Friday, February 27, 2009

Some Web Design Tips

By Jerry Hammond

Optimal performance is the number one priority in any website design. It is a huge mistake to assume the belief those visitors needs to be entertained with fancy flash works which usually requires long loading time, when the truth is exactly the opposite.

Follow these basic rules for website design when creating your site and you can be assured of an optimally designed website you can be proud of.

1) Try to avoid using splash pages

Splash pages makes up the first impression people have of a website. These are elaborately fancy pages with lavish designs and images along with words such as "welcome to our website Usually, they are pages of elaborate graphics that includes words such as "welcome or "click here to enter the site. These are merely distractions that can divert attention away from the purpose of your website. Visitors will be more likely to leave your first page without waiting for the exceptionally slow loading time due to the heavy graphics used.

2) Use any form of banner advertisements sparing

Some sites have a number of these advertising banners displayed around the page but the most prominent place is at the top. Banner ad tends to be ignored by most web surfers so it is a total majority of the web surfers so they would a total waste of your website space. Instead add useful contents and add your affiliate links skillfully into the body of the text so that it would seem like a natural part of your text and not an advertisement.

3) Provide your site with an easy navigation system

The navigation should be made very simple that even a young child can manage to find their way around. Do not use any form of menus that will complicate users, drop downs and multi-tiers are not a good idea. There are so many websites competing for attention, if your menus make it difficult for them, they will leave. Your website design should include the construction a sitemap that will make it easy for them to find what they want.

4) Make it clear where the user is at the moment

When you have successfully captured their attention and enjoying the whole experience perusing your website, you will want to make them know where they are at the moment without feeling lost. This way, they can easily navigate the exact section they want. Make sure that every page has its own title and that some form of breadcrumb trail is used to track the visitors step throughout the entire website. If you confuse your visitors in any way they will leave.

5) Do not use audio

Your favorite tune may be repulsive to some visitors, so use music sparingly. A sound file should not be played continuously it can be irritating on the user. If adding audios seems like a good idea to you, do make sure you provide some form of control such as muting or volume control so that your visitors can adapt to their surroundings. If you diligently apply these website design tips, you will be rewarded with retuning visitors again and again to your website.

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