Website Design Basics

Websites reside on the Web. The Web is simply a very large network of interlinked computers that communicate with each other. Websites also deliver different types of content that may be accessed using web browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome to name a few. Once an end user (or site visitor) accesses a website using any of these browsers, a display containing various types of information is seen on a computer monitor or screen.

In order to effectively deliver the information to a website's intended end users, various elements of good website design must be used. Much like a book, websites are made up of pages that convey different information which is often associated with the website owner. As a way of organizing a webpage and a group of web pages, different aspects of website design are customized to fit not only the website owners' preferences, but also those of the website's audience. In addition, the different capabilities of computers used by the audience are considered to allow more of the audience to easily access all the web pages and the different information contained in them. Commonly, these aspects of good website design include content, usability, aesthetics, and the site structure. Content refers to all the information being conveyed by the website, including text, images, sound, and video elements. Usability refers to how easily each of the site's visitors can navigate through the website as well as how easy it is for them to understand the messages being conveyed by the site. Aesthetics include the layout, graphics, and style selections implemented by the web designer and how these different factors complement each other. Structure refers to how the website is built and how it is presented as a whole.

Excellent website design requires a lot of preparation and planning. The tools designers use - whether they run software like Dreamweaver or FrontPage or whether they use the traditional method of directly coding in HTML - often have little bearing on terms for generating a good website design. One of the first things designers decide on is what types of content and information should be included on the particular website. Planning a website before haphazardly working on one usually makes the difference between a mediocre website and one which end users love to visit again and again.

In general, websites should be quick to load regardless of the web browser or computer visitors use. Navigating across the websites pages should also be easy for users so that the messages the site is trying to convey will not be overshadowed by the difficulty of accessing them. A site full of popup advertisements for example, often diverts visitors' attention from the message and frequently results in visitors eventually shunning the site altogether. Well laid out websites, which seamlessly blend images and text, also contribute to a site's overall attractiveness to consumers. In particular, a good website does not attempt to give all the content there is to give, but exhibits focus on what it is trying to bring to its intended audience.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com