The 8 'Must Do' rules for effective website design

To succeed at your online business (whether you are selling your own product/service or are selling for other merchants as an affiliate), you need a Web design must be just for that - a simple, focused site. One that is easy to build, maintenance-free, low cost, credible, and a powerful traffic-builder and customer-converter.

Having the right tool and the right product alone doesn’t insure the success of your website. There are many factors to be considered in effective website design. Unfortunately, most of these are overlooked by offline business owners using the internet to promote their business.


Web Design Rule #1 - Build It for Speed
It's a fact of modern life - people are in a hurry. This means that you have between 10 and 30 seconds to capture your potential customer's attention. To minimize your load time, keep graphics small. Compress them where possible. Use flashy technology (JavaScript, Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, animation) sparingly and only if it is important to your presentation.

Web Design Rule #2 - Target your Market
Know who your market is and make certain that your site caters to their needs. It is critical that your site reflect the values of your potential customers. Is your market mostly business professionals? If so, the site must be clean and professional. Is your product aimed mostly a teenagers and young adults? Then your site could be more informal and relaxed. The key here is to know your market and build the site to their preferences.

Web Design Rule #3 - Focus the Site
Make certain your web site is focused on the goal, selling your product or service. A site offering many unrelated products is not necessarily unfocused, but this is often the case. If your business does offer many products, dedicate a unique page for each instead of trying to sell them all from one page.

Web Design Rule #4 - Credibility Is Crucial
The most professionally designed site won't sell if your customers don't believe in you. A clear privacy statement is one way to build your credibility. Provide a prominent link to your privacy statement from every page on the site as well as from any location that you are asking your visitors for personal information. Provide legitimate contact information on line.

Web Design Rule #5 - Navigation should be simple
Make site navigation easy and intuitive. Simple and smooth navigation adds to the convenience of the visitors. Add powerful search and catalog features. Many times a lot of visitors do not have the patience to navigate through the whole website to find what they are looking for.

Web Design Rule #6 - Consistency is the key
Make sure the site is consistent in look, feel and design. Nothing is more jarring and disturbing to a customer than feeling as if they have just gone to another site. Keep colors and themes constant throughout the site.

Web Design Rule #7 - Make your site interactive
Make your website interactive. Add feedback forms as well as email forms that allow your prospective customers to ask you any questions they might have pertaining to a product.
Personalization of your website is another key element that can lead to customer delight and can increase your sales. Personalization technology provides you the analytic tools to facilitate cross-selling and up-selling when the customer is buying online. It would give you an idea of what products to cross-sell and up-sell. For example, when a person buys a CD player, a disc cleaner can also be offered.

Web Design Rule #8 - Content is King
Good content sells a product. Ask yourself the following questions. Does your copy convey the message you wish to get across to your visitors? Is it compelling? Does it lead your visitor through the sales process? Have others review, critique and edit your copy to insure it is delivering the intended message. Always double check your spelling and grammar.


These eight, simple rules will go a long way toward an effective website design, and most importantly, turning visitors into customers.

Developing a Good Web Design for an Effective Web Site

Mainly in order for you to successfully present your ideas you have to create an effective layout design in an interesting manner whatever your topic may be. For a good web design will reflect the reputation of the company you are representing of.

Web design had immensely sprouted for years already. Through this development businesses were able to expand their services online and easily provide the needs in the market and as well as making it quick and easy for customers to easily reach out for the services they provide.

In developing an effective web site you have to carefully choose for the right design in order for you to attain online success. Primarily you need not to worry about the development processes for design services can be provided by commercial printers that will help you to achieve and acquire relevant audience for your website.

Moreover in order to successfully attain a good web design for your web site there are some important tips you have to keep for your projects.

1. Layout format – this will serve as your guide for a good design. Primarily this context must encompass a clear and well organized content that will make everybody understand and appreciate.

2. Content – this simply pertain to the informative information that will make your customer easily understand what you are promoting. Mainly in order to satisfy your customers you have to come up with a content that will provide them all the information they need. Having well said and explained information will help you to turn out your viewers to potential customers.


3. Application of graphic designs – you have to be careful in choosing for the appropriate design that will best represent your projects. Design application can be helpful but however using many images might affect page downloads. So in order for you to keep away your visitors from slow connections limit you have to limit your designs.

4. Easy and quick navigation – in this part you have to allow your customers to easily navigate and access to your pages. Always see to it that you are able to include a link that will bring them back to the main page. Providing your visitors with links to the main page will keep away your visitors from being trapped.

Now that you are familiar with the design tips for your web design projects you can easily attain to meet the satisfaction that you want for your project. Moreover you can also seek for assistance from a reputable design company. With this manner you will be guided smoothly with the various steps in developing your own site.

Writing Effective ALT Text For Images

Anyone who knows anything about web accessibility knows that images need alternative, or ALT, text assigned to them. This is because screen readers can't understand images, but rather read aloud the alternative text assigned to them. In Internet Explorer we can see this ALT text, simply by mousing over the image and looking at the yellow tooltip that appears. Other browsers (correctly) don't do this. The HTML for inserting ALT text is:

But surely there can't be a skill to writing ALT text for images? You just pop a description in there and you're good to go, right? Well, kind of. Sure, it's not rocket science, but there are a few guidelines you need to follow...

