|
Author: Mario Sanchez Article source: http://www.hotlib.com/. Used with author's permission.
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing features, however "cool" they may seem to be. Usually, keeping things simple and consistent are the best way to go. Here are five easy ways to improve your website and make it more appealing to your visitors.
Put your logo on every page of your site, and in the same location. Usually, the best place to put it is in the upper left corner of the page. Remember to make your logo clickable, linking to the main page of your site (an exception is the logo of the main page itself, since you are already there). The benefit of doing so is that if your visitors get lost they can always come back to a familiar location.
Don' t use a splash screen. Splash screens are seen in many websites before they give you access to the main page. They are usually slow-loading Flash animations that only delay and frustrate users. Remember, when your users want animation, they can turn on the TV. When they go to your website, they usually want information, and they want it fast. Some sites that use splash screens now provide a "Skip the Introduction" link, which most users click anyway, further validating the uselessness of flash screens.
Avoid using heavy pictures. They unnecessarily delay the page upload process. It is OK to use graphics, but they have to be optimized for the web. Use only .gif and .jpg formats. If the pictures are too heavy, try using some of the on-line graphic optimizing tools. They can reduce the weight of your pictures by more than 50% with no noticeable decrease in quality. Another thing you can do is to use thumbnails (clickable miniature versions of a picture). If a user is interested in the picture, he can click on the thumbnail and wait until the full size picture is displayed.
Try not to use animated banners or fancy icons. Just because you can is not a good reason to load up your site with neon-colored, flashing-and-popping, Vegas-style graphics. They usually take away from the content of your site and distract users. Plus, it has been demonstrated that less and less users click on banners every day.
Don't make your pages too long. People don't like to read from a screen. Instead, try to use the advantages of hyperlinks to present a summary of the topic or article, with a link to the full article in another page (similar to what newspapers do in their main page, with the added benefit for web users that it is easier to click on a link than to turn a page). If what you have to say is too long, break the discussion in several parts, each of them with a link to where your visitor can continue reading.
Remember, the goal is to give your visitors fast access to your information, through an interface (website) that is visually appealing and easy to use.
You can freely reprint this article. Just include the following resource box at the end:
Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (http://www.theinternetdigest.net) a website and newsletter that gives you useful advice on web design and Internet marketing, one free tip at a time. About The Author
Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest ( http://www.theinternetdigest.net ), a website and newsletter that gives you free advice on Internet Marketing, Web Design and Small Business. To subscribe go to: http://www.theinternetdigest.net/newsletter.html
TheInternetDigest@hotmail.com
6 Good Reasons For Writing An eBook
Electronic books also known as ebooks for short are one of the
hottest properties on the Internet. The benefits of writing
an ebook are enormous.
How to Make Money with Your Own Internet Business
Learn how to make money with your own internet business...
Trains and the Flow of Fuel
Railroad and fuel costs.
MLM Opportunity: The 7 Hidden Things to Look for and MUST HAVE in an MLM Opportunity
What are the 7 hidden things that most people miss when looking at an mlm opportunity? You need to know them! Read on!
10 Ways to Speed-Up Your Job Search Effort
Today everyone knows at least one person who has lost their job to down-sizing, right-sizing, cut-backs, production reduction or a mean, vicious "bogus leader" ...
Celebrate Your Freedom: 6 Important Freedoms to Celebrate Everyday
In honor of our Independence Day holiday, here are 6 important freedoms to celebrate everyday...
Michael Vick is Average
Michael Vick is an extraordinarily talented athlete that can do wonders on a football field. Yet the man is average. Discover how the average among us can compe...
Colon Cleansing Naturally
Nature intended for your colon to eliminate waste material and bacteria and absorb water and mineral salts while maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. A co...
Analyzing the New Yahoo! RSS Report for Marketers
We were waiting for something like this to happen for a long time. Yahoo!, one of the key providers of mass-market RSS aggregators, finally took a step forward ...
Ensuring Your Hotel Has a Swimming Pool Available
You relax and lie down in the sun next to the hotel swimming pool. You open that book you have been dying to read for the past six months. You sigh deeply in sa...
Ole Bulky Jeeps & Paper, Ink and Rain [two Peoms]
I already made my note below the poem, but let me just say,these two poems are, what I call: simple pieces of life. Rosa
Weight Loss With Water
Water has many benefits as we well know yet we don't drink enough each day - especially if we want to lose weight. That's right. Water can help you lose weight....
Job Stress Management Tips
Today's workplace produces plenty of stress. Life's little hassles mount up until you say to yourself, "If one more thing goes wrong today, I'll explode." Don...
What is Credit Scoring?
Have you ever wondered what is credit scoring? Credit scoring is a system creditors use to help determine whether or not to give you credit.
Cottage Holidays
Holiday time is around the corner and its time to plan where to go and what sort of holiday you prefer. If you dislike the hustle and bustle of busy hotels or...
How to Lose Weight: Food for Thought
Would you like to lose 20 pounds? Knowledge is power — here is how you can do it...
Press Release + PRWeb = Top Google Rank... True or False?
Is there really more than one way to skin a Google cat? Could a $119 solution get you top Google rank?
Got Traffic?
Ideas to help you get more traffic.
Joint Ventures - 8 Incredible Ideas to Boost Your Web Business!
Doing a joint venture is possibly the most effective and easiest way to make fast internet profits. Listen to these great joint venture ideas to boost your int...
How To Think Like A Master Trader
Do you think like a winner or a loser? Here are 6 key elements of a winning trading mindset:
Shih Tzu - The Basic Training Collar
The basic dog training collar goes by many names, including choke collar, choke chain, training collar, correction collar, and slip collar.
Caretaking Is a Win-Win Situation
Many individuals are making a radical change in their lives
and becoming full time caretakers of property, estates, farms,
ranches, or even nature preserves. ...
PublishAmerica - Publishing Parasites
I have to admit to being readily impressed by company names. Maybe it's an age thing. You see, I was around when we had nationalised industries here in Britai...
Video Poker - Should You Play Maximim Coins?
Minimum coins or maximum coins - which is best in video poker? Read this article to find out.
|
Print this page