Site Design 101
© Heather Ross
2MarketU team

What makes a good web site?
What keeps visitors returning to my site?
How do I decide on a site layout, colors, graphics?

These questions often confuse businesses and individuals looking to establish a presence on the World Wide Web. Sometimes it paralyzes or stalls the progress and sometimes it leads to poor choices, which equals poor design. I've seen too many businesses cut corners when establishing their web site and the first cut is usually the budget. It seems after researching site designers and rates an individual or business may opt to have the site designed "in-house" by an employee that has some basic knowledge of HTML, but maybe no sense of design and now a lot of pressure to produce a company web site in addition to his or her day-to-day responsibilities. While we can't convince the "in-house" producing companies to contract with a design company we can provide assistance and guidelines when planning a web site.

The Site Less Traveled

Many sites sit without offering many interactions to the user. Why would a user continue to return to your site if it offers no other viable information? Consider offering a newsletter or message board in order to keep your visitors returning or at least build an e-mail database for future marketing campaigns. Harvest e-mail addresses through an offering for a free or low cost service through your company. An e-mail list can easily be created through a web interface and distribution of your newsletter is as easy as sending it to one address.
E-commerce, message boards, chat rooms and forms all require scripting knowledge of some kind. Although there are many sites providing free scripts, which handle these programs it is best to have an experienced designer format and optimize a script specifically for your site.

Looks Matter

While this may not always be true for web sites it definitely can't hurt to have a site "easy on the eyes." We've all been to sites that are horribly designed even to the amateur eye and the first thing we did after we stopped laughing was leave. Think about the product and/or service you are selling. Are you hoping to gain a sale based on your web site? Of course! In order to gain the confidence of the consumer the first area of focus should be the look and layout of your site. Visit other competitor sites and note color, layout, functionality, pros and cons. Then visit sites outside your industry and do the same.

Functionality/User Friendliness

Users want to be able to navigate your site with ease. Chances are if they encounter dead links or error pages they will leave your site immediately. Also, your site navigation is important in assisting the user in locating information on your site. It may seem really "artsy" and innovative to have a hidden menu floating around on your site, but if the user can't see it or has to hunt to find it they'll more than likely leave. Unless your site is purposely aimed at showcasing "cool" site techniques then the simple route is the most productive.

When all else fails and you need a fresh eye to assist you there are plenty of college students and web design professionals willing to consult you. Visit your local college or message boards on the topic and hopefully you will find the support you need. If you decide to use a professional designer make sure you get samples of his or her work as well as contact the companies or web site owners for which the work was performed. The samples may look great, but if it took six months to complete you may not have expendable time.