Well Designed Websites Are Easy To Recognise
Many people may think that well designed websites speak for themselves as by their very nature they will look well designed and be pleasing to the eye. This is not always so, for well designed is not necessarily synonymous with a design that is aesthetically pleasing, though of course it can be. The important factors defining well designed websites is ease of usability and navigation. In other words, websites that are designed with people and search engines in mind.
One of the first things to expect to see in well designed websites is consistency. Each page