WebMaster Solutions

Web Site Design

The Secret to Clean

and Simple Web Design

by Kenneth Catto

We live in a technologically-exciting world. Even brand new webmasters today can make use of easy to master web design tools that add functionality only a web programmer could have dreamed of just a couple of years ago.

And that is great, right? Wrong! Quite the opposite is true.

The accessibility of such web mastering tools has resulted in hundreds of "junk" websites that have so much going on at every page that the web surfer is completely overwhelmed.

Some of these web pages have as many as 7 or 8 distinct content areas contained on an 800 by 600 pixel screen... a flashing header graphic, several paragraphs of text, an opt in form, Google ads, Amazon ads, affiliate links, audio and/or video buttons to push, and sometimes even more.

Don't be tempted to make such glaring mistakes. It is unlikely that most web visitors will successfully navigate such a site. There are too many decisions to make, too many distractions. And the content is completely lost among all the technology and advertising.

So, what is the answer? Most successful webmasters today--that is webmasters who have visitors coming back over and over to their site and who are making money and/or getting some other desired response--will tell you that the answer is clean and simple web design. Usability is the key.

Great website designs focus on 3 basic values: simplicity, clarity, and speed. In other words, you need a site that is visually appealing, but at the same time downloads quickly and is easy to navigate.

To design a site that has visual appeal, you can make use of simple graphics, color, and graphical text. At all costs, stay away from flashing animations and busy backgrounds. In fact, a white, cream, or light yellow background with black or dark blue text is best, if you want the majority of visitors to be able to read your text easily.

It isn't necessary to be an accomplished graphic artist to design a visually pleasing content site. Grab a photo or two from a free stock photo site such as www.sxc.hu, add some colored text and a tagline using a graphics program like Windows Paint or Paint Shop Pro, and that's all that is needed for a header.

Navigation should be simple text links or buttons, either across the top, right under the header, or down the left or right side of the screen. Make sure the text labels clearly indicate what the user will find when he or she clicks on them.

An optin form and one or two simple ads can also be placed in the left or right panes, with your content in the main center panel. Your content pane should be the largest area on the screen, so that it draws the reader's focus.

Clean and simple web design extends to the layout of your content too. Text is most readable when it is in "chunks." This means short sentences and paragraphs of no more than 2 to 4 sentences each. Make liberal use of colored subheadings and bullets. Sprinkle a graphic or two per page to break up the text and add visual interest. Use margins (padding) around your text, so that it doesn't bump up against the edges of your navigation and ad panels. Lots of white space is crucial.

In summary, many beginning webmasters (and even some more experienced ones!) think that squeezing as much functionality into every page as possible is the right approach. It is not. What will keep people on your site and keep them coming back as well, is a clean, simple, easy to navigate design.

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