Marketing Website Elements and Components of Design
Many developers will say that your content is the key to a great website. That is almost 100% true. Content should be your top priority, but its not your entire site. Your site should have a balance of content, simplicity, usability and design. There are even more elements and components of web development that can be discussed. But let’s try to keep this section of web marketing web design as simple as we can.
Content + Simplicity + Usability = Happy Visitors Marketing
Above there is a formula with content, usability and simplicity equaling website design. What does that really mean? Well most website will start with a design and work the other elements in around it. This can work, but it’s going to be more work and a lot more time. If you put some of these other elements before the design, great things will come.
Good Quality Content
Of course you need to know what type of content is going on your website. You need to know your content before you even start to design. Why? Because you don’t' want to design some website with cars and flames if you are going to have a cooking recipe site. You want your design to enhance the content, not destroy it.
Find Simplicity
If you can make a content pack website and make your design simple, you are on your way of success. There is nothing more frustrating than going to a website and not be able to find what you are looking for. What is the use of having great content if no one can find your articles, product, or service? If your visitor can't find it, the search engine spider will know. Keep your designs simple. You can make a site simpler by making text links, using web safe colors, making it capable with different web browsers and using the standard layout of other websites. The standard layout of a website is main navigation on the top or left and content is in the middle.
Visitor's Usability
If you did Simplicity correct this is going to fall right into place. But not only does usability fall under having an easy website. Your visitors want to interact with your website. This is where you can have fun with your design. Maybe have some mouseovers, animation or some type of process the visitor has to click through. JavaScript, Ajax and Flash have opened many doors to this element.
Your Web Design
This element is the part where people will only look for 5 secs before they enter or leave your site. Your website design is very important. It must be something that your visitor can stand to look at. Have clean colors, dull colors are very professional and in style. Your design should have plenty of whitespace. Balance your content on your site with your graphics, movies or applications. Try to show exactly what the website is about and what your visitor is going to find. Try to make a theme with your web design. If your marketing a certain item or service that has a recognizable graphic or color, then implement it in your design.
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
This phase above has been used for all types of multimedia development and it never fails. If you have taken all of these elements to enhance your marketing website design and then put a KISS on it. You will be on your way to something great. Research your ideas and look at what other people are doing. There is no use in trying to reinvent the wheel. Just try to make the wheel better. Find something that you can push and something new. It is hard to think out of the box, but the only way to find out and see what happens is to do it. Find out what doesn't work, then find out what does work.
Related Web Design Articles
