What makes a good website design?
A number of elements go into the design of a successful web site. In addition
to their individual importance, there is the need for them to be combined seamlessly
into a web design that is fast, clean, user-friendly, and pleasing to the eye.
(Read on--there's a lot of good, basic information
that will help if you are new to this!)
And, if you already have a website, use this link to
test the speed of your website--how fast does it load?
And, please, use your back button to come back here and finish reading!
Content!
Content starts with you. And, it is the single most important piece of the site.
Even if you have the ugliest, most cumbersome site imaginable, if you have first
class content, you will have visitors that linger on it. What is "first class
content?"
It is information. Information that visitors are looking for. For example, if your
business is a small printing business, you need to tell visitors what you can do.
That's obvious. You also need to tell them what they can get for their money. Your
small printing business is looking for other small businesses to buy your service.
They are just as frugal with their money as you are. Give them as many options and
product bundles as you can come up with. And, give them prices whenever you can.
Additionally, give them information about yourself and your business. Why you are
in it, what kind of materials you can provide, what kind of services you offer.
Show them pictures of your operation, images of your work, your employees. If you offer any service
that your competitors do not, tell them about it. And no doubt there is more—
only you know the finer points of your own business.
Graphics on your Site
Graphics can enhance a site tremendously or they can slow it to a crawl. Don't
even think about designing a site with large, high-resolution graphics, no matter
how glorious you think they may be.
Your site is for your visitors—
not for you. Hang your splendid images on your wall, not on your site.
Color is also a big issue. You may love aqua and pink. However, that may not be
the best thing for your web site. Again, hang it on your wall, not your site. Colors
work together or they do not. Their working relationships fall under the category
of color theory. It's more than a theory—it provides recipes that please
the visitor's eye and enhance your message. For a curious experience, have a look
at this
eye/brain coordination exercise.
Make Navigation Easy and Logical
Organize your site into logical pages, trying to reduce what you want to present
down to what you think your visitors are looking for and what kind of information
they want to find. Make it easy for them to find answers to any questions they
might have. Make sure they don't get lost in a welter of links where they must
follow many links to get an answer to a simple question. Having to hunt for the
answer to an obvious question about your business equals frustration. Not a good
way to start off a potential relationship.
Finally, there is the under-the-hood issue of making sure your site will
eventually be found by the search engines. This is behind-the-scenes work that
I know how to do. Search engines are picky and not all are consistent in their
workings. But, even though invisible, it is exceedingly important.
If You Don't Have a Domain Name
If you don't already have your domain name, you can check for available
names by using the
VT2000 Domain Check Page. If yours is not taken and
you need help registering it, please call and I will help you register it.
This will not in any way lock you into using VT2000.
VT2000 Can Also Host Your Web Site
I can register your domain name and host your site as well. I will host your site
on the same server as I have my own sites. That means that both the Technical
Contact and the Site Administrator are located in Vermont. However, if you chose
to go elsewhere, and even if you chose not to use my design services,
you might want to check out
I agreed
to recommend them because they are very reasonable, have fast servers, are reliable, and have good support.
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