The 10 Most Important Elements of a Website Design

If you are a business owner and you have a website, it is one of the most crucial tools you have to help you get more - and better - clients and customers. So what separates a good web page from a bad one or even a quality one from one that is great? Here are 10 qualities that great websites require.

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The website design should be simple to navigate and menu items must be reachable from any page. The user should know exactly where they are on the website and have easy access to where they would like to be. A site map is an excellent idea, and can be used in the event that it is made available. It sounds simple, but the majority of sites could benefit on this point. Keep in mind that there's a fine line between an active menu, and an unwelcome one, therefore functionality should be the idea.

People are visual creatures, and utilising great graphics is an effective way to make your website more appealing. Your site has around 1/10th of a second to impress your visitors or potential client and make them feel that your website - as well as your business (by proxy) is reliable and professional. However, it's important not to go overboard with too much. Scrolling text, animations, flash intros, and scrolling text should be used with care on your web page and only for highlighting an element for maximum impact.

It is the foundation of your site. Not only does your content play a major role in the search engine rankings, it is the reason most visitors are seeking from your website in the first place. Your website text should be informative, easy to read and concise. The well-thought-out web content and copy will do more than anything else to make your website design appealing, efficient and well-known.

No matter how useful, attractive and user-friendly your website's layout is however, it's ineffective unless it's web-friendly. It is important that your web developers know the secrets to making your website work across all major browsers and that they make use of meta tags, alt tags, and are knowledgeable in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Many factors effect the search engine's placement as well as the appearance of your website and therefore, make sure that your web developers know the ropes.

A well-designed website engages your visitors immediately and continues to hold their attention throughout the entire page, as well as encourages them to get in touch with your website. This is called 'conversion' and is most likely the primary goal of your website. There is a fine line between `interaction' and `annoyance', therefore the degree of interaction should never outweigh the benefit.

The majority of visitors to your website are interested or have the time to go through the entire website. It could be that they require just a contact email address or number, or a certain bit of info. This is why it's crucial to put important information on a the form of a simple website, in an area that's easy to access. We've all been through the dilemma of not being able locate some needed information on a site and the result is always a dissatisfied user. The experience is annoying at most, and a disgruntled visitor won't stay on your site very long and is unlikely not to return, much less do business with your company.

A good site anticipates what a user is thinking and caters directly to their needs, and is organised in a way that is logical. If a user is looking for your product or services on an online search engine or directory where your site is listed, it's crucial that your website have an e-commerce page that is directly relevant to what they searched for instead of making them filter through all of your data. Remember that the longest distance between two points is a straight line.

The website you create should reflect a clear representation of your company's image and your brand. Visitors should be able to immediately connect visually between your logo, print material, and brick-and-mortar location. A website that does this will not only increase the recognition of your brand, but adds a level of trust and credibility as well as a better image of that for your entire business.

The most frequent complaint from customers of web design is the time required to get their website operational. A company which takes an unusually long time to finish a site is par for the course. The longer it takes to create the site, the more business - and value - you lose. If your website isn't available on the web isn't and working properly isn't going to bring you any business!

Your website could be the biggest source of client traffic your business could have and it should put the most important emphasis on bringing in new clients and making additional services available to current customers through increased awareness of all the services you offer. Offering them the tools required to conduct transactions with you in a straightforward and pleasurable manner will improve the conversion rate of your website and give you the kind of success you want.

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