Most web designers aim at creating an attractive, functional and easily accessible website which will be convincing enough for visitors. Such a website requires intuitive and easy site navigation, good graphic design, good web copy and logical site layout.
The following are some tips which can be used to create a great website.
Web Content
You want visitors to perceive you as a reputable business and/or a knowledgeable information source. Poor spelling and grammar will reduce your credibility immediately. Remember, people use the internet for finding information. It is vital that you provide useful information for the visitor or else they will just click away and look for another site that will meet their need. This was one of the main considerations when designing my weight loss blog which features Medifast coupons, Bistro MD promo codes and Nutrisystem discounts
Cross Browser Compatibility
There are numerous different browsers available. Your website must be designed to work properly with the most commonly used browsers. To do this, you might have to do without some great special effects available since they might not be supported by most browsers.
For a well designed site, the web pages should be able to work in Netscape, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera and Firefox at a minimum. The compatibility of your website can be tested by viewing your site in different browsers while running on different platforms.
Graphics and Photos
Web surfers are impatient. Studies have shown that many people click away from a webpage if it takes more than 15 second to load. It is important to optimize your photos and graphics so as to have the smallest size possible without compromising picture quality.
Background Colors
If you use any other color besides white behind the text, make sure you specify link colors. If you don’t, the user’s browser default settings will determine the color of the links, which can render them unreadable.
Multimedia
Multimedia is made up of video clips, flash movies, background music and audio clips. Always use streaming media since it lowers download time. Ensure that the visitor can start and stop multimedia files or skip flash introductions if they wish. This way, people with devices which don’t support multimedia or slow connections can ignore them.
Always have any vital information contained in multimedia in text form as well so that the visitor can access the information without having to use multimedia. If a plug in is required to use multimedia, make sure you provide a link which can be used to install it. In conclusion, if you want to use multimedia, always keep in mind the 15-second rule for website loading.
Site Navigation
Site navigation should be intuitive and simple. Research has shown that if a web visitor cannot find the information they require within three clicks, they are very likely to leave the website. This is referred to as the 3-click rule. All areas of your site should be accessible within three clicks from any other part of the site. Make sure you test your navigation with all the major browsers.
Links
Periodically test all links in your site to make sure that they are valid. Visitors are easily put off by dead links. There are a number of free online services which will occasionally check your links.
Charles writes frequently about social networks and web development. He also blogs about diet plans for weight loss blogs which feature Medifast discounts and Nutrisystem coupons. He is currently writing for a diet blog that offers April savings coupon for Medifast and coupons codes or discounts for Nutrisystem, two popular meal replacement programs.