subject: Five important reminders when working with web site design [print this page] Five important reminders when working with web site design
Web site design is a crucial factor when it comes to developing a website. Depending on how the web site design was implemented, it can draw in precious Internet traffic that is necessary in creating sales volumes for the company or it can drive traffic away. When it comes to web site design, a website can become an asset or a liability to the company that owns it.
In order to attract Internet traffic and to maintain customer loyalty, a website must have a design that matches its purpose without veering too much away from the basic elements of web site design.
Five Basic Elements in Web Site Design
Here are five elements that a website developer should always keep in mind when he or she is working on web site design:
User-friendliness.
A website must be easy to use regardless of who is visiting it. Of course, a developer must bear in mind that his or her focus should be the website's target audience when he or she is working on the web site's design. It should not be difficult to utilize the features of the website. The articles contained in the website should be easy to understand. Also, there should be a page listing of the most frequently asked questions about the website and as well as the responses to each question.
Layout.
Contrary to what a lot of website developers think, layout is overrated in web site design. Internet users still gravitate towards websites that have a simple layout and are not overloaded with graphics, animation and music. After all, when a website has a complicated layout to begin with, a user will find it very difficult to load. Instead of waiting for the page to load, most users opt to navigate away from that overloaded website.
Navigation.
A website should be very easy to explore. The links to the internal pages of the website should be placed where they can be readily seen. Most importantly, all the links on a page should be live. Broken links on a page are a major turnoff for many Internet users. If it is necessary to include a link to the site map on the website's navigation pane, then it should be put in.
Compatibility.
Compatibility with the major browsers used by Internet users is vital in web site design. Any browser, regardless of whether it is Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Apple's Safari, should be able to access the website without messing up the layout of the website's pages.
Security.
The most important element that a website needs to have in terms of web site design is that it is safe and secure for use. This especially applies to websites that engage in online commerce. A website should be invulnerable to viruses and spyware; moreover, it should never transmit such malware to the visitor's computer. Also, the website should always be secure from potential hackers.
