Begin With Good Web Design

So what are the qualities of a good web design -- ones that you should keep in mind when building a site?

If you've created a few websites, or have just sat down and started one, you've undoubtedly noticed that there is a lot involved in expressing everything you need in a site.

It's not as daunting as it may seem at first.

However, once you are familiar with how to build a website you'll find the basics quickly becomes a breeze!

You'll grow to learn bigger and better things over time. Relax.

Navigation
It's important that users can find where they need to go, quickly, without looking around a site thinking, “where do I click now?”.

A good, clear navigation helps a visitor find what they're looking for; or what you want them to find.

Optimally, three clicks should get your visitor where they want to be. This is called 'the three click rule'.

Page Layout
A page needs to appear organized so that the information and tools are easy to understand. Columns and placement of navigation, headers, footers, etc, play key roles in good web design.

Also, each page of the site should have a consistent layout from one page to the next in order to reduce confusion.

The Overall Look and Feel
How you want the site to look and feel might depend on a few things.

Who will be viewing the site, if its a technical, business-like, or artistic site, etc.

Just knowing a few things can help you decide how your site should look.

What Questions Should I Ask?

• What are the goals of the site?

A web page can have a number of goals, and should always be kept in mind while constructing the page.

Customer service and support, describing products or services, proving information about a subject, communicate company branding, are all examples of possible goals.



• What are the basic needs of the site?

Do you or the client need contact sheets, polls, tools, search boxes, image galleries, shopping carts, etc? Later, you can decide where these needs will fit on the page.

If the client expresses a want for something you think will not function well on his or her site, try to come up with an alternative.



• Who is the demographic who will be viewing the site?

Age range, sex, occupation, etc; all fit into a demographic and should be used to consider the overall appearance of the web page. Good web design plan takes this into consideration.



• What words describe the site?

What are three to five descriptive words you would use to express the feel of the website? Examples might include: Clean, contemporary, professional, minimalist, energenic or young.



• How will visitors navigate?

What navigation categories will you need? Home, About, FAQ, Our Services, etc? Draw out a chart of probable pages needed, and think logically of how they will connect.

Will you need subcategories? A bit of advice: Keep your navigation buttons simple.



• Have you considered a logo?

Do you or the client have a logo, or a certain color scheme in mind? If there is a logo, it should fit in with the page.

A good web design plan makes sure that it stands out well -- typically, it's placed somewhere in the left top corner.



• Have you done the research?

Know as much as you can about the company, goods or services, or information you're creating a site about.

Understanding the business or service is key in knowing what is needed in their page. Also, of course, this information will probably be on the site – whether you have to create it yourself or the client is providing it.

What Are Some Other Things You'll Need?

• You'll need a domain name and a host. There are many hosting companies out there, and through them you can purchase a domain name as well. It's basically like one stop shopping -- sometimes called partnering.



• Search Engine Optimization, (SEO) helps the search engines find your website. You'll need to know a bit about optimizing your keyword search terms for users to easily find your site through search engines.

  This is a must for a good web design plan. Make a list of your likely search terms and be sure to include them in your meta tags in the head of your page.




• It also helps to create a time line for yourself. Time is important -- if you don't pay attention to it you may not be as productive as you can be.

  Build in some time to handle unexpected things to do. You don't have make things too rigid, so be flexible.

  If you stay on top of the time each step in your work takes you, you can better plan your work and give yourself or your client a date for site completion.

With some simple planning, patience and practice, you'll find good web design is not as hard as it may seem.

Taking your time to get it right, from the get-go, will have a lasting effect on your overall outcome.

Don't worry -- you'll be happy that you put some design time in!

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