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Design tips for your website

by Henriette Martel

Good design will strengthen your brand and differentiate you from your competitors. Your website's visual appeal, ease of use and download speed will help your visitors focus on your message.

Content and Writing style

• Focus on visitor's needs and benefits, not on you or on fancy graphics.
   
• Organise your information from more to less requested or from more important to trivial (hierarchy).
   
• Be concise and objective (report on facts).
   
• Use simple language (avoid jargon).
   
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
   
• Make it easy to scan (use headings, bullet points).
   
• Use bold fonts for headings and important words.
   
• Up-date your information regularly.

Layout

• Use similar features located at the same place on each page for consistency.
   
• Place important information at the top of page to be seen when your visitor opens the page.
   
• Align elements to facilitate scanning.
   
• Simplify because clutter detracts from your message.
   
• Use contrast (e.g. font size, style) to increase readability.
   
• Organise information, group or chunk data by categories.
   
• Create an atmosphere with colours and graphics.
   
• Design for quick download time.

Navigation

• Ensure all links work.
   
• Use the same navigational look on each page.
   
• Use descriptive link labels to let the visitor know where the links lead.
   
• Make it easy to contact you and take action (no more than 3 clicks to order form).
   
• Provide brief annotations for links that are part of a list.
   
• Use conventions (e.g. underlined blue unvisited links).

To conclude: good design does not replace interesting and useful information and well defined goals and objectives.

© 2003 Henriette Martel

Henriette Martel is a website strategist and author of 200 Marketing Ideas for Your Website'. Receive a free ebook when you subscribe to WEBmarketingcues, a free and valuable newsletter with articles, reviews and resources to help you market your own website. http://www.marketingcues.com