Ground Rules of Web Design

The need for eye pleasing web designs

Websites are the basis for online presence, be it a business or an individual. With millions of websites already existing and thousands of new ones coming up every day, it is important to make websites stand out so as to attract attention and facilitate sales conversion. In face of fierce competition it is aesthetically pleasing websites that will win business. Websites need to be easy on the eyes, accessible and easy to use and navigate. For web designers, there are a set of ground rules that needs to be followed to make websites appealing and stand the test of time.

Ground rules of web design

1. Focus on site visitor – The first ground rule of web design is to think and plan the design keeping in mind the perspective of a potential visitor. Websites need to generate traffic, and for that visitors should have an enjoyable experience browsing. Also, designers need to take into account what a visitor might like and dislike in a website. Implementing design and features as per visitor’s preferences is the key foundation of a successful website which would generate traffic and bring revenue.

2. Content is king – Another ground rule is to focus on the content of a website. Text content is the primary mode of communication and conveying information to visitors. There has to be just the right amount of content to give important information and it needs to be well written and engrossing.

3. Rapid and sustained interest – It is also important to know that attention span on Internet is limited; therefore efforts should be made to arouse interest in a matter of minutes. Catchy taglines, interesting banners and high quality images are some of the ways that help the visitors get hooked to the site and compel them to browse further inside the website.

4. Scalability – A very important web design rule at present is to make designs scalable. With evolving technologies and advent of smart phones and tablets, websites are being accessed from a range of devices nowadays. Web designers need to ensure that the website they make renders uniformly on all screen sizes and gives visitors a consistent user experience. A website might be attractive if you viewed on a desktop PC, but at the same time might look strained or disproportionate when viewed on the small screen of a smartphone. Scalability ensures that users get the most out of the website, no matter which device they access it with.