Web Site Design
Web Site Page Design Tips: How to Avoid the Ignored Page Areas
Tip! See our free eBook, My Own Home Biz, for
tips and tactics on website design.
Great web site design, heaps of content. But do you know which areas may be totally ignored. How
can we avoid these blind spots and get the page viewers to concentrate on important information
relating to the web site.
The first stage of any web site design is the most important, planning the site layout page by
page. Taking as read that we have all the information we need to construct the site, now we need to
fill the pages. We have the content, but is it all going to be read? Are the viewers going to get
your message or are they going to exit in less than 5 seconds?
The internet is a fantastic medium to present all kinds of information but differs greatly from
many other forms of medium. As opposed to the print medium for example, where readers take in most
the information relayed to them, a web page is predominantly scanned, whereby one or two key
phrases are identified and read thoroughly. So how do we ensure that these key facts are read?
One common design principle that is often ignored in the planning stage is to
identify where the viewer will read or is more likely to concentrate on. This is known as a viewing
hotspot. The area in question is the centre of the monitor. Viewers are more likely to view here
first and decide to either read on or exit the site. To ensure maximum impact in this area, careful
consideration of what to put into this space and more importantly how to format the content must be
given.
If using text, formatting is vital, highlight key phrases using font format tactics such as
bold or italic style fonts. Attempt to lead the viewer by the hand into
your website. Direct them to where you want them to go. Keep the text clear and concise, tantalise
them, and attempt to make them interested and hungry for more. Break up your paragraphs and above
all, keep it pertinent. Using active text, such as links within the text, is a tactic that is also
proved to be effective. But do try not to over use this; we do not want to make the navigational
structure of the site complicated.
The second most viewed area is the banner space. Using this effectively can
ensure important messages, branding and contact information is spotted almost instantly. Use this
space badly and your viewers will leave rapidly. One of the main factors for bad viewer feedback
(or a sharp exit) is to have an over elaborate banner. Using animated images or flash is fine, but
they must be optimised effectively by minimising file size (dial up is still the most common form
of internet usage). Using this tactic, you may well run the risk of running into banner
blindness. People either block these using their firewalls and thus all they will see is
your alt text or indeed they will not look at it at all and just leave your site.
Tip! Web site design along with careful
placement and density of content, long the holy grail of search engine optimization (SEO), is
important, but less so than in the past. As the search engines continue to develop, they strive to
imitate the human searcher, so realistic, useful, and relevant content far outperforms that
formulated to �fool� the system.
Concentrate on these two areas and your site will be well received. The remaining areas of your
page space are best described as incidental. So the best practice here would be to conform to
design standards such as left side for static or navigational material, right side for news items
or changing content and finally the footer, a great place to present your privacy statement, terms
and conditions and of course your copyright statement.
There are many other areas of web site design tactics to employ but overall, if you concentrate
on where the viewer will look, you will not go far wrong. Always remember to pay
respect to your viewers, keep the text short and simple, keep the content optimised and
above all, try to avoid the ?bells and whistles'. Internet viewers do not like too much change so
stick to a tried and tested formula.
Daren Jephcote. BSc. Is the owner of Leicester Office Solutions and has over 5 years experience
in his chosen field. With professional qualifications in design and website applications, he has
chosen to provide ground breaking service levels in the internet industry that has been shrouded in
mystery for far too long.
Tip! Research highly targeted keywords - do this
even before you begin designing otherwise you may have to go back and clean up some of your web
site design. Use the keyword research tool, Wordtracker (wordtracker.
Visit his business website at http://www.losdesign.co.uk to find out more about his services and
products.
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