Back when the Internet was just being born, the thought of having your own website design was pretty much exclusive to big time businesses and corporations. However today, just about anyone you can think of has his or her own website for any number of things. People have websites not only for business but for many other things as well. It is not uncommon to see people sharing information, trading secrets, and just talking over the Internet without any product or service to market.
So, for a business enterprise looking to spread its wings you need to develop a design that will make your business stand out from the masses. As explained by Website Design Basics,
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner creating your first website or if you’re an experienced webmaster and it doesn’t matter if you build your website using a simple program like notepad or WYSIWYG HTML editor like Dreamweaver – what makes the difference is your plan.”
This means that you need to have in mind the purpose for your website and what you hope to accomplish before you start to build it. Still, there are some basic functions that every website should consider in its design regardless of its purpose.
What Every Website Needs
One thing that every website needs is easy accessibility. It should be quick to load, have an inviting appeal, and should be easy to navigate. In this information age where data can be delivered at the speed of light, a slow loading website can mean the death of your professional online image. People are far more impatient today than ever before so as you begin to develop a plan consider how your information will be delivered to your visitors. If you want people to visit and stay on your site try to avoid going full swing with pop-ups, flashing gifs, and other seemingly enticing tricks. While they may appeal to some people they won’t be attractive to others. Simplicity often appears more attractive than a busy and difficult to decipher site.
The Golden Rule
The first key to website design is to determine what problem you are trying to solve for your potential visitors. Everyone who visits your site will have a reason for landing on your page. It will be either to answer a question or to find out information. When you’re planning your new site you must meet their needs. If you focus on providing the solution to your readers that can eliminate their problems quickly and efficiently, your website has a better chance at success. Everything else that may be expected of your site should be secondary to this primary goal. If your site is unable to meet that need your visitors will likely move to another site.
For the average businessperson this may be the easiest concept for them to grasp but it’s not always easy to do. This has been a challenge for many who lack experience in web design. Just as it has been explained by experts from TechRadar,
“Getting a user to view your website is one thing – keeping them there is another. Whether’ you’re running a small blog or a corporate behemoth, your challenge is the same: getting those visitors to interact with your site and explore your content.”
Of course, there are plenty of other features involved in designing a functioning website and each of them is important. The layout you choose, the colors of your font, and the science involved in the whole process all play a key role in your design. If you fail to focus on the very basic fundamentals your website will lose much of its own appeal and you could very well lose your audience.
