Ralph Williams posted on August 19, 2010 13:18
Get my site ranking! That seems to be what so many people are concerned with lately when it comes to their website. And, I can't say that I blame them. I try to make sure that my personal website has all of the right keywords, incoming links and I am constantly checking my Google Analytics to see how its doing. Getting an audience to your site is very important, but... what happens once they get there? Are they wandering around aimlessly on your site? Are they leaving it after one glance? Do they discount you as an authority in your field?
These can all very easily be results of a poorly designed site. When I mention site design, I don't just mean, "Does it look great?" I am also talking about whether there is a purpose to the layout? Does your site point people to a specific goal? One thing that gets overlooked so often when it comes to a website, is usability. Your site needs to be useable! This might seem like just common sense, but it is a real problem.
The first thing that needs to be taken into account before coming up with a design for your site is, "What is the point of your site?" What are you trying to get people to do? Most often, it comes down to one of two things: selling your product, if you have an online store, or, getting someone to contact you, so that you can can sell them on your services. All of the other things on your site revolve around this. The explanation about your company, the description of your services, the photos of your products are all an attempt to convince people that they need to use you!
So, how exactly can that be achieved? Approach the planning of your site with well defined goals. Then, build everything around that. This is what good design is. Using graphics, layout, photos, text and other visual aspects to point toward that goal. Make it easy for a user (visitor) to accomplish the goals that you have in mind. This will make their experience pleasurable and memorable.