Some Basics of a Quality Website Design – Website Design
mortgage refinance At our local coffee shop the other day an acquaintance proudly displayed his newly purchased website on his laptop. He was rightly proud of it; the site was a thing of beauty. It’s a shame he can’t hang it on his office wall rather than leave it on the Internet where so few people are likely to see it.
juegos To accommodate this growing demand more soul food recipe websites are updated not only their content but the ways they deliver that content. For example, more sites are incorporating RSS feeds, social networking tools and of course one of the biggest changes video recipes.
FSBO Many visitors see this as a useful service. The videos include the added advantage of allowing the visitor to not only view the ingredients, but more important watch how the experts prepare them. With the addition of video instruction the learning curve is shortened for mastering the recipes. For new cooks this is especially true or even if you’re simply new to a specific recipe or cooking technique. Watching an expert actually prepare a dish helps you grab the little details one could miss if they depended only on a written recipe alone.
But what about Flash websites?
It’s true… Flash websites represent some of the latest technology in website design… They move and flow, and they can make your visitors say “WOW, NEAT WEBSITE”.
But full flash websites are difficult for search engines to index, because search engines only read HTML code and page text. If the search engines can’t tell what your website is about, they’ll have a difficult time indexing your website for your particular keywords.
I do like the look of Flash websites, and if you’d like me to build you one, then we also need to talk about off page website promotion. (ways to get actual people to your website, while we’re waiting for the search engines to figure out where to index your website)
Now don’t get me wrong… Big flashy websites are a designers dream. It gives us a chance to really get creative with flash animations, dynamic pop up windows, and auto loading video clips. but they can often be very confusing to navigate, and they can also be very distracting to your visitors.
If your visitors get too distracted by all the flash animations, they will often get confused or frustrated, and possibly even irritated. Remember… irritating your website visitors is one of the quickest ways to get them to leave your website in a hurry.
How about pure CSS websites?
CSS website designs are another up and coming website technology. There are many CSS evangelists who would have you believe it’s the only way to go.
CSS websites use an external file (CSS file), instead of tables, for the look of your website layout. Many people believe they give a more consistent look for a website when viewed through different web browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) They also tend to load a bit faster due to the reduced code on each individual page.
But CSS websites also have their limitations. In particular, when it comes to centering certain fonts and images on the page.
Besides… table layouts, when done properly, will also give you a consistent look through all major web browsers.
CSS websites also allow you to globally change the look of your website by editing a single file instead of changing each page individually. This is great if you want to continually make changes to your website design, but if you already have a website design you’re happy with, then this point isn’t really necessary. Also, if you want to have different headers, or fonts, or images, on different pages, then you’ll need to access each page of your website one-at-a-time anyway.
What about PHP websites?
PHP websites are the only real way to go if you want a dynamic database driven website, (like a full e-commerce store, or a community website, or a blog. Basically any website where you want to keep your visitors information, so they can log into an area of your site with their name and password. Or if you want to allow your visitors to leave comments on your website).
But PHP websites tend to load slower than standard HTML websites. So if you simply want a fast loading website, to bring your business to the internet, HTML is the way to go. You can still sell products and services from an HTML website, but they don’t have to go through a database to retrieve any information.
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So there you have it… My basics for a quality website design.
I could go on for another hour, but this article is already starting to get a bit long. (in fact… This page used to be nearly twice as long) But then my friends and family told me you might not be as enthusiastic as I am about the topic. So I shortened it up a bit. The hard part was editing the content without leaving out some of the things I wanted to say.
I realize this whole process can be a bit of a challenge, trying to establish a web presence that will be up to date with modern technologies… one that will easily be indexed by the search engines… and a website design that will also be simple enough to allow your visitors to make the decision of doing business with you.
So your best bet is to simply browse the internet and look at some other website designs that are appealing to you. When you see a few that you like the look of, it will give you a starting point for your own website design
In summary…
The design of your website says a lot about you and your company.
A clean efficient website design tells your visitors you run a clean, efficient business. By contrast, a cluttered or confusing website design tells your visitors you’re cluttered and confusing.
If your visitors can’t understand your website, or if they can’t easily navigate your website, then they’ll probably click away as soon as they arrive… never to return again You can be published without charge. You can to republish this article in your website or blog. Please provide links Active.
August 30th, 2010 by The Designers | No Comments »