There are a lot of details to consider when designing and developing a website. Some are more important that others and some are used more than others. After you are sure of what you want your website to look like, all other details fall into place whether it be the design, layout or how the content is displayed on your site. Here are some key elemets that you should keep in mind while creating a website.

First Look is Appealing:   When a visitor is on your website it takes them less than 10 second to be able to decide whether the site is worth staying on. You want to make sure you grab their attention before its too late. One way to do that is a combination of color, layout and ratio of words to pictures. An aesthetically pleasing website will give the user a reason to stay. If a site is not pleasing to look at no one will want to come back.

Easy Navigation:   Make your navigation easy for the user. Consider who your audience is and use that to your advantage. Create the navigation above the fold so the viewer doesn’t have to go scroll down to go looking for your links. These links should be at the top of your page and should link to other main pages on your site. The less the user has to go searching for information, the more likely they are to come back to your site. Make the navigation consistent on every page to avoid confusing the visitor. You want your audience to leave your site remembering how quick and easy your website was to search through and navigate.

Get Personal:   Once a user decides that they want to stay on your site to learn more about you, they are going to go straight to the about us page. After you have your visitor hooked you want them to learn and read more about you. Explaining what you do, who you are, and information about your business will create a connection between you and the user. If they know more about you it will make them feel more comfortable to buy your service or product.  The more information you reveal about the company, the more they will be able to trust you and create a personal bond.

There are many other elements that are important such as contact information page and being able to search for specific things within the site. Search engine friendly websites and web optimized pages are just as important but have more to do with the internet marketing aspect of web design.