Web sites that are frequented have good design. And there are certain elements that are common to all of these Web sites. Google and Yahoo! are two of the biggies. I’m going to outline for you the elements of good Web site design so that when you hire a Web designer or when you take a stab at designing your own Web site, you’ll know what to look for.
No scrolling or minimal scrolling. People don’t want to scroll – they want to click! Keep your Web page content short enough that you don’t need a long scroll bar. If you must, you can allow for a little bit of scrolling, but it’s best to just link to more info on another page. A scrolling page is an intimidating page, and no one likes to be intimidated.
Relevant content. You need to include content in your Web site that customers would want to know, not what you want to tell them. Most customers don’t want to see your impressive sales numbers; they want to know what your product or service can do for them. They want to know prices and shipping info. Make this info easily accessible and easily identifiable. People won’t search on your Web site for too long before they give up and go on to the next Web site.
Useful content. This ties in a bit with relevant content. This goes beyond relevant content, though. If you give readers some useful info in the form of white papers, how-to articles and other “helpful hints” they’ll keep coming back for more. Give people a reason to visit your site, other than when they are ready to make a purchase. If you give them the research tools they need, they’ll come back to you to make a purchase because you’ll be seen as an expert.
Easy to read. No one should have to squint to read the teeny text, and no one should have to shield their eyes from the bright background. Make your site easy to read, which generally means a white background with a black or gray text color. You can have color in photos, graphics and as accents, but stay away from light colored text on a light background, or a dark colored text on a dark background. Make it easy on the eyes.
Balance graphics with text. An all-text site is boring. And hurts the ol’ eyeballs. An all-graphics site has a hard time getting your message across. Keep your design balanced by using text and graphics in somewhat equal measure.
Interactivity. Include a Flash video or a blog where visitors feel like they are part of the Web site. By encouraging visitors to interact, you are creating a more memorable experience for them, which will keep them coming back.
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