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The combination of functionality and aesthetic qualities is difficult, but possible. Although achieving this balance requires a lot of effort and compromise, it will surely result in the satisfaction of Internet users.

Designing and creating websites require thorough knowledge of Web specificity as well as an ability to adapt to existing solutions of Internet reality. It is not sufficient to hand in WWW materials, which have functioned in paper form until now, to website designers. Very often, the way designers and graphics think differs from the way users think and act. It is not enough to know a lot about programming, graphic design or to have good taste. First of all, you should set objectives of a realized project and acquaint yourself with the needs and habits of addressees of the website as well as with the way they move around Internet resources. Familiarizing yourself with the research and observations concerning users’ behaviour and preferences, as well as their proper application, is a giant step towards the creation of functional web pages.

Functionality and cohesion

First of all, in order to design a web page, you should take into account not only its aesthetic qualities, but its functionality (ergonomics). Internet users insist mainly on quick access to information gathered on a website. Jakob Nielsen, a guru of functionality, describes a usable website in the following way: “Simplicity with the smallest number of supplements, a clear layout of information and adjusted navigation tools.” Sub-websites need to be coherent. Particular elements should be chosen in such a manner that a user has no doubts as to whether they are still on the same page or if they have moved to another website. In a perfectly designed website, the main part of the page occupies about 80% of the screen, the remaining part is destined for navigation elements. In practice, it is difficult to achieve “a happy medium”, especially with additional elements, e.g. advertisements. That is why, it would not be wrong if we managed to squeeze the main part into 2/3 of the screen. Except for main pages, which play a key role in enhancing navigation on the website.

Good navigation

The system of navigation should be simple and intuitive - users do not like acquainting themselves with non-standard ways of moving around a website. Tips and instructions concerning navigation will not solve problems of a website containing non-standard mechanisms. Easiness with which Internet users move around Web resources makes them exceptionally impatient, and if they do not know how to use a given website in several seconds, they type in another address or close the browser window. The aim of navigation is to provide necessary information to the user, which will let them answer the following questions: Where am I? Where was I? Where could I go? Some elements such as a company’s logo or other signs identifying the website, being at the same time a link to the main page, may help the user determine their current position. So-called information paths play a vital role as well, what place a given sub-website occupies on a website structure.

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Marking the option in the menu of the website, which a particular web page belongs to is a solution which helps Internet users determine their position. Furthermore, it is important to provide the subject of the page, as well as titles in the heading of HTML file. The title should be coined in such a way so as to be understood by the user, which entered a web page by means of a browser or any other reference placed outside the website. References to web pages already visited are marked with a lighter colour than those used in references to web pages not visited yet, which will ensure their unambiguous identification. Although browsers possess a return icon, it is better to place on each page a reference to the previous one. The user will focus on the part presenting the information and there they will look for the possibilities of returning. Only when they do not find it on the web page, will they look at the toolbar of the browser. It is recommended (if possible) to give the name of the target page, e.g. “return to product list.” Pages “without exit links”, or in other words, pages which we can leave only by means of a back button in the browser window. The best way to suggest the user what page they can go to is a careful design of the website structure, as well as an appropriate look of references (see also: “References”). In the case of complicated websites, it is more convenient for the user to introduce two types of navigation ‘ vertical ‘ enabling the user to jump quickly to the higher level of the website ‘ and horizontal ‘ giving the possibility of choosing a web page at the same level, e.g. the most current news about ink-jet printers. Links enabling access to subject-related pages, e.g. “see also” play a key role as well. It is a mistake to place a reference to the website displayed at the same time. Reloading the website will stir up negative emotions, especially in the case when it lasts for several seconds. Maps of websites allowing for quick access to its structure have become a standard. However, we should remember about an update of the website “scheme” or even design something which will ensure its automatic change simultaneously, together with the update of the website structure. Solutions based entirely on colour should be avoided in navigation. Not only do they make the user learn the meaning of particular colours, but they may turn out to be useless for people who are colourblind.

