Here are a few tips and tricks that I have been using for years. When it comes to web design you want to put your viewers in the driver’s seat. Give them an experience that they will remember. Let’s start with a few basic tips:

• Usability
• Credibility
• Readability

Usability

One thing that is often overlooked during a website’s design period is the actual function of the website. Your visitors don’t have ALL day to look at your website. Nearly all of your visitors are in a rush, and therefore they want the information and they want it NOW. They don’t have time to waste clicking through page after page of misleading text, links, or images. If they don’t get the information they want they will leave. It’s as simple as that. And once you lose one visitor after 10 seconds, what makes you think the next visitor will stay longer?

One way to make your website more usable for the viewer is to make your text readable and understandable with just a glance. When people read information from websites they scan. So if your paragraphs and links are long and boring, they will skip them all together! However, if your links are short and to the point, and your paragraphs of information are easy to read and pop out at the viewer, you are on your way to being successful.

Credibility

Why do you browse the same sites every day for news? Why do you post on the same message boards every day? Because you know that they are credible sources of information. These sites are trustworthy because they are REAL. In order for your visitors to understand that you and your website is real, you must act like a real person would. Give them your real contact information. Perhaps a photograph of you in a natural setting might do. One major thing that many many sites have are testimonials. But just how many of these testimonials are real? If you have testimonials on your site it is a GREAT idea to leave contact information leading your visitors to that source so that they know your testimonials are real and not fake people that you made up. Credibility goes a long way in gaining trust and having people come back to your website wanting more.

Readability

Being able to read a book is something we all know how to do. So why make your visitors have to try and read something they are not used to? Reading green text on a purple background is confusing and looks silly. However, reading white text on a black or dark shaded background seems more natural, not only to our eyes but to our brains as well. We can interpret what we are reading much easier. Solid colored backgrounds work best when trying to get visitors to read something. Bold text is easy to identify as being important. Underlined text works the same way. However, having text on top of a vibrant background image is just not going to cut it these days. When more and more people are using the internet, we want them to be able to read and view our website with ease.

Remember the golden rule of this lesson. Your visitors are number one. They will keep your website popular and will keep you happy.