Why Site Layout Matters

Posted on Dec 12, 2012 in Guest Posts, Marketing |

Guest Post by Ken Myers.

Website design entails more than just a few images here and there with possibly a table in the middle to organize content. While you don’t have to go overboard and design an overly extravagant site, you could still benefit by having something that is simple and eye-pleasing to your visitors. There are millions of styles on the Internet and many of them constantly restructure the design. It is important to have the perfect design in many ways.

Easy Access

You don’t want your visitors getting lost on your website. Information and relevant links should be easy to find and click. Most websites will put categories and such in a navigation bar on either side of the body.

Jigsaw

If your site looks like someone through a puzzle on the computer screen, chances are the visitors are going to move on. A dynamic smooth feel is needed to have a successful website.  Organization of your content is very important.

web page layout diagramBusy

You don’t want to cover your website with too much flash. Images, banners, and other add-ons could distract from the content making it difficult for visitors to read. People want information when visiting a website, not an art gallery – unless that is what your website is for.

Clean

For the best results from search engine optimization, you want to make sure your coding is cleaned up. There may be errors in the code that can cause search engines to not crawl your website or cause visitors to see a dreaded 404 error.

Audience

Many designers will use the information from programs such as Google Analytics to determine what the content dimensions should be. For instance, if most of your visitors are using tablets or smartphones with a low resolution, then having a website that is 2400 pixels across would make viewing difficult. Know your audience and the technologies used to browse your website.

Scripting Additions

Most of your visitors would rather have a functional website that provides the information they are looking for. Adding too features and java-based scripts could make the experience unpleasant. Do your visitors really need to know what the temperature is in your home town?

Knowledge

It is not difficult to come up with a design that works. If you’re in doubt, take a look at other websites and see how the designer put them together. For the most part, important links are across the top, informational links are along the left side, and the content is in the main body.

A website isn’t set in stone. If you are unhappy with your current design or are bored with the same look day-in and day-out, you can always change it. Depending on how the information is linked through coding, changing how a site looks and feels isn’t as difficult as it may seem. As long as it is functional for your visitors and the code is clean, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem re-envisioning your website.

Ken Myers is the founder of http://www.longhornleads.com/ & has learned over the years the importance of focusing on what the customer is looking for and literally serving it to them. He doesn’t try to create a need; instead he tries to satisfy the existing demand for information on products and services.