During the
marketing phase of your business a lot of effort is spent driving potential clients
to your website. Having something eye catching for the viewer is very
important. It is the visual representation of the work you have done for your business
and website. The first thing that is judged is the visual representation, so I
am going to talk about designing websites. Some few basic designs involved in
the interface are the visual identity, navigation, layout, headers, footers,
and credibility.
The visual
identity is the entire interface of the website but there are specific elements
that define your website. The ID or logo helps define who you are. It is your
company identity and the website color palette is usually based off of this
theme. The header is usually in a more prominent font type. The rest of the
font type is usually a little more simple and easy to read. The menu bar and buttons
should all look like it belongs together as well.
Navigation
is an extremely important part of your website. Whenever going to a new page
the user should be able to identify exactly where they are located on your
website. They should know how they got there and know where they can go next.
Lastly they should know how to get to the home page.
Considering your layout can be a daunting
task. As much time as people spend on the Internet, it is extremely important
to make it look great because people are less likely to stay on your page if it
don’t. Your website needs to have a good balance of content and information.
Grid approach in the design helps with proportion and balance. Some templates
for your website that are available are the golden grid system, 978 grid system, and grid system generator.
The header
should be at the top of the website. This sets the identity of the website and
is followed by a logo. As the header identifies the web page it needs to not
push other content to far down the page. In other words make the rest of the
content visible too. The footer is also an important part of a website that
holds other content that is not used very often but yet needs to be available.
It may include things such as the terms and conditions, privacy policy, or
links to social media sites.
In order to
establish credibility in your website it needs to look professional. It must
have correct phone numbers and addresses. Having informative and personal
information such as photos, profiles of employees, or other special interest of
the company and personal. Testimonials, association logos, third party links,
and fresh content will ensure a great experience for the user.
Putting all
of these things together when designing a website can make or break the out
come of a sale. If your business is serious about being professional and wanting
to engage the customer follow these few simple steps. Ensure that there are no
errors and always put your best foot forward.
Till next time,
Jason A Phillips
10/19/13
This is a very informational post. It will be very helpful to anyone starting out and trying to design their first webpage or even make changes to a current one. I like how you gave the different template options for reference and talked about the step-by-step tasks that needed to be considered. Your own blog is a very nice example of how a page should be easy to read and be professional looking. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteHey Jason!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post. I would really like to understand more about website building. The tips that you gave were very helpful and have me interested in taking advantage of my company's website. I work with a guitar accessory company that mainly uses social media for business. Our website needs help but is currently being revised (www.theengle.com). When customers and clients call us, they have trouble finding demonstrations of our product. Your point of navigation is crucial and can turn customers away if not done correctly. We are also designing a new background and experimenting with different color schemes to attract more visitors.
Thanks Jason!
Francis Dancey