Who has the magic website wand?  If such a thing existed, there would only be one web design formula and it would be used by all.  It’s hard to think of a more boring world than that one would be, but fortunately our world is very different.  Everyone has an idea on what makes a website noteworthy, yet some can be used in many different formats.  Here are 10 hot tips on how to make a great website.

1. Focus on user friendliness. The number one thing you need to ensure for your website is that it is easy to use.  People who get frustrated when using your website will simply not come back.  What is the point?

2. Keep moving objects to a minimum. Why are there things flying in and out of the screen?  Good question: There is no need for it and you absolutely shouldn’t have it.  You can make statements about originality or daring in several other ways.

3. Keep your colors in place. People are always thrown off by the move from black and orange Halloween colors to red and green Christmas colors, something which underscores the importance of color coordination.  Find a system which works well with your concept and keep it consistent throughout the site.

4. Don’t force multiple clicks to arrive at one place. Have you ever clicked on to a link, only to have to click on yet another link (and possibly more) to get there?  Everyone hates this process as much as you do.  Avoid it at all costs.

5. Make everything easy to read. A big mistake, especially for the designer websites, is to get text onto dark backgrounds.  Does this seem advanced to anyone?  You have to make it easy to read.

6. Provide a good summary. Getting to the pages (even the home page) is enough for you to have the reader hooked.  Get good summaries everywhere, so visitors aren’t confused about what’s happening and have to continue clicking links mistakenly.

7. Give search options for websites with lots of content. Have you ever spent several minutes clicking through pages and still not found what you are looking for?  Search options will allow you to avoid stumping visitors.  It works for Google and it will work for you.

8. Don’t force music or video on visitors. Automatic music and video have to tendency to bother visitors.  Avoid it at all costs.  By all means, allow for them to access it at their behest, but don’t hit them with effects that are often shocking and irritating.

9. Avoid the overly busy effect. You might want to create a feeling of bewilderment, but don’t make everything seem too busy.  It ends up feeling disorganized.  A tighter focus is always better than a mess.

10. Offer links, but keep your site primary. You will give off the impression you are a site that has no fear about visitors coming back when you provide links, but keep yours in the driver’s seat.  Make new windows pop up when visitors click on links.

About the Author: This article was written by Mona Pennypacker of Acorn Creative Studio who specializes in web site design in Colorado.

Tags: Big Mistake, Black And Orange, Boring World, Christmas, Christmas Colors, Color Coordination, Creating A Website, Dark Backgrounds, Designer Websites, Focus, Good Question, Green Christmas, Halloween, Magic Wand, Moving Objects, Originality, Search Options, Search Websites, User Friendliness, web design
Category : Website Design