Web Design - Think About the Visitor

A website has become an integral part in the running of businesses of all types and sizes. A good website, though, must be visitor friendly. If the visitor cannot understand what the site is trying to say, and cannot navigate around the site, then it is not able to serve its purpose. Before designing a website you need to know your audience and what they will be looking for.

The average internet user looks at a website for 10 seconds before deciding whether to read on or leave. That means that your website needs to attract the visitor's attention very quickly. It can't be too bland. The general design and colour scheme can be very important in the success or lack of success of a website. The design needs to be easy on the eye so it is not difficult to read. An attractive design can attract the visitor and cause them to stay and read on.

Clarity can be one of the most important factors. If the site, and more specifically the text, is not clear then the visitor will soon give up and leave. How often have you looked at a website, seen a messy design and text you can't easily read, and left right away to look elsewhere. It doesn't matter how many visitors view you website if they all leave within the first 10 seconds, and visit a competitor instead. Lots of banner ads that get in the way of what the visitor is trying to find is something that will loose you visitors. People don't want to navigate around adverts and scroll past them to reach what they are looking for. Another thing that can frustrate visitors is big files, such as videos, that take a long time to load but will not benefit them. If you want videos on the site, it might be best if the visitor needs to click the play button to view them rather than them playing automatically. This will cause the page to load quicker, and is less likely to cause the visitor to loose patience and leave.

It is important that your website clearly presents the information on the site. If it is an information site, then the text needs to be easy to read so visitors can quickly find the information they want. If you provide a service it needs to be clear what service you offer. Concise text is always something you should look for. All the text on the site must be easy to read and understand. Links also need to be clear, and take visitors where they want to go. There is nothing more frustrating when viewing a website than clicking on a link that seems like it is going somewhere where it isn't.

The most important factor before designing a new website is that you know who your audience will be. If you know the audience then you can make sure that you give them what they want. When designing you site you need to always keep your audience in mind.

Andrew Marshall ©

Web Design London