The Five Essentials Of The Most Powerful Web Design Strategies

There is nothing simple about designing a website

. Anyone using the internet on a regular basis - whether for work or for personal matters - instinctively evaluates each website he or she navigates through, judging each page on effectiveness and style.

There are many different reasons for deciding to launch a website, but the goals will basically always be the same. Visitors should be impressed upon first sight, feel like they want to stay and feel comfortable doing so once they test different links. If your site tests the patience of visitors at any time, chances are they will be leaving without seeing all it has to offer.

Early exits from your site defeat the purpose. In fact, it may force you to decide on the viability of certain key features of your site. This trap can be avoided if you design your site well from the start. Remember, it is much easier to upgrade a well-constructed site than to start over from scratch. Follow these five tips to get web design right the first time.

1. Make navigation easy. This rule tops the list because it can never be overstated. Websites which feature tedious paths to follow are not popular. A website doesn't have to wow a visitor from the get-go, but it should allow visitors to see all it has to offer with minimal fuss. One tip is to keep links to a minimum on the home page. Drop-down menus offer the developer many options, as do duplicated links of site highlights. There is no point in hiding the jewels.

2. The layout is clear and clean. Getting the spacing right is no small feat, but it is one of the ingredients of any good website. Whether your pages are content-heavy or picture-heavy, let the material breathe, with plenty of white (or whatever background color) space for it to stand out. Remember also that different fonts can be problematic on certain computers, so plan accordingly.

3. Consider different screen resolutions. With websites with extended content (i.e., long articles which require lengthy pages), you will need to try and accommodate the different screen resolutions of visitors. To limit scrolling, find a layout which has the ability to stretch and present itself without issue.

4. Cut down on loading times. One common error in web design involves extended page load times. The goal is not to blow the mind of the visitor while taking 45 seconds to do so. Visitors think of what else they could be doing with their time, rather than why they should stay. Keeping graphics to the barest minimum will circumvent this problem. Unused scripts can also cause delays and send visitors packing.

5. Work on scale. Seeing into the future is impossible, but we can all be sure that computers and the internet itself will change. Think of the best possible way to scale your site and its design to accommodate changes that are sure to come in the future. A useful exercise is going back over the last few years and examining the progress of that time period.

by: Damian Papworth

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