Web Design Basic Guidelines

The first thing to do when attempting to design and build a website is to look around and examine several websites within your niche. They will give you a good Idea as to what will work best for your theme or product.

Another thing to remember is the speed with which the people surfing the Internet move.  With high speed connections quickly becoming the norm, it is as easy for a person to click away from your website.  There are many reasons that a person might choose to give up trying to access your site, and it is important to eliminate as many of them as possible.

Domain Name
The first thing to think about is your domain name.  This is fairly straightforward as long as you remember a few simple tips.  The domain name you choose should be as short and simple as possible.  Use the .com extension because it is the most common one and therefore the one that most people known.  If at all possible, don't use any dots or dashes in the domain name.

Essentially, you are trying to make your domain name memorable.  Ideally, if you are using  it in conversation, you should be able to say it and have someone go directly to your site, without needing you to stand over their shoulder and spell it out for them.  Before you get domain name registered try typing it out.  Can you type it easily and without needing to pause? 

Home Page - Clarity and Speed
When designing your website, the thing that you need to keep as the center of your focus is the convenience of your customer.  As you start deciding what you want to include and how best to organize it, remember that the person coming to your site might not have any idea what it is you are doing.  On the first page, a brief and clear explanation of what it is you do is a good idea.

The more knowledge that you can give someone browsing your site, the more inclined they will be to stay.    Remember that not everyone is on a super fast connection.  Some people will be using dialup and they will appreciate your page a great deal if it does not force their computer to sit idle while waiting for your content to load.  While you should have a thorough page that describes what you are doing and how you do it, remember that your page still maintain a certain simplicity.

Site Navigation
Your site should be simple to navigate; the person browsing your site should never be more than two clicks away from the information that they need.  Simple and straightforward designs for your website involves links to all of the major sections/pages of your site being lined up across the header or on the left panel.

Color Scheme
There are a limited number of colors available that are "safe" to use on the web. That means they won't change colors across the users' browser and computer settings. Wikipedia has compiled a color pallete, which you can use to help determine the colors for your site. You can choose from theses colors for your logo, background and page headings.

Content
When it comes to content, make sure that everyone gets what they need to know... and then give them some more!  One way to make sure that people who are searching for your product is to use search engine optimization.  Think of the words that are typed into a search engine when they are looking or a service like yours and try to write a topic focusing on that specific keyword.  One way to do this is through providing a glossary of terms regarding your industry, or through an article section.  Remember that the more content you provide, the more search engine traffic you will receive.

Ultimately, by building and maintaining your website well enough you will gain you more traffic and loyal visitors.