5 Keys To Developing a Small Business Website

Most people are under the impression that website design is something personal and pertaining to individual taste. Maybe this is true to some extent – but that extent is about five percent. The rest 95% is all about usability, readability and navigability – where the website design plays a crucial role.

The Meaning of a Well Designed Website

In real life, the moment you set your eyes on a shop/ stall/ shopping mall you get an impression. If that impression excites you, you would find that you would be more inclined to step in and shop there. In the same way, your website is the face of your online shop. Good website design would mean not only an appealing and inviting look, but also the ability to lead your visitor to buy/ use your product or service.

The Markings of 'Good Designing'

1. Readability - The first thing that good website designing would provide is easy readability. You should be able to read easily the information provided on the website. Hence, avoid too loud (or too many) color fonts. Avoid overcrowding the home page with too many things. The person should be able to get the idea about what you are offering in less than 30 seconds.

2. Loadability – many people like having the latest technology reflected on their website – flash movies, audio clips, exceptional graphics, etc. That is wonderful – however, keep in mind that more than 50% of the surfers still use outdated computers and low connectivity to the Net. This means that your website would be very slow to load for them or not loading at all. Hence, you need to either have a simple option for your website to load or you keep it simple.

3. Navigability - good website design means you can see what you need easily; you can find the information you seek without any delay or effort. If you take so much time to find what you seek, your website design is bad.

4. Searchability – are you able to search for things on your website or you get lost in it? Many websites have a search bar included for easy access to information. However, even without it, a good web design should be able to point the customer to the information he/she seeks with the least effort.

5. Usability – does the person know what to do when they access your website? Or do they freeze on the home site not knowing where to go? A good website design would be user-friendly – meaning that anyone (master or novice) can use it without any effort. They should not need a tutorial to be able to get around your website. Information should be just a click away – and the point of click should be obvious.


Test Drive for Verification

Do not trust your eyes, your professional expertise or even guarantees of expert organization that your website is well designed. Test drive your website. Check carefully where each click leads you. Are all the links loading correctly? Are the graphics displaying what you want and how you want it? Does the overall look of the website inspire confidence and trust? Is the content well placed to attract attention to the right aspects?

The answers to these questions would be the best guide in finding the correct answer about the quality of your website's design.

 

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