6 Elements To Good Looking Web Design And Graphics
People often ask me why is it important to have good, professional looking graphics on your website.
There are a number of reasons why you should have professional looking graphics on your websites. First and foremost the more professional your website graphics look, the more professional you, as the web site owner will be perceived.
For instance you have two websites, both on the same subject. One website has got graphics that look like a 3 year old has designed. Mismatched colours, blurred designs and images, misaligned you know the kind I am talking about. These types of unprofessional looking graphics will make your website look unprofessional. Now let's look at the other website, now this website looks great. It springs out at you and shouts professionalism. Not just the graphics but the whole website looks like a professional is running it. Matching colours, perfect, clear images and a clean aligned layout.
Now I don't know about you, but if I were to make a choice of which website I'd like to read the content on, it would be the second website.
You should pay extra attention on every detail when it comes to your website, paying extra attention
will make sure that your website performs optimally and ensures that it will serve its purpose.
To make sure your website performs well, here are some important details on what you should and shouldn't do.
1.Avoid Splash/Flash Pages:- Having a splash page as your fist port of call to your website, serves NO purpose!! They may look pretty and and have some awesome flash graphics, but most of these pages will sometimes take quite a while to load. When visitors arrive at your website, they want to see immediately what type of content you have. They don't want to arrive and have to wait for the page to fully load only to be
2.Banners:- The main reason these days of having a website is to have some kind of income coming from it. Many people these days do have some form of affiliate marketing on there websites. Avoid plastering banners all over your website, have a few, but plan the layout so your customer doesn't see a billboard of banners on your website instead of good informative content. If you do want to promote many affiliate products, rather promote them in content/text form. Write a small review and include your affiliate links within the text. Brightly coloured banners may look good, but having a written review is even better.
3.Links To External Websites:- May a time I see websites with links to other websites. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and can play a huge advantage. But please remember, when you place a link to another website, link it to open in a new window! You don't want a link opening up a page in the same page and your visitor not returning to your website.
4.Audio and Video:- As web masters fight to attract visitors to go to their websites, new trends are always popping up. First it was adding audio to websites, now it's adding video. Whether you are adding audio or video content to your websites, don't have the volume set at maximum volume! There is nothing worse that landing on a web page and all of a sudden you get a blast of high volume audio blaring out of your speakers or worse still your headphones. Set your volume at the mid level and an opportunity for your listener to turn up the volume if need be.
5.Navigation:- Have a clear and simple navigation system. Don't over do your navigation tabs by having complicated flash based menus or complicated drop down menus. Have you noticed how some drop down menus required you to have a degree in target practice? Drop down menus that tend to move around when you try and make a selection have go to be one of the most frustrating things to navigating a website that you really want to stick around and read. Don't give your visitors another excuse to leave your website.
6.Where Am I:- Make sure you make it easy for your visitors to know where about on your website they are. Indicate clearly what page your visitor is on. A visitor getting confused whether they've been on one page on your website or not, is a frustrated visitor and will sooner leave your website.
Finally if you are promoting a particular product for example an eBook or other type of information product, make sure that your product covers match that of your sales letter page. Get a good graphics designer. You don't necessarily have to go with a huge design company, there are many talented designs who run a small operation. The smaller the operation may also mean that you will get a more personal service and extra time spent on your design ideas.
Visit http://www.ecoverpalace.com for your website and ebook cover graphics.
Valda West is fast becoming a force to be recognised in the world of graphics design. Primarily design eBook covers, her business is now designing small websites and other website graphics in general.
Visit eCover Palace:- http://www.ecoverpalace.com
