Internet users have no doubt seen several websites of
identical design. This is often because webmasters do not
have the ability or time to design and create unique websites.
These five points will help you come up with a one-of-a-kind
design for your website.
1. Navigation System
Deciding on a navigation system should be one of the first
things to consider when designing your website. Visitors
usually look for a way to get to the information they want
before reading anything else. I would suggest putting your
navigation system in two areas. Look at WebmasterBase
(http://www.webmasterbase.com)
for example. There is a list
of categories on the left, and information about the network
on the top bar.
It is not recommended that you place your navigation at the
bottom of the page because:
- People see the top of the page first
- If you have a lot of content on one page, the navigation
gets pushed to bottom of the page... away from the
visitor.
2. Color Scheme
When you are choosing colors, make sure they contrast.
For example, do not use bright green and florescent pink.
Some colors that are often used are white on black or black
on white.
A wonderful utility that is web-based and free is Color
Schemer (http://www.godigitalstudios.com/www/color/),
created by Aaron Epstein. Many other programs exist that
can assist you in choosing colors. Try doing a search on
FreewareFiles (http://www.freewarefiles.com),
Tucows
(http://www.tucows.com), or Download.com
(http://www.download.com) for
"color schemer."
3. Content Window
This is the brain of the website. Make sure that the text
here is easy to read and understand.
Also, provide your own original content. People do not want
to hear what somebody else has to say. They want to hear
what you want to say! While it might be time consuming to
write your own content, it sure is worth it.
To find content for your website, try searching at
EzineArticles (http://www.ezinearticles.com).
Other people
may have used the articles, but if you become good friends
with the authors, they may send you new content as they
write it. Be careful though. Do not use too much content
from other authors, as mentioned above.
4. Font(s)
Several types of fonts exist. The first one I will discuss is
fixed width or monospace, similar to Courier or Courier New.
Fixed width fonts are good for displaying code (like HTML.)
Another type of font is called sans serif. It is similar to
Arial (Windows) or Helvetica (Macintosh). This font can
be used for long pieces of text.
The final type of font is called serif because it has serifs,
or curves, in each letter. Often, this font is called Times
(Windows) or Georgia (Macintosh). This font, like sans serif,
is often used for long blocks of text. It is preferred because
its rounded edges lead the reader to the next letter, making
it easier to read.
5. Advertising
Ah, everybody's favorite... advertising! This is one of thing
that almost every website has. The most common type is
what is known as "banner" advertising. It is called that
because it is long and thin (like a paper banner.) How long
you ask? The generic kind is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high.
New sizes however are being used. Take for example the
new style called "skyscraper" -- so called for a reason: it
looks like a skyscraper. It is tall (about 425 pixels) but not
too wide (about 100-125 pixels.)
Finding a way to place advertising can be tricky. Banners
used to be placed (and still are) only at the top of the
page. Nevertheless, banners are starting to be placed in
the middle of the page, at the bottom, or along the side.
Conclusion
These are only five things to consider when designing a
website. There are many others however. Let me know
what you find that helps you create a unique website. My
email address is mailto:corbb@justforwebmasters.com.
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About the Author...
Written by Corbb O'Connor. Corbb is the Webmaster of
http://www.justforwebmasters.com,
a website that focuses
on teaching Webmasters how to create, gain traffic to, and
make money from their own websites. He is also the editor
of a FREE bi-weekly newsletter entitled, "The Guided
Webmaster." To subscribe now, send an email to:
mailto:subscribe@justforwebmasters.com?subject=article-subscribe.
Information about this newsletter can be obtained from his website.
