Web Design Articles
Developing a Successful Web Site
March 10, 2009
Prior to actually building a Web site, there are some things you will want to consider.
1) Topic
Choosing a topic for a web site prior to designing can assist you in many areas. Aside from keeping you focused on what the site will be about, it can also aid you in choosing any graphics (photos, clipart, etc.) which might work best for the chosen topic. The topic itself should be drawn from your interests and be something you are passionate about. Please keep in mind that building and maintaining a Web site takes both time and work, so do your best to figure out your topic in as much detail as possible prior to starting any design work.
2) Clean, Professional Appearance
The last thing you want is to have a topic you are passionate about and have no visitors due to the lack of some basic items. There are four C's to keep in mind when designing any Web site: consistency, colors, content and creativity. The first two are uncovered here, with 3 and 4 below in tips 3 and 4.
Consistency
Consistency may seem the same thing as saying boring, but it's not. Consistency is important in such areas as navigation. Providing links to main sections of your Web site is important and should be provided in the same location on every page. This helps the user by allowing them to easily access the main sections of your Web site.
Consistency is also important when it comes to the header section of your Web site (site logo or name) which may or may not contain links to the main sections of your Web site. Additionally, any item also intended to remain the same on all pages such as the footer section (copyright notice and links to such items as terms of service or copyright information) desire consistency.
Colors
While colors should generally be consistent throughout a Web site (same color for main text), this is not a hard and fast rule. However, over powering the user with color is not good. Choosing a color palette for your Web site is as important (if not more so) than deciding on a color palette for anything else. Here are a few Web sites which can be helpful:
DeGraeve.com offers a color palette generator based on a chosen image from the web
http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/ColorBlender allows you to browse available color schemes or you can choose a color and create a scheme based on that color
http://www.colorblender.com/
3) Quality Content
Content is king. Coupled with a clean professional look, the right content can provide your visitors with a reason to stay and have a look around. Draw from your topic to develop quality content. Now, not everyone is proficient in designing their own content, so visiting Web sites centered around your topic might be of assistance. I'm not saying "go and take their content", but perhaps their Web site can assist you in figuring out what type of content to develop or even what type not to develop. No matter what you develop for content, keep in mind that just as it did in school, spelling and punctuation are important.
4) Be Creative
If this is your web site, be creative. Creating items such as a discussion board (forum), contests (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc), surveys (with or without a chance for prizes), and regular updates with fresh content can aid in creating a Web site which will help visitors want to return. Newsletters can also serve as a bridge with visitors while providing them with update information sales/discounts, or other valuable information. Make sure you have their permission prior to bombarding them with email and provide a way for them to remove themself from your mailings.
Providing something for free is anotehr way to attract visitors to your Web site. There are many options such as greeting cards, resources, ebooks, downloads, etc.