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Navigation
Navigation is another key issue in the success of a website. If customers find it difficult to navigate the site – simply, they will leave.
You should keep in mind at all times that a customer should be able to find the page they want in no more than three mouse clicks (two being preferable) from any page.
As soon as a customer hits your home page, the browsing experience should be a ‘smooth ride’. Every page should have each area of the site clearly linked – navigation bars are perhaps the most common way of doing this (down the sides of a page or along the top).
The home page should be clearly linked from every page so that customers always have the choice of returning to familiar territory.
Download Speed
Whilst broadband is now the main form of internet connection, you still need to make sure that your pages load quickly; as although broadband has made the internet faster, it has also made many visitors more impatient!
It is therefore important that you do not make your pages too heavy with animation and design such that the page will take a long time to download (keep it under 30 seconds where possible). Most web design software packages will let you know how long it takes for your page to download.
In most cases, people will leave a website if they spend most of their time waiting for pages to download.
Copyright Notices
You should display a copyright notice on all of your pages (if the content is yours) to warn people of your rights and protection. This is usually done as follows:
© BizHelp24 1998-2006. All rights reserved
Replace ‘BizHelp24’ with your business name and the date with the period that your work has been published.
Be Consistent with Design
Try to keep the whole website with a common colour, text size and font. Varying these attributes can make pages look un-professional, inconsistent and hard to read. Use no more than, say, three different colours and fonts on a page (reflected on every page).
Avoid Flash Animation if Not Needed
Sure it looks good, but if it does not add value to the website – don’t use it. Flash animation can also significantly increase a page’s download speed.
Look Around for Inspiration
Finally, look at other websites to get inspiration for ideas. However, be careful that you do not directly copy from other sites or you will find that you spent your first year’s budget on legal fees.
Use a ‘bit of this’ and a ‘bit of that’ from other websites to make your own design ideas. Find a colour scheme that compliments your business as this can increase the image and branding of your business.
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