Effective business Web site design attracts and retains visitors through:
- Design that doesn’t hinder the user’s access to information
- Organized, intuitive navigation, delivering site visitors directly to relevant information
- Clean, uncluttered, yet informative layout, formatted so key elements are easily found in expected locations
- An intentional blend of text, bullet points, relevant images and purposeful graphics (instead of stock photos of people shaking hands, just to fill space)
- Headings, copy, page titles, and file names that are purposely friendly to both humans and search engines.
- Readable text in columns that don't span the entire width of the page (making them easier for the eye to follow), in colors that contrast with the background
- Links from every page back to the rest of the site
- Direct display of the home page, without irritating, introductory “splash” pages.
The design of your Web site will be driven by one overall goal: to deliver qualified prospects or buyers to your business, while reflecting the character of your company, products, and services.
The best design will go unnoticed by your site visitors. It becomes a transparent portal to the information they're seeking about you, without being distracting, confusing, or cumbersome.