Top Ten Rules for Great Web Design

Follow these guidelines for great website design:

1) Errors are a no-no

Errors simply make your webpage look extremely unprofessional, and can drive potential new customers away. After all, if you are sloppy with grammar or spelling, who’s to say that the services you offer aren’t equally as scrappy?

2) Know your market

Know who you are aiming your webpage towards. A webpage designed for teenagers will probably need a different design to a webpage designed for older people, for example. Make sure that the design is relevant or you will not attract the right audience.

3) Know your aims and objectives

Establish what you wish to achieve with your webpage, and make sure you design the page to fit these objectives. For example, do you want to use your website to inform, explain or describe?

4) Ensure your URLS are readable

Making your URLS readable will improve the SEO (see here) of your webpage and will make your URLS easier to type and easier to remember.

5) Make sure your website is accessible

Try to avoid using small or fancy fonts which may be hard for some users to read. Additionally, ensure that links are easily found, that colours are easily visible, and images are a suitable size. Try to avoid cramming everything onto one page- useful information will easily be lost under all of the junk.

6) Establish your brand values

Make sure that your webpage is consistent with your brand. Make the aims and objectives of your site match those of your brand, and ensure that your logo remains consistent throughout the site. You want to make your brand and your site as easily recognisable and memorable as possible.

7) First impressions are paramount

First impressions of a website can make or break the securing of a new customer. If the potential new customer does not like what they see when they click onto your page, they will move on to the next one. Give a lasting first impression that attracts and traps new customers, and keeps existing customers coming back.

8) Navigation should be instinctive

Pages should be well organised so that every module of the web page is easily found. There is little more frustrating than spending time trying to find something that is hidden away.

9) Colours are key

Make sure you stick to one colour palette, as mixing up a variety of different colours can look messy, unprofessional, and can be a sight for sore eyes.

10) Keep it SIMPLE

Keeping your page simple will make it easier to use, and will not scare off potential customers who are put off by complicated or confusing websites. They may not have vast experience in using the web, or they may simply lack the patience to try to figure it out.