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Optimal Website Design
By Elizabeth McGee

The idea to good website design is to offer your viewer a 
logical flow while making it interesting and easy to understand. 
Lead your viewers to the starting point and then direct them 
through your site without confusing them.

Here are some excellent tips that can help you develop a user
friendly site and please your visitors senses. Give yourself a 
chance before they get away.

1. Use Lots of White Space.
Don't feel that because you have a whole screen that you need to 
fill it up with stuff. Your page should follow a clean outline. 
Include your site name at the very top. Below that list the 
subject of your page and below that expand on your topic. Leave 
adequate space between each section. Don't cram a lot of pictures 
and ads. If you have an ad, keep it off to the side or subtly 
intersperse it between your text. The idea is not to overwhelm 
your reader.

2. Don't Use Animation and Flashing Objects.
As advertisers we feel the need to get our viewers attention.
This is important but we need to do it gracefully. Flashing
objects and scrolling images distract your visitor and take
away from the content. If your product is better demonstrated
with animation or some other multi-media, allow your viewer to
select the option. Don't force it on them.

3. Every Page of Your Site Should Contain an 'About' Link.
The internet can be a rather cold and quiet environment. If
someone can come to your site and find out about who you are and 
what you are about, they can feel a little better about doing 
business with you or taking advice from you. Always include your 
business address and phone number and email address as well. 
This lets viewers know that you are serious about your business 
and that you welcome contact.

4. Include a 'Privacy' Link.
Viewers like the reassurance that you have a policy that follows 
privacy guidelines. They want to know that you will not sell or 
give away their information. In these days of rampant spam, your 
privacy policy needs to be prominently displayed. Many viewers 
and business partners won't do business with you unless you have 
it.

5. Always Keep Your Links in Blue.
Why does that matter you might say? It's an expectation that
viewers have along with the links being underlined. There's
certainly no law that says they need to be as such but people
spend a lot of time on the internet and it's good practice to
keep your navigation consistent and recognizable. If it's not
you may lose out on clicks.

6. Keep Navigation Consistent.
Keep your site's navigation consistent. What you do on your 
index page should be done the same way on the rest of your 
site's pages. Keep the colors consistent as well. Don't force
your viewers to relearn each page of your site. Keep your
navigation bars and links the same for each page.

7. Understandable Buttons and Links.
Title your links appropriately. Don't use cute or misleading
names. For example, if you have a link to sports equipment don't 
label the link 'Great Outdoors', call it 'sports equipment'. If 
you have a link to 'cameras' don't label the link 'hotshots', 
label it 'cameras'. Your viewers don't want to waste time 
figuring out what things are. Be clear with your labeling.

8. Focus on the 'YOU', not the 'ME'.
Make it obviously clear to your readers that you are there for
them. What can you do for your reader? What benefits are there
for your viewer? How can you make their life or business better 
or more profitable? Request feedback on their success. Find out 
what they want to know or how you can offer them what they need.

9.  Make Sure Your Page Loads Fast.
If viewers have to wait for a page to load they will click
elsewhere. If a page doesn't load in 8 seconds you lose 1/3 of 
your visitors. Here's a great free tool to help you check your 
website's load time:

http://www.1-hit.com/all-in-one/tool.loading-time-checker.htm

10. Use a Site Map.
A site map will give visitors a "guide" on viewing your site and 
also eliminate confusion, especially with larger sites. It's a 
road map for your visitors to follow while they are on your site. 
Sitemaps will also increase rankings and placement within the 
Search Engines.

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Elizabeth McGee has spent 20 years in the service and support 
industry. She has moved her expertise to the world wide web to 
help businesses find trusted tools, enhance customer service, 
build confidence and increase sales. You can contact Elizabeth 
at mail@pro-marketing-online.com or visit her website at
http://www.pro-marketing-online.com

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