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Effective Website Design
By Monique Frecker, Creative Director, Justice & Young

The only way your site can really be effective is if people can actually use it. It should be easy to read, easy to navigate and easy on the eyes. If you keep these concepts in mind, you will most-likely end up with a website that is effective. Why? Because you are thinking like the end user and not the company president.

Consider your homepage your resume. It is the first impression the user has of you. Their first opportunity to 'fire' you and go on to the next website their search engine found. A clean and simple website will allow the user to relax, locate what they are looking for and take action. If there is too much going on, your user will not know where to go and will probably leave your site.

The key to an effective website no longer is just getting the site built, but it's getting the site built right. Companies that have an effective website use their site as part of their overall marketing strategy. They understand that their website is a tool, much like an advertisement, podcast or brochure and that it should be used for one purpose; to further their business objectives. Seven out of 10 buyers say a website has 'at least some influence' over their decision to open an initial discussion with a provider*. Gone are the days that you can sit back and not actively participate in your own marketing strategy. Interactive and new media tactics require your participation. An effective website marries strong design elements along with your business objectives. This means that you and your web designer must work together in the creation of your website keeping these above concepts in mind.

Easy to Read:
Your website content should be written for the web. Don't just transfer content from another marketing piece, like a brochure, and place it on the web. Website content should be short and to the point. Your end users are probably looking to solve a specific issue and they want to be able to locate that information quickly. The content should be focused on what your target audience needs and not what you or your colleagues want to say.

If you have a page with little or no content, remove it or place the content elsewhere. Empty or near empty pages will give the user the impression that you don't have much to say on the topic at hand. Remove as much content as possible that doesn't specifically enhance the understanding of your services/product to your end user. Stay away from too much industry jargon. And even though website content can be quickly updated, it should be thoroughly proofread and edited just like anything else. It is still a representation of your company.

Easy to Navigate:
It is easy to want to be overly creative with the navigation, but again, you must think about how a user wants to experience your website. So, the navigation should be easy to understand and consistent throughout the site. The hierarchy of information should be clear and the look of the navigation bars or buttons should not make it difficult to read; the design should not take away from or cover up the content, but enhance it.

There are some general standards for website design such as; making sure the logo is in the same place throughout the site and that it takes the user back to the homepage, creating quick links off the homepage for popular items so users can access these areas quickly, listing the contact and copyright information on every page, making it easy for your users to contact you no matter where they are within your site and making sure all pages load quickly. If you anticipate users printing pages from your site, make sure each page is printer-friendly with your logo and contact information on each page

When dealing with a larger site, you should provide the visitor with a crumb trail indicating where they are within your site. Most websites, and certainly large ones, should also have a site map.

Easy on the Eyes:
Along with your straightforward navigation, you should have an uncluttered website. Clean, white space is a very important part of this equation. Images can be a useful addition by helping clarify your services/product or by strengthening your marketing message. Images, videos, other bells and whistles can slow down the loading of your web pages or distract the user, so chose imagery that is meaningful. If your user has to wait for stuff to download, they will lose patience and leave.

Colors are also an important role in keeping your site clean. Colors should reinforce your brand identity. They should be consistent and have the same meaning throughout the site. Colors used behind text should be neutral as to not take away from the actual message. This will also provide the option of using a couple strong contrasting colors to emphasize more important messages.

However, the most important way to ensure you have an effective website is to use it. Promote it, update it, apply search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to it and share it. Because in the end, the success of your website is less dependent on a great design than on great content and your continued participation with the site.

*RainToday.com study on How Clients Buy

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