Designing a Successful Website

www.Squidoo.com says it best about homepages, they say that its like a "first impression". Your homepage is a “first impression” of your company. Based on this “first impression” customers will make a decision to continue in your website or begin a new search. Therefore, a well-designed homepage is essential for a successful website. Many sites provide recommendations for what information to include on a webpage. The website www.cyberindian.com is a comprehensive informational site that one can use. This site has eight great steps that will really help you get started:

1. Select a Color Scheme of no more than 2 or 3 colors and stick to it.
2. Use a Template that comes in the web design software you’re using.
3. Insure that navigating is easy and user friendly.
4. Make sure you balance the use of special effects such as; videos, audio and graphics.
5. Make sure the Background highlights your text and links instead of obscuring them.
6. Have External Links that open in a new window so visitors can easily go back to your site.
7. Include a Site Map & Search Feature if you have more than 15 pages to make sure your customers can find what they are looking for.
8. Remember that Content is “King”.

Although having a website that looks professional and works efficiently is important, the most important aspect of a website is the content. Your website must contain all the information about your products and services that your customers need to know. There should be no mistakes whether it’s the spelling, prices, dates, phone numbers or links. And, all that information has to be easy for your customers to find and look professional.

Besides the information from the internet, I also learned a lot about website design from a friend who has a Masters in Computer Science and Engineering and has his own website designing business, (www.floencode.com). According to him, the eight steps are a great guideline and adds that after a website has been created, it should be periodically proof-read and tested to insure it is always up-to-date and accurate. He says with regular monitoring, a company’s website will continue to make that professional “first impression”, which is so important to a successful website.


~Sean