Tweet

Principles of Website Design for Marketing

Guest post by: Andy Alagappan

Article Overview: Designing a website is a lot of work but if you do it right, it will pay off. If you already have the technical know-how to start building your site, there are some basic rules that can help you make it as effective as possible. It’s important that you make your website memorable and compelling, because you want the most traffic as you can get. With some sound advice you will be well on your way to accomplishing a smartly designed website.

Principles of Website Design for Marketing

It's in the Words



You may think that flashy colors and graphics are what attract visitors to a website. This is not the case. Text is the most important element of any website. It is only those who are interested in what you have to say who will return to your site. You need to make a lasting impression to guarantee more visitors. The visuals are enjoyable the words are memorable. Use unique and easily understood language. Avoid clichés, jargon or overblown language. You want to appeal to the majority, so think like your target audience. Web users appreciate simple and straightforward text that makes an impact. After you've written a draft of each page's text, have an editor or proofreader go over everything. A thorough edit by multiple sets of eyes can draw your attention to things you've overlooked.

Keyword Density



Keywords are another important component of writing effective web content. With a little research you can discover what some of the most popular keyword searches are that relate to your subject matter. The idea is to incorporate as many of these keywords or phrases as you can, and to do so as often as possible. Boosting the keyword density of your website will make it show up in search result lists more often. Without effective keywords for a search engine to flag, Internet users will not be directed to your website. A strong keyword density accelerates your site's visit count.



Secret Weapon: A Simple Layout

The simplest websites are the most successful. Visitors to your site do not want to see junky, distracting pages with lots of clutter. People who are seeking information want to use a website that is clean and easy to follow. So keep your site simple. Maintain a consistency in your layout. Each linked page should follow a template format and if you have many pages, have a side panel or task bar with the contents of the website clearly laid out in active links. The more easily navigable your website is, the more people will want to explore it.

Avoid flashy, lengthy intros before granting admittance to the website. Visitors grow impatient with these. They'd rather see what you have to offer quickly, so save the flash animations and other tricks like that for later. Only use them to accent a really key point or special feature. Generally they are a waste of your effort. The same goes for blinking flashy text. Internet users are trained to block out and avoid flashy features and dialogue boxes because they are so used to spam and pop-ups. These will simply irritate rather than entertain your visitors. Finally, avoid necessary downloads or plug-ins like Flash. This is a huge deterrent for people checking out your site. If extra effort is required, chances are they'll walk away. These are just a few basic tips to use as a starting point for your web design. If followed carefully you have a great foundation for building an effective and user-friendly website.

Related Articles
  Things to do before you hire a web design company
  4 Cool Website Design Ideas
  All you need to do before hiring a web design company
  How to Choose a Web Designer
  When Graphic Design Takes Over Web Design
  Graphic designing vs. Web designing
  How Has Website Design Influenced the Graphic Design Industry?
  Effective Use Of Colour In Website Design And Effective Website Design Principles
  The Foundation of Website Design
  Do You Enjoy Tremendous Success?
  How to get the best web design company?
  Website Design for your Customers - It's not what you want
  When Is the Right Time to Redesign
  Web site traffic investment
  Website Design for your Customers
  Choosing the Right Website Design Company
  What all we need other than website design?
  Site Design Usability and Navigation
  Follow the Leader, a Web Design Philosophy
  Tables or Table-Less Design in Website Development

Article Tags: designing a website, houston seo, houston web design, seo houston, web design houston, web site traffic



Related Forum Posts
Re: what position to request? - Hi Michael, Great suggestion from David, or you could try something around a design consultancy, How about Website Design Consultant, Design and Development Manager, Website Support and Development Manager or maybe Internet Business Development Consultant. Ultimately whatever you are comfortable with and good luck for the future, Mal.
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.
Re: Top Banner Help - [quote:35xjo6uq]Good job on the banners BennyBoy![/quote:35xjo6uq] No probs:) I agree Online Marketing and Publicity Search Engine Optimization - Web Design and Programming Blogging also may be... Web Design Tutorials Looking to Hire - jobs section Interesting Articles / websites
Re: Reduce Bounce Rate - Website bounce rate matters most today. You can decrease by providing 1. Good Web Layout And Design 2. Relevant and unique content 3. Content clear and proper navigation 4. Improve website loading speed 5. Add relevant images 6. Analysis of keywords 7. Minimize pages 8. optimize your target keywords 9. Good quality of links 10. Take People Where They Want to Go
Website SEO Marketing Consultant from India - Hi all, I am search engine marketing consultant, and has worked on seo marketing of several online websites. In case you need any help or facing any issue related to SEO/SEM, you can post your query. I have 4 yeards of experience in following :- a ) Search Engine Optimization/Marketing b) PPC Promotion c) Website Development too;)


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How to choose your executive coach -1

Make Small Commitments. Get Big Changes.

Top 5 Tips for Better Online Ads

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.