When you put your hard work into a website, you want as many people to see it as possible. And, if you are using your site to make money, the more traffic you attract the better. So what is the secret to designing great websites that will attract visitors? You need a site that will draw people in and then keep them interested by being dazzling and interactive without appearing overwhelming or confusing. It is indeed a delicate balance that must be struck to create the optimum web experience for your visitors. So how do you achieve this perfection? Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to make your site attractive and alluring to others:
General guidelines include:
- Use a simple and organized layout
- Try to limit the number of frames you use to present content
- Use color wisely. Make sure your color choices are eye-pleasing and don’t inhibit readability
- Use ample white space between sections of text and try to avoid colored text when possible
- Try to limit the use of dense images that may slow loading of your pages
- Keep size in mind and avoid unnecessary page scrolling in both directions
- Use site width percentages to ensure that your page displays the same in all resolutions
- Include ample interaction, forms, and forums but don’t overdo it
- Make use of the best available technology to optimize features and functionality
- Keep navigation simple
Guidelines for revenue-generating sites include:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – To fully optimize your website, you need a specific title of at least 60 characters that includes one or two primary keywords for your website. You also need a detailed description of your site that is a maximum of 160 characters long and contains one or two keywords. In addition, you should be sure to embed at least 10-20 keywords within the SEO section of your site.
- Content – Whereas the SEO section is in your website dashboard, the content area is the part of the site viewed by the public. The content section should include your title, description, and keywords and should closely mirror your SEO section to maximize effectiveness. Make sure your content is high quality and interesting to readers. One of the fastest ways to lose a visitor to your site is through poor grammar and spelling or faulty information. Even a small mistake can create an impression that your site is low quality.
- Plug Ins – The bells and whistles of your website. These are generally used to increase the navigability and functionality of your website to make it more visitor-friendly.
- Links – These can be either hyperlinks or HTML code and should refer visitors either to your affiliate’s resource website or a potential linking partner. Make sure you double check all the links you embed to ensure that they are properly copied and pasted. Broken links can turn visitors off to your site in a hurry.
Following these simple tips can help you create a slick, eye-catching website that will not only attract visitors but will also keep them interested. The longer a visitor stays on your site, the more likely they will return to it again or recommend it to their friends. If you are using your website to generate revenue, longer visits can increase your chances of making money as well as help spread the popularity of your site, thus increasing your overall traffic.
This guest post has been written by Dhruv Kapoor. Dhruv works for Offshore Ally and is a part of the company’s team of competent virtual assistants and link builders. He loves anything related to gadgets, graphics, and technology in general. Connect wit him via Twitter.