12 Simple Tips to Maintain Effective Web Design
1. Bigger is not always better.
Keep image sizes small, preferably between 10-12KB per image. Not only are slower pages more difficult and irritating to navigate but a faster-loading webpage will receive a boost in search engine optimization and ranking.
2. Use graphics that blend with the content.
While a good picture can have a significant effect on a webpage, irrelevant or improperly used pictures can lower a website’s credibility, thereby discouraging consumers from visiting additional pages or purchasing a product, depending on the site. For a mortgage website, a loss of credibility can mean that the potential borrower will look elsewhere for more reliable lenders.
3. Avoid flashing or blinking images.
Images that are attention-grabbing, such as those that blink, flash, rotate, or otherwise move in a way that catches the eye will do more harm than good. Some consumers may choose not to buy a product that they might otherwise purchase owing solely to the annoyance of the visually loud advertisements.
4. Use a traditional layout.
While many web designers would love to reinvent the web page using custom layouts, it is essential to use a traditional layout under almost all circumstances. With a standard layout, in which visitors scroll up and down rather than left to right or any other strange experimental layouts, visitors will feel more comfortable using the webpage, and this will encourage more clicking around as well as recurring visits.
5. Make the best use of whitespace.
As with in many art forms, making efficient and effective use of space is critical, as it will shape the user experience and how the content is consumed.
6. Use graphics as a feature of the layout.
When used strategically as integral parts of the design layout, graphics can add a level of depth and sophistication to a webpage. This can be as simple as the insertion of an image on certain pages with text that formats to wrap around it.
7. Sans-Serif for text body, Serif for headlines.
While sans-serif is slightly more difficult to read in print, it is much easier to read on a webpage due to the blurring effects of computer monitors that can make serif letters look similar. As such, headlines and larger print should be designated serif. However, printer friendly versions of pages should reverse this, allowing the print to be more readable as serif with sans-serif headings.
8. Limit the number of fonts.
One of the most basic web design rules regarding fonts is to stick with only 2-3 different fonts. Websites that use too many fonts often appear unprofessional and lose credibility with visitors within the first few seconds of visiting the page.
9. Stick with standard font families.
While using extravagant fonts may seem like a good way to diversify your webpage from other similar webpages and give it a bit more personality, the chances are that most web browsers will not have the special fonts you might have in mind. Accordingly, web designers typically stick with the basic font families, including Verdana, Geneva, Arial, and Helvetica, rather than designing a page that will be distorted when a visitor does not have the correct font to display.
10. Don’t overuse ads.
Although webpage advertisements can make a significant amount of money for the website, it is crucial not to overuse these ads and thus interfere with the visitor experience. If the ads disrupt the content, users may not have the patience to finish reading through it. Web designers should look for a balance with content and monetizing ads intermingled strategically but unobtrusively.