Jul

Sustainable Web Design Tips

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Sustainable Web Design Tips

Today, over 244-million Americans use the Internet to research and make purchase decisions. A social media and search engine optimization Internet presence on Google, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, and Microsoft’s BING for your business is as important now as having a business cell phone. However, hanging up digital signage on the Internet requires some thoughtful planning. Here are some key things to consider as you plan a sustainable website design:

Let Your Graphics Speak for You. When a customer shows up to your website, can they tell from your banner alone what your business is about? Make sure your graphics all point in the same direction: Identifying who you are and what you can do for your customer. Give them a jumpstart with good, strong visuals that make sense for your business before they read any text.

Easy to Read. The content of your website shouldn’t make people squint. Use 12 pt font size (or larger) and a good contrasting color. If the text pops out and is easy to read, your customers will read it. Don’t make them work to understand what you’re trying to communicate.

Good Road Signs. Is the navigation of your site clear and easy to follow? Does every page have a link to get your visitors back to your home page? Is your contact information available, easy to find, and easy to use? What good is it to offer a great product or service to someone if they can’t find the information they need, nor find you when they’re ready to order?

Don’t Strain the Eyes. If someone is coming to your website for information, they don’t want to be hit with screaming, eye sore graphics. Use solid, neutral or muted colors for backgrounds. Don’t use images or wild, busy prints. Stay away from animated gifs and flashing, scrolling images, text and graphics. Your website should be a place your customer will want to hang out. Make the environment pleasing and they will stay. Hit them over the head with obnoxious graphics and they’ll be gone.

Interior Design Flow. Keep your website looking and feeling the same no matter what page your customer lands on. Changing font and background colors leaves people wondering if they accidentally left your site. Don’t keep them guessing where they are. Inconsistent design screams amateur.

Play Well With Others. Make sure your design works well on all screen resolution settings. Check to see how it looks in different browsers such as Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Netscape. Although there are more browsers out there, you’ll have the majority of visitors covered with these six.

Smaller is Better. Optimize your images and graphics for the web. What works well for print, doesn’t work well for the Internet. Smaller resolution (72 dpi) images will help your download time and keep your visitors from impatiently waiting (or worse, leaving in frustration).

Limit Underling. Reserve underlining for links only in order to distinguish them from the rest of the text. If you need to emphasize words in your content, try bold or italics to accomplish the same goal without confusing your customers.

A well designed website is a crucial business asset. Help your website work for you by being friendly and easy to use for your visitors. With these simple tips you’ll be well on your way to a functional site that is a win/win for everyone.