Make no mistake, nearly anyone who wants a website can construct one these days. The real question is what is the purpose of the site and how will you design the site to achieve your goals? If you want maximum visibility, you must design the site with the utmost care. Well-designed sites are appealing and drive traffic. If business is your objective, a vibrant website will propel sales. On the other hand, poorly designed web properties are relegated to the cyber dustbin because no one can find them, or if they do they are turned off.

Best Practices in Web Design

Modern successful websites share some common characteristics. The following is a distillation of current best practices in website design.

• Minimize Text. Remember to keep your text short and punchy. You are not writing a novel. Adapt to the new media. 

• Judiciously Use Images. It’s really all about the old adage: “A picture is worth a thousand words” 

• Keep Sentences Short. Cyber attention spans are short. Keep your sentences trim and sweet. 

• Cut Down on Paragraph Length. Online readers do not want to wade through excessive verbiage. 

• Clearly Transmit a Call To Action (CTA). Make sure you tell the visitor exactly what you’d like them to do. 

• Design for Mobile Devices. Younger folks are using mobile devices more and more to conduct business online. 

• Make Site Navigation a Breeze. Slow, sticky, or clumsy site navigation will lose visitors in a matter of seconds.  

In addition to these main points, don’t forget about search engine optimization (SEO). Proper usage of keywords, snippets, and meta-descriptions will ensure a friendly co-existence with the search engines, where over 90% of online experiences begin.

Summary

By adhering to these best practices, your site will stand out above its peers in cyberspace. You will rank better in the search engine ranking pages (SERPs). Your site objectives are more likely to be fulfilled.