Web Design Montreal

Improve Your Website Design

Whether this is your first website design, or you are redesigning an existing site, remember that the web users that visit your website can be a fickle bunch. They are fickle in that they want to be able to quickly scan the page and absorb selective bits of information.

They are picky in that they notice things in your web design that are "out of sync", like a squished image, a layout that doesn't appeal, or missing/confusing information. When you are working on a website design, keeping your web visitors in mind is very important. Below are 6 tips you can use to improve your website design so you keep your visitors on your site, and keep them coming back.

Web Design Tips

Balance the Page

When a visitor enters a web site, their focus will almost immediately move to the top left of the webpage. It will pause momentarily, before they slowly move their eyes across the page to the right. Contrary to popular belief, the web visitor is focused more on the textual content of the page, rather than the images. This is where balance comes into place.

Balancing your website design will make the page more visually appealing. Your visitor will have an easier time reading and finding items of interest. A good web design layout also helps the objects on the page to flow.

Keep the Layout Simple

Clean up your web design by removing extraneous visual elements. This will allow important items to stand out more. Remember to also have plenty of white space. The illusion of space is not only visually appealing, it makes it easier for the user to navigate. Otherwise, the page will look overwhelming and the information on the page will look crammed.

Use a Clean Background

Background patterns and colors have the ability to gauge the overall appeal of a web site design. Too much texture and/or too many graphics in the background can be distracting. It can also make your text and images less noticeable.

If you want to use a colored background, you want to have enough of a contrast between the background and the text. You want to ensure a good balance because it may affect the readability of the text. That's why black-on-white is so popular - it's clean, crisp, and easy to read.

Easy Site Navigation

Position the navigation menu in an area of the page that makes sense. Web users often look for the site navigation across the top or down the left side of the page. Going with this standard layout will create a sense of familiarity and facilitate navigation for your web visitors.

Make the Text Readable

The size and type of font you use in your website design will have an effect on how readers take in your web content. Stick to Web-friendly fonts such as Arial and Verdana. The font size should not be smaller than 10 points, and no larger than 14 points. This should make it comfortable for the visitor to read your content without having to squint or move back a step.

Also, make it easy to read your pages. Break up blocks of text and create short paragraphs. You can use headings and subheadings to separate key points, and bold important words and phrases. If you decide to use colors to make words stand out, limit the number you use especially on a white background.

Fix the Scrolling

Vertical scrolling is alright, but consider moving large blocks of content to another page. Having vital information too far "below the fold" means the web visitor might miss it altogether if they decide not to scroll down. Try to keep all the important information as close to the top of the page as possible.

Article published October 22^nd, 2010
Web Design by Azatiko.com

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