Website Design – General Design Tips

The internet is one of the fastest growing networks in the world, and is arguably the greatest collection of information the world has ever seen. New websites are being created every day by the thousands, but many of these sites are designed without a specific plan in mind. This haphazard method of website design coupled with the fact that there are dozens of similar websites for a given type of site design make creating a unique and effective site particularly challenging. In this article, we’ll go over some general design tips that will have your site working fluidly while keeping it fairly original.

One of the most important aspects of website design is navigation, as this determines not only how easily users will be able to reach different parts of your site, but how search engines (which are the main way that people access websites on the net) index your site for search results pages. Most sites use a navigation bar at the top of their site for easy access to various aspects of the site, and users have come to expect this in some degree. Side bars are used less frequently, and frames are so archaic that they might actually count against you. Using a Java or Flash application as a navigation tool allows you to create expanding navigation bars for even easier browsing.

A frequently overlooked aspect of website design is sound and music. This does not mean that many websites fail to include sound or music, as these are relatively common features, but many sites forget to realize that embedded sound or music can drastically change the way someone sees a website. For example, a site dedicated to a movie or video game release can probably get away with embedded music, since people might be excited to see what music will be featured in the game. On a professional site for an online business, however, sound will likely seem out of place or tacky.

Website design does not dictate that a site has to be made a certain way, and originality mixed with functionality is always a welcomed change of pace. If you have a way to build a site that allows it to be easy to use and intuitive while also creating a new look that isn’t frequently used, you are likely to be rewarded with a greater number of users. Keeping these tips in mind is a good place to start.

By: Matthew McKernan

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