References

Text references should be formulated in such a way that an Internet user has no doubt as to where it leads to. Not only does it have to encourage to click, but it should be a keyword. It is not advisable to use general expressions like “click here”. Instead of using the expression “In order to see brand-new digital cameras, click here.”, it is better to use: “Brand-new digital cameras”. The text should not be too long (maximum four words). Underlined text is commonly used for references. Apart from coloured, it is additionally highlighted. Titles of references are a great facilitation for an Internet user. They let surfers predict what kind of information is on the website to which they refer, and simultaneously save time of loading the web page which does not meet the needs of the surfer. The title of the reference should not exceed 80 characters. In case the text in a precise manner describes resources it refers to, there is no need to add another element requiring the user’s attention. The standard colour used for references is blue (pages not visited yet) and purple for pages visited. This principle can be simplified: visited reference should be in lighter colour than not visited one. Especially on web pages with a great number of references, a few of which require additional highlighting, red is acceptable instead of blue. We can use any shade of these two colours. The application of a different colour will make navigation functionality worse and make it impossible for the users to decide what web pages they have already visited. While highlighting a simple text and headlines, we cannot use colours reserved for references and the other way round.

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This article was translated by mLingua Worldwide Translations, Ltd. mLingua provides professional language translations in all major Western and Asian languages, software localization and web site translation services. Please visit http://mlingua.pl

Tags: Web Design, website

You’ve decided to build a website. Great! Your first step is to determine its structure, the pages you want to include and the information you want provide to visitors. But how to begin?

Your first instinct may be to make your site different from everyone else’s. After all, trying to differentiate your business is what you’ve been doing throughout your branding process.

Building a website is like building a custom home

When you create a custom house, you can arrange your floor plan however you want, paint the walls as you please and fill the house with furniture you love. Your goal is to create a unique space that stands out from everyone else’s.

In the same vein, there are elements of your website where standing out makes sense. For example, the overall look of your site and your copy should be different from other sites, especially those of your competitors.

Differentiating your website is good for your small business to a point. What you don’t want to do is re-engineer its basic structure.

Standing out isn’t always the stable way to build

Underneath it all, even the most unique custom home has the same foundation and spacing between studs in the wall as every other house on the block.

By following underlying principles of construction, builders help ensure that the house is structurally sound. Why not use the same approach when it comes to your website? That way, your site is far more likely to work well for you.

To use site building rules, of course, you need to know what they are.

Rule 1: Do competitive research

Before someone sets out to build a custom house, they’ll probably do quite a lot of research looking at other houses, determining the architectural styles that appeal to them, and perhaps even checking out homes in the neighborhood where they want to build.

The same goes for your website. You need find out what you’re up against. Once you’re familiar with competitors’ sites, you can make sure that your site will not only be different in the right places, such as look and feel and content, but that it will also be comparable in the right places.

Most likely, your competitors have been building their sites for some time and probably updating them to answer customer questions and market their businesses more strongly. You don’t want prospects to pass you by because your site doesn’t answer an important question that a competitor has addressed.

Visiting other sites and making notes of basic structure, business information presented, customer questions answered and even relevant tools and articles gives you a jump start on creating a site that facilitates apples-to-apples comparisons.

Rule 2: Plan your site architecture

As you may suspect, planning your site architecture is like drawing up architectural plans for a custom house, where you plan just what you’ll include and what will go in each space. For example, do you want a library? A formal dining room? And where will you put the piano?

Similarly, for your website, you must decide the pages you’ll include and the information on each page.

When planning your site architecture, think about what you’d like your website to do for your business. Do you want it to bring in clients and close sales? If so, pricing information and even a shopping cart can help do that. Do you need your site to get media attention? Then a Media Room might be the key. Make sure to include the pages and content required to get the job done.

In addition, think about how you plan to expand your website in the future. At the beginning, designing a website of more than 10 pages can overwhelm a small business both in terms of budget and time required to write the content.

But, if you create an expanded site map at the beginning a website wish list if you will then you and your website strategist can determine which pages will be most important in helping you reach your goals. You’ll also have a clear roadmap you can use to add on to your website as your budget and schedule allow.

