| Every website is trying to sell something, a product, | | | | navigate easily and logically around your website. |
| an idea, a service or information even if they don't | | | | Users expect certain navigation, the 'Home' button |
| charge for it. | | | | for example, or to be able to click on your company |
| In a previous article we looked at the best way to | | | | logo or banner to get back to the 'Home' page. |
| boost your profits whilst building your credibility with | | | | Basically don't confuse your users by trying to be |
| your customers. As I read back over that article I | | | | clever with your navigation, it will only cost you |
| realised that it led neatly onto website design. | | | | customers and credibility, stick to what people |
| 'Think about it, when you are surfing the web how | | | | expect and what fits in with your business. |
| many sites will you visit in an hour? More importantly | | | | Scrolling When someone comes to your website, |
| how many will you remember? | | | | they should not have to scroll to see your 'Primary |
| Pretty few I guess. | | | | offer' your primary offer being the product or |
| Well it's exactly the same when your potential | | | | service you want to promote or an action you want |
| customers come to your site, they look around and | | | | them to take, sign up for your newsletter for |
| leave, a lot of the time never to return. Did you | | | | example. If that is your goal then your sign up box |
| know that the average web user will only stay at a | | | | should appear at the top of the page, it makes |
| website for 10 seconds unless it grabs their attention | | | | sense really, if it's hidden down at the bottom and |
| or compels them to action?' | | | | can only be found by scrolling then you won't get as |
| All of which means you should look at ways to make | | | | many people signing up. |
| your site more sticky, by that I mean ways to draw | | | | Obviously there are some exceptions to this rule, if |
| your users into your website make them feel | | | | you have a catalogue site with multiple products you |
| comfortable and ultimately convince them to take | | | | will only be able to display a 'best seller' or 'special |
| action, like... | | | | offer' on the home page, if you try and put all your |
| Join your mailing list | | | | products up there, then you could have a lot of |
| Make a purchase | | | | scrolling to do. |
| Contact you for more information (leaving their | | | | A long sales copy page is another exception. If you |
| contact details) | | | | design a long copy page, simply include links to buy |
| Remember that a website is never finished there is | | | | your product throughout the page so customers can |
| always room for improvement, the key is to Build | | | | skip straight to the action if they want to. |
| Test Improve, then test, test, test and test some | | | | Address your sites accessibility for disabled users |
| more. | | | | This is a big subject, and needs more than 1 small |
| Look and feel How a website looks will depend upon | | | | paragraph in a newsletter to cover it in any detail, it |
| its purpose, by look I mean how it is laid out. Do you | | | | is just very important to take into consideration |
| want to encourage someone to dig deeper into your | | | | when designing or re-designing a website. |
| site and stay or do you just want to persuade them | | | | For more information on this subject visit >> |
| to take action. | | | | Information to include on your homepage Your |
| Even though website aims may differ there are | | | | potential customer want to quickly establish what |
| some basic principles of site design that are universal, | | | | your site offers, how they can pay for it, how it will |
| we will be covering these in more details in this | | | | be delivered and what support or help is available |
| newsletter. | | | | they don't want to have to dig deeper into a site to |
| Your website should display well at all screen | | | | find this information. |
| resolutions, from 800 x 600 upwards. The Use of | | | | This simply means including some simple elements on |
| Liquid designs work best, this is where the web page | | | | the homepage. |
| will stretch or rearrange to fit the users browser. | | | | The credit / debit cards you accept |
| Use CSS and validate mark up language to build your | | | | Your courier |
| website. | | | | Live support if available |
| Provide clear navigation | | | | Contact us link |
| Scrolling, vertical is OK but horizontal really should be | | | | Privacy policy link |
| avoided | | | | Any organizations you belong to like, Hacker safe, |
| Address your sites accessibility, for disabled users. | | | | Verisign etc |
| Include information on your payment provider, | | | | It is worth testing different home pages over time |
| payment types you accept, your courier, any | | | | and measuring the response and conversion rates of |
| trustworthy organizations you belong to on your | | | | each then, refining like this will lead to the best |
| home page, (basically re-assure your customers) | | | | number of visitors / customer conversion. Testing |
| Provide a link to your privacy policy | | | | could involve simple changes, moving your offers, |
| Include your contact details | | | | moving your shipping info from the bottom of the |
| Resolution Although current thinking say that sites | | | | page to the top, making a bigger point of your 'Free |
| should be designed for 1024x768 with an estimated | | | | shipping' policy. Like I have said before test and |
| 60% of monitors being set at that resolution, we still | | | | improve then test again. |
| need to consider the other resolutions from 800x600 | | | | A great resource to help you with this kind of testing |
| to 1280x1024 , 17% of users still view at 800 x 600, | | | | is Crazy egg, check out the FREE version here >> |
| and depending on the number of visitors you have to | | | | Privacy policy In order to build credibility and ease |
| your website that could be a lot of people. | | | | any potential fears people may have about giving |
| The best way to achieve this is to use what is called | | | | you their personal information, you should include a |
| 'Liquid design' designing a website this way allows | | | | link to your privacy policy, ideally from each page on |
| users at different resolution to have the best visual | | | | your website. By doing this you are letting people |
| experience when on your site. | | | | know that you care about this issue and that you will |
| There are three main things to consider when | | | | protect their information. |
| designing; | | | | Your privacy policy should lay out exactly what |
| Visibility: Is your main content / offer / product / call | | | | information you collect and how you use it. Your |
| to action visible without scrolling. (We cover this in | | | | privacy policy should contain contact details of an |
| greater detail below in Scrolling) | | | | appointed member of staff dealing with customer |
| Readability : Does your layout allow the content to | | | | data, and provide them with a way of viewing their |
| be read easily | | | | data and a way for them to request that it be |
| Aesthetics: How does your page look at different | | | | removed or amended. You can find details of specific |
| resolutions, do all the columns, content boxes, images | | | | legislation from your local government website, |
| etc line up and flow as originally intended? | | | | trading standards and data protection agency |
| CSS and mark up Thankfully designers have mostly | | | | relevant to your own country. |
| moved away from using table and font tags and are | | | | Contact details Quite simple, just have a nice clear |
| now embracing CSS (cascading style sheets). This is | | | | link to your contact details, which should include a |
| a way of controlling the look and feel of your | | | | phone number and a proper address, this will help in |
| website that helps make it faster, smarter more | | | | building the credibility that is crucial. |
| accessible and easier to maintain and update. | | | | OK let's wrap this up, in this article we have looked |
| CSS seems to me to embrace the way the web | | | | at some factors that will help improve your website |
| should be moving, uncluttered, clean and functional. | | | | and your customer's experience of using your |
| CSS allows you to design beautiful, usable websites, | | | | website. The potential to attract more people to use |
| whilst keeping page size's very small, making them | | | | your site and then convert them to customers |
| load faster. | | | | exists, whether or not this happens is ultimately |
| Search engines love clean valid code. Could this be a | | | | down to your effort and creativity, but once you |
| factor in the ranking algorithms? It's been hinted that | | | | start to see the results I know that this will give you |
| it could be and it certainly seems logical. | | | | the determination to carry on increasing your sales, |
| Lots of further reading on this subject at >> | | | | so good luck and let us know how you get on. |
| Clear navagation It's essential that your users can | | | | |