Web Page Design for the Cyber-Challenged
Article by Frank Watmore
Web page design is an integral part of all online commerce websites. The website design can determine whether a website will flourish or whether it will crash and burn. When opening any online store, there are a few key web page design elements that should be taken into consideration. The first is how the design can make the site more useable.
One might think that visual design would be the most important part of a website page design, but the primary area to place focus is the usability of the site. The site should be simple to use, fast and not contain too many extraneous bells and whistles. The written content should be clearly stated and easy to read.
Any web page design should allow for frequent changes to be easily made. Successful websites are updated with fresh content on a regular basis. Some elements, of course, should remain consistent, such as the company logo and any themes that are product related. However, other content should be flexible.
When writing content, the paragraphs should be no longer than 2-4 sentences each. The website design should contain headings, lists, bolded words and written in a casual, “speaking,” style.
Photographs are a big plus with web page design. All products should have pictures and brief, concise descriptions. Websites should have text that explains what the customer is going to see as the pictures load. Graphics can also be a great idea if the website page design includes graphics that consistently inform the site’s visitors that they are on the right site. They can also serve as navigation aids in that arrows and navigation buttons can be installed. Care should be taken to insure that any graphics that are used are actually compatible with whatever the site is trying to sell.
Any web page design that has graphics will also have down sides. Sometimes people use loud and flashy animation graphics to try to get the visitor’s attention. These types of graphics are off putting and usually do just the opposite. They can also increase the site’s download time considerably. Small, consistent, related graphics are the way to go. It is also crucial that they be optimized. This is done when the website page design team determines the proper format and by reducing the graphic as much as possible.
It might surprise some, but the savvy web page design team realizes that not everyone has installed broadband Internet service. In fact, there are still a large number of people who use dial-up service connections. Likewise, with the new Smart Phones that are able to connect to the Internet, it is more important than ever to keep graphics small and to decrease download time.
Fonts should be considered carefully when designing a web page as well. They need to be used methodically and wisely and of the variety that are compatible with most web browsers. Headings should visually vary from the font used in the body of the website.
About the Author
Frank Watmore has been in the design business for quite sometime. He dabbled with basic design software sets in high school and then pursued design more when the Internet boomed more than half a decade ago.
Frank knew the ins and outs of what really makes a good and affordable web page design, and what really makes up a professionally done website design. As a coach of many young web designers, he compiled a few useful thought about website design and all its trappings. His valuable input may be accessed through 123online.co.nz .
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