Some websites look like they’re a historical archive or what you would have come across when you first started to surf the ‘net back in the 1990s. Those sites made much use of table-based graphics, employing onsite builders to create a look that was usually prepackaged and simple. Unfortunately, too many people have not moved beyond that simplicity and are stuck in an era that has long since passed on by.
Today’s websites dare not employ tactics used from the 1990s and even more recent practices such as incorporating Flash, which brought forth some of the ugliest websites, should be avoided. These days designing a website means careful planning, choosing a layout that is appealing and easy to use.
Looks Matter
Yes, it is true: your website visitors really do care what your website looks like. There is something about a site that hasn’t been changed in years, one that screams “web archive!” when visited. It has been said that people make an impression about a site or page inside of three seconds, therefore make the first impression a positive one and strive for an appealing look out of the gate.
This means choosing a look that is colorful, well-aligned, properly spaced and uses a font style that is clean and practical. Such fonts that are ideal for today include Palatino Linotype, Impact, Trebuchet MS, Tahoma, Verdana, Times Roman, Arial and the timeless Courier.
Ease of Navigation
Your visitors found your site, they like its looks, but there is matter that you must get right: navigation. You not only want visitors to “happen” upon your website or “purpose” to visit it, but you also want to make it easy for them to get around. How frustrating it can be to get to a website and not know where to go next!
A navigation bar located above the fold near the top of your page is a must for every website. That “bar” should be centrally placed and contain links to your most popular pages including your home, about, contact and other informational pages. Avoid drop down and pull down menus here, but do highlight six, seven or eight pages that you want your guests to visit.
Besides the main navigation bar, you can place links in your sidebar. Here, you have much more flexibility and can go beyond the limited number of links on top. You can also feature subpages, links to certain articles, you name it. Take care that you do not clutter this section — give people a reason to click through for more information.
Avoid the Clutter
Quite easily, you can stuff your web pages with tons of information including ads, linking groups, pictures, videos and just plain old junk. These days much emphasis is place on page load times, factors that can chase your readers away and affect your site’s ranking.
Consider what is really important to your readers and include only those items that will benefit them. Certainly, you can include advertisements, but know that “ad blindness” can make most ads nearly invisible. Mix up your offers to include different types of ads, matching the ad font and colors with your site’s layout to seamlessly invite click throughs.
Top Notch Content
How many times have you heard, “content is king?” That statement is true, but it only tells part of the story. Content is not only king, but it is the essential ingredient to any website.
Your content must be interesting, relevant and factual. It also needs to be original, with no republishing of content found on other sites such as on article directories. Avoid using press releases. Instead, use such news as a springboard for further conversation.
Consider how your readers view web pages these days when crafting your work. Shorter sentences, smaller paragraphs, bulleted text, subheaders, italics, bold fonts and photos with captions are among the defining characteristics of today’s web content. Link out to relevant sources and cross-link to your important sites.
Site Considerations
Of course, updating your site with consistency is important too. Your site may look great, be easy to get around and load quickly. You won’t, however, enjoy a consistent and growing readership if you do not adhere to a writing discipline, with fresh content delivered on a regular basis. That content should be clear and concise, what your readers want and what you happily deliver.