When putting in the time and effort to build a web page, there are many “do’s and don’ts” that can greatly affect its efficiency. Regardless of why one is being set up, the normal goal is for people to find it, read it, then do something, whether that is to sign up, buy, join or even just forward on to someone. In order to achieve this main goal, the website must be very user friendly or there is the risk of visitors leaving before really getting started. As any Austin website design firm can explain, a good page that holds attention and achieves its goals needs to be satisfying in appearance, easy to navigate, and contain all necessary content, which is not always the easiest thing to do.
Mistakes
Before even mentioning the very detailed mistakes that can affect performance, the main errors that affect a page are fairly glaring and should be corrected. Bad color choices, non-displaying images or fonts, font choices that revert to global fonts which can ruin a layout by being a different size, bad or uninteresting content, typographical and grammatical errors. and non-working or poorly-functioning navigation to name a few of the more prevalent problems. A visitor is going to decide within seconds when facing such issues and click away before looking any further. Obviously, this is the opposite of what should be happening, so these design aspects definitely need to be researched and remedied.
Details
Assuming the problems mentioned above are not an issue, much of the positive usability of any site comes from attention to small details. Even something as trivial-seeming as having different colors for already visited links can make a difference. It might not be a detail that is easily discerned, but it does affect the overall experience of visiting a page. Austin website design companies know that visitors having positive experiences on well-built pages are more likely to return, increasing the chances of completely experiencing the page, including a sale. On a business site, this is vital.
Layout
Following are some guidelines in regards to the layout of both a page and a website.
- Colors – Should correspond to brand identity, be subtle, and be in a matching or friendly palette.
- Backgrounds – Should be subtle, without loud or distracting patterns.
- Fonts – Know where and how to use decorative fonts, safe fonts and even the new Google web fonts.
- White Space – Allow for adequate white space to keep a page from becoming congested or confusing.
- Text – Should be readable in a simple font with large chunks broken up with headers, lists and images.
- Images – Should be used as enhancement as long as they are clear and viewable.
Page Navigation
Following are additional standards in regards to the ability to move on a page and in a website.
- Home Links – Should appear on every page as well as in a site map.
- Open in New Page – Use or don’t use depending upon whether it is desirable for a visitor to leave or remain on the page or the main site.
- Links – Should be easy to find in the text, have a different “already visited” color, and should work.
- Contact – Always include an easy-to-find contact area or email address for a visitor’s further use.
- Speed – Download speed must be optimal or a viewer will leave.
Search Engine Optimization
Following are some key points to consider regarding optimization of a page or the entire website.
- Typos – If there are any typos in keywords, key phrases, and links or descriptions, browsers will not be able to find the website.
- Title Tag – Correct use of titles will increase visibility.
- Keywords – Grammatically correct content should not be overly keyword saturated for best search engine results.
This is only a short list of tips that can improve any website; however, they do correct some of the most frequent mistakes. Best of all, all are easy to implement and can make a big difference in site traffic and lead conversions. Austin website design companies can help with these changes or other more in-depth problem-solving for any internet location to achieve the desired results. Indeed, a few small changes can make a great deal of difference to the success of a website!
Call the Experts at Web Unlimited For Any Austin Website Design Needs!
Have you been looking for an Austin website design company to help with the details of your internet presence? Call the professionals at Web Unlimited at 888-516-0172 to help with all website issues!