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Keep it sweet and simple. With all the widgets available, it's easy to fill a page with flashing images, moving banners, pop-ups, roll-overs, etc. Avoid cognitive overload and keep your web site visitor focused on what's important. Maintain consistent layout throughout your web site.
Navigation bars should be easy to find, easy to read and consistent throughout all pages. Keep the location in the same place as you move from one page to another. Provide navigation bars that will always be in view and prevent the user from relying on the browser's back button. Use the same button names on all navigation bars and pages. Obey the three click rule. Your visitor wants to find his target with just three clicks or less.
It all comes down to information. What is it you want the visitor to take away from your site? Describe your products or services, business hours, contact information, etc. Show them clear and sharp photographs. Don't draw their attention away with non-relevant material. Your web site should impart the information your visitors seek.
Consider the visitors to your site. Are they looking for entertainment or just the facts? Give them the option of skipping the Flash intro and turning off the audio. You may lose a visitor just because they don't have the time watch the presentation or they don't like the music. Include alternate non-flash pages to keep visitors at your site.
There are several browsers used today. Internet Explorer currently holds the biggest share, followed closely by Firefox, then Opera and Chrome. While a web page will not look the same on all of them, it should at least be readable. Monitor sizes also vary and present a challenge in displaying the web site screen. There is still a small percentage of the population using 800x600, about half at 1024x768 and the rest using even higher screen sizes. A web page needs to be visible on all sizes.
Finally, after all the hours of designing and testing, you want visitors to find your web site. Unfortunately, the major search engines use different formulas and don't publicize them. Web designers are always looking for ways to place the web site on page one of a search. There are several code related strategies that can be added to your source file to optimize your placement. With time, a search engine will eventually find the web site. To hasten the process, it can be submitted manually or, to speed up the process, you can pay a service to submit it. The search engines are in total control of placement.
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