Web Design Essentials

With effective web design, accessibility is key. To assure accessibility to your site, both visual and technical aspects of your website must be considered.

Visual Appeal

Your website must be visually appealing so that visitors enjoy and want to return to your site. Graphics, however, shouldn't overshadow the content. And your website should be designed for fast download times...you don't want to drive your potential customers away before they see your message.

Clean, Clear Design

Clarity of the design dictates that every element on the page has a reason for being there and that it performs the function for which it was intended. If a link to a mail option is clicked, it should take you to a mail reader, not to some other section of the website. Confusion can be frustrating for the person who can't find your information because your directions are too difficult to follow.

Consistent Design

Your pages should be designed for uniformity. It's important that the site's icons be of similar size and design throughout your website, and that the colors of your site, its navigational options, and even its type fonts be presented consistently.

Visitors to your website ought to know where they are every step of the way. Regardless of what page they are viewing, your website design features will assure them they're still in the same site. You can't assume that every visitor will enter through the front door (home page); search engines often land a web surfer in the middle of your site.

Flexibility

The navigational system of your website should encourage browsing through your site. As your website ages, and you add more and more information to it, a well-designed navigational system will give you flexibility to incorporate changes.