For more about the pages to include on your website, see this article: Pages To Include On Your Website.

Rule 3: Name your pages in a way that makes sense

Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar house and been unable to find your way around? You probably asked the hostess where the kitchen was so you could drop off your pot luck dish or the way to the bathroom.

On a website, though, visitors don’t have the luxury of asking where things are. So you want to make it as easy as possible for them to find the information that they need.

Some small businesses want navigation button names to be clever or interesting. But, it’s important to think about the website visit from your customers’ or prospects’ point of view. They often come to your site looking for specific information. Even if they’re just browsing, they want an organized way to look around where clicking a link takes them to the page they expect. Remember that visitors don’t have a lot of time or the patience to bumble around your site.

You see the same navigation buttons on every site you visit for a good reason. Established usage conventions have trained visitors to look for names like “Services,” “About” and “Contact” when they’re out browsing around. Capitalize on this and your visitors will be able to find what they’re looking for quickly keeping your site and your business in their good graces.

Following these three simple rules makes it much more likely that your website is structurally sound and that your visitors will have a great experience there instead of a frustrating one.

Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big visibility for small businesses. Her ebook, “All The News About Email Newsletters” will tell you everything you need to know about desiging, writing, and sending out an email newsletter to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. http://www.elf-design.com/products-mini-newsletter.html

Tags: website, website design

What site would you prefer to go to? A site that has 100 pages of content but has not been updated in a year, or a 50 page site that keeps adding new content once a week?

Search engines think the same.

As you start to build out the content on your site, space it out and try to upload a new 200-500 word page every week.

Each one of these pages should go after a different keyword or keyword phrase. Use the top keywords from your PPC campaign.

We’ll repeat this point since it is so important: a website that is stagnant and has not changed content over the last year will never lead the pack in search engines.

What are the easiest ways to add fresh content to your page?

A) Build a site that is easy to update and change.

We recommend that you build your site in a modular way. Just think of a site built out of Lego blocks. Every page on your site will consist of a lot of Lego blocks and you can use the same Lego blocks on each of your pages.

Let’s say for example you want to change your top header. Most websites navigation bar at the top. If you are using a modular site that uses Lego blocks, then one Lego block would be for your top header. Now you can just update this one Lego block and the header on all of your 68 pages is automatically updated.

This will save you hours of work and make it far easier to update your pages and keep them fresh. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a programmer to use this. Building a modular site with Lego blocks is very easy. We cover this in detail in the module on Site Design.

B) Add dynamic content into your site.

Dynamic content is content that automatically keeps changing. In the past, adding dynamic content used to be very hard but with new advancements it has become super easy to do.

Here’s an easy way to get updated content into your website effortlessly. Let’s say that you are trying to build an expert site on “web design.”

In this case, you could go to a site such as BlinkList and automatically add the latest “web design tutorials” that people are finding online to your site. To do this, all you would have to do is:

1. Go to BlinkList
2. Look for the instructions on the sidebar to BROADCAST the content.
3. Copy and paste the javascript code that is provided by BlinkList into your site If you did the above, you would have a section on your site that would constantly show the latest web design tutorials that people are discovering online.

This is not only great content for site visitors but would also keep your site fresh and help significantly with SEO.

C) Attach a blog to your site.

Blogs are very easy to update and should be a key part of every search engine optimization. Search engines like Google love regularly updated, content-rich sites ‘ which is exactly what blogs are!

Most blogs are updated with new articles and information on a daily basis; over time the search engines recognize them for their wealth of information and boost their ranking.

Blogs also contain a rich supply of links. Since bloggers are always looking for ways to keep their blogs fresh, they are likely to use links rather than create all the content themselves.

Links to quality sites, including blog search engines and directories, can lead to high search engine rankings.

If you have a great site with excellent content that visitors love, this will start to work in your favor. If you are just spamming search engines and not providing value for the visitors, then Google will eventually catch up with you.

Bjorn Brands is a successfull enterprenuer who transitioned from having his own building company to a great online business. Check out his site and see for yourself how his FREE course can help you do the same at http://www.moneyacces.com

Tags: Web Design, website