Spacer images and missing ALT text

Spacer images should always be assigned null ALT text, or alt="" . This way most screen readers will completely ignore the image and won't even announce its presence. Spacer images are invisible images that pretty most websites use. The purpose of them is, as the name suggests, to create space on the page. Sometimes it's not possible to create the visual display you need, so you can stick an image in (specifying its height and width) and volià, you have the extra space you need.

Not everyone uses this null ALT text for spacer images. Some websites stick in alt="spacer image". Imagine how annoying this can be for a screen reader user, especially when you have ten of them in a row. A screen reader would say, "Image, spacer image" ten times in a row (screen readers usually say the word, "Image", before reading out its ALT text) - now that isn't helpful!

Other web developers simply leave out the ALT attribute for spacer images (and perhaps other images). In this case, most screen readers will read out the filename, which could be ‘newsite/images/onepixelspacer.gif'. A screen reader would announce this image as "Image, newsite slash images slash one pixel spacer dot gif". Imagine what this would sound like if there were ten of these in a row!

Bullets and icons

Bullets and icons should be treated in much the same way as spacer images, so should be assigned null alternative text, or alt="". Think about a list of items with a fancy bullet proceeding each item. If the ALT text, ‘Bullet' is assigned to each image then, "Image, bullet" will be read aloud by screen readers before each list item, making it take that bit longer to work through the list.

Icons, usually used to complement links, should also be assigned alt="". Many websites, which place the icon next to the link text, use the link text as the ALT text of the icon. Screen readers would first announce this ALT text, and then the link text, so would then say the link twice, which obviously isn't necessary.

(Ideally, bullets and icons should be called up as background images through the CSS document - this would remove them from the HTML document completely and therefore remove the need for any ALT description.)

Decorative images

Decorative images too should be assigned null alternative text, or alt="". If an image is pure eye candy then there's no need for a screen reader user to even know it's there and being informed of its presence simply adds to the noise pollution.

Conversely, you could argue that the images on your site create a brand identity and by hiding them from screen reader users you're denying this group of users the same experience. Accessibility experts tend to favour the former argument, but there certainly is a valid case for the latter too.

Navigation & text embedded within images

Navigation menus that require fancy text have no choice but to embed the text within an image. In this situation, the ALT text shouldn't be used to expand on the image. Under no circumstances should the ALT text say, ‘Read all about our fantastic services, designed to help you in everything you do'. If the menu item says, ‘Services' then the ALT text should also say ‘Services'. ALT text should always describe the content of the image and should repeat the text word-for-word. If you want to expand on the navigation, such as in this example, you can use the title attribute.

The same applies for any other text embedded within an image. The ALT text should simply repeat, word-for-word, the text contained within that image.

(Unless the font being used is especially unique it's often unnecessary to embed text within images - advanced navigation and background effects can now be achieved with CSS.)

Company logo

Websites tend to vary in how they apply ALT text to logos. Some say, ‘Company name', others ‘Company name logo', and other describe the function of the image (usually a link back to the homepage), ‘Back to home'. Remember, ALT text should always describe the content of the image so the first example, alt="Company name", is probably the best. If the logo is a link back to the homepage then this can be effectively communicated through the title tag.

Conclusion

Writing effective ALT text isn't too difficult. If it's a decorative image then null alternative text, or alt="" should usually be used - never, ever omit the ALT attribute. If the image contains text then the ALT text should simply repeat this text, word-for-word. Remember, ALT text should describe the content of the image and nothing more.

Do also be sure also to keep ALT text as short and succinct as possible. Listening to a web page with a screen reader takes a lot longer than traditional methods, so don't make the surfing experience painful for screen reader users with bloated and unnecessary ALT text.

Graphic design – a new version of art and effective branding!

You might not think much of your company logo, but you ought to know that this is a great way to start strengthening your brand. If you want to reach a specific segment of the market, then you need specialists in corporate ad design. They will put to good use all their years of experience working in the field of graphic design, creating an image for your company that is visually stimulating, thus easy to recognize. In a short period of time, you will be identified with that logo and customers will definitely become interested in your company.¬¬




High-quality artwork is also a desirable concept for those interested in corporate identity. A company’s profile must be an adequate reflection of that company, resulting in sales promotion and increased advertising. With professional corporate ad design, you get a professional business image. If you are interested in corporate identity, then you also should be looking at logo development, logotype design and other business promotional materials. These might include, but are not limited to, business cards, presentation folders and billboards. All are needed for your brand to become stronger and attract the eye of the public.




When you resort to the services of specialists working for a graphic design agency, you should also think about logo design. It genuinely represents the signature of your company, being often posted on business cards and other promotional materials. If it’s not catchy, it won’t stick and your company’s name will soon be forgotten. Thanks to the experts in logo development, you will enjoy a logo that clearly represents your business—one that is custom tailored for you. Potential customers will definitely remember your name after you have your logo redesigned.




If you have taken the decision to work with ArtVersion, the Chicago-based graphic design company, then you shouldn’t expect anything but good results. This firm has only the best people working to deliver the message you desire to the right audience. They know how to reach consumers, and most importantly, they know how to adapt to various preferences. Services provided include web development, encompassing a wide range of specifics such as website design, e-commerce and content management systems




You can benefit from the solutions offered by these specialists, successfully optimizing your business. If you want the right online presence, remember Artversion.com. There is no better resource you can turn to, with professional graphic artists and artwork specialists working constantly to introduce you to the concept of branding. It might take a lot of work and effort, but in the end, you will finally see that it was all worth it.