Articles : Web Site

Basic Web Design Guidelines

Creating a Template
When you begin designing your web site, your goal should be to create a template that you can use to create each page of your web site. This will give your entire site the same look and feel. A template is simply a web page "shell" that contains your entire page design, logo, images, navigational links and a specific area for your content.

Formatting Your Pages
It is highly recommend placing your entire page content within HTML tables. Tables will enable you to have complete control over your content and how it will be displayed. Tables will enable you to display your content in sections like a newspaper, set up a specific number of rows and columns, and even place additional tables within your main content table.

Your Storefront
Your main page is the storefront for your business and should specifically let your visitors know exactly what you're offering. If your potential customer can't find your product or service, they definitely won't waste a lot of time looking for it. They'll go on to the next site and probably never return.

Navigation
When you begin designing the web pages, keep in mind, your visitors may enter your site from pages other than your main. Make sure you include good navigational links on every page.

Fonts
One of the most important parts of a web page is text. The way in which you display the text on your web page will have a great impact on your success. It can make your page look very professional or very unprofessional. When placing text within your web page, always be consistent with your fonts.

Background and Text Colors
Use caution when selecting your background and text colors. Busy backgrounds make text difficult to read and draw the attention away from the text. In addition, always be consistent with your background theme on each page of your site. Select your colors very carefully, as colors affect your mood and will have an affect on your visitors as well. Bright colors, cause you to become more cheerful or happy. Colors such as blue and purple have a calming effect. Dark colors, such as brown and black, have a depressing effect.