for your visitors to use, though, here are some important points you have to keep in mind.
* Remember You Have Infinite Space
Online publishing differs from its real-world equivalent in many ways, but one of the biggest changes you experience when you move online is freedom from the constraints of the individual page. Never forget that the pages on your website can spread out as long as they need to. Don't crowd your content together too much; make good use of white space. A single, brief paragraph will have a much greater impact if it's separated from the rest of your content.
* Strike A Balance Between Information Density And Different Pages
To expand on how you should spread out your information, another of the tools at your disposal is the ability to link different pages together. This means that you don't need to cram all of your content onto one page. Of course, the best path to choose is a balanced one; your visitors aren't going to want to click endless links just to read a few complete thoughts. Use the page structure of your site to improve the focus of your content. Each page should feature a single main idea and consist mainly of content that supports that idea.
* Use Multimedia Elements Sparingly
Although Internet connections have gotten faster and faster over the years, you should resist the temptation to load your website down with tons of animation, videos, and flashy graphics. Even if all of these features run properly on a visitor's computer, (and that's a big if) they still slow down the visitor's reading comprehension. Don't jump to use multimedia techniques unless you're certain that they'll contribute something valuable to your presentation. Even when you do decide to use them, make sure you also have a plaintext alternative that visitors can access if they choose.
* Put Extra Effort Into Your Content
Generally speaking, you should devote the lion's share of the work you do on your website to producing and refining your content. Ultimately, it's the strength of your ideas and the skill with which you present them that will keep visitors coming back for more. The best presentation in the world won't make for a webmaster who has nothing to say, and brilliant content will shine through even on the most simplistic website. Whenever you have to choose how to prioritize the time you spend on your website, make sure you put your content first.
Without adding any unnecessary complications to the process, virtually anyone should be able to set up a website that attracts attention and repeat visitors. Following the advice you've just reviewed here will get you off to an excellent start. If you maintain your focus on content and friendly design, you'll cultivate an outstanding set of website-building skills in no time!
* Remember You Have Infinite Space
Online publishing differs from its real-world equivalent in many ways, but one of the biggest changes you experience when you move online is freedom from the constraints of the individual page. Never forget that the pages on your website can spread out as long as they need to. Don't crowd your content together too much; make good use of white space. A single, brief paragraph will have a much greater impact if it's separated from the rest of your content.
* Strike A Balance Between Information Density And Different Pages
To expand on how you should spread out your information, another of the tools at your disposal is the ability to link different pages together. This means that you don't need to cram all of your content onto one page. Of course, the best path to choose is a balanced one; your visitors aren't going to want to click endless links just to read a few complete thoughts. Use the page structure of your site to improve the focus of your content. Each page should feature a single main idea and consist mainly of content that supports that idea.
* Use Multimedia Elements Sparingly
Although Internet connections have gotten faster and faster over the years, you should resist the temptation to load your website down with tons of animation, videos, and flashy graphics. Even if all of these features run properly on a visitor's computer, (and that's a big if) they still slow down the visitor's reading comprehension. Don't jump to use multimedia techniques unless you're certain that they'll contribute something valuable to your presentation. Even when you do decide to use them, make sure you also have a plaintext alternative that visitors can access if they choose.
* Put Extra Effort Into Your Content
Generally speaking, you should devote the lion's share of the work you do on your website to producing and refining your content. Ultimately, it's the strength of your ideas and the skill with which you present them that will keep visitors coming back for more. The best presentation in the world won't make for a webmaster who has nothing to say, and brilliant content will shine through even on the most simplistic website. Whenever you have to choose how to prioritize the time you spend on your website, make sure you put your content first.
Without adding any unnecessary complications to the process, virtually anyone should be able to set up a website that attracts attention and repeat visitors. Following the advice you've just reviewed here will get you off to an excellent start. If you maintain your focus on content and friendly design, you'll cultivate an outstanding set of website-building skills in no time!
How To Maximize Your Website's Usability
Good web design, on the other hand, incorporates intuitive navigation, easy-to-read text, fast-loading content and an effective search function. Once all of these elements are taken care of, then you can shift your attention to adding graphics and other artistic touches to the page.
Readability is one of the most often overlooked factors in terms of website usability. One of the main mistakes site owners make is publishing long, unbroken blocks of text. To maximize readability, paragraphs should be limited to two or three sentences. This makes it easy for your visitors to quickly scan your page and find the content they are looking for.
Another factor that reduces readability is choosing the wrong background color for your site. White text on a black background is notoriously difficult to read. The same thing goes for brightly colored backgrounds in shades or yellow, blue, red or green. To keep things as easy on the eyes as possible, your content should be presented as black text on a white background. You can still incorporate colors in other parts of your web design. Just leave the area behind the text alone.
The next major component of website usability is navigation. If your visitors can't find the content they are looking for quickly, they will leave your site. That's why it is so important to design an intuitive navigation system that clearly showcases your best content. Don't make the mistake of using fancy menus that take time for your visitors to figure out. Instead, present well-labeled links to your articles that help your visitors instantly get where they want to go.
Incorporating an easy-to-use search function is also vital. Many visitors don't have time to poke around on your site looking for content. They want to be able to quickly search and find the information they need. The better you can make your search utility, the more satisfied your visitors will be.
Finally, it is important to keep your page loading time as short as possible. If it takes more than a few seconds for your content to load, your visitors may click away to another page. Optimize images to keep their files sizes small. Avoid using elements such as Flash or large-scale graphics whenever possible. Keep the code of your site clean, avoiding any unnecessary elements that can bog down your pages. If you use a content management system, try to limit the number of plugins that you use. Each plugin you activate can significantly slow your site's loading time.
By designing your site with a focus on usability, you can help your visitors quickly and easily find the information they need. Artistic elements can add a lot to your page, but the real design work lies in creating a site that is easy and intuitive to use.
Readability is one of the most often overlooked factors in terms of website usability. One of the main mistakes site owners make is publishing long, unbroken blocks of text. To maximize readability, paragraphs should be limited to two or three sentences. This makes it easy for your visitors to quickly scan your page and find the content they are looking for.
Another factor that reduces readability is choosing the wrong background color for your site. White text on a black background is notoriously difficult to read. The same thing goes for brightly colored backgrounds in shades or yellow, blue, red or green. To keep things as easy on the eyes as possible, your content should be presented as black text on a white background. You can still incorporate colors in other parts of your web design. Just leave the area behind the text alone.
The next major component of website usability is navigation. If your visitors can't find the content they are looking for quickly, they will leave your site. That's why it is so important to design an intuitive navigation system that clearly showcases your best content. Don't make the mistake of using fancy menus that take time for your visitors to figure out. Instead, present well-labeled links to your articles that help your visitors instantly get where they want to go.
Incorporating an easy-to-use search function is also vital. Many visitors don't have time to poke around on your site looking for content. They want to be able to quickly search and find the information they need. The better you can make your search utility, the more satisfied your visitors will be.
Finally, it is important to keep your page loading time as short as possible. If it takes more than a few seconds for your content to load, your visitors may click away to another page. Optimize images to keep their files sizes small. Avoid using elements such as Flash or large-scale graphics whenever possible. Keep the code of your site clean, avoiding any unnecessary elements that can bog down your pages. If you use a content management system, try to limit the number of plugins that you use. Each plugin you activate can significantly slow your site's loading time.
By designing your site with a focus on usability, you can help your visitors quickly and easily find the information they need. Artistic elements can add a lot to your page, but the real design work lies in creating a site that is easy and intuitive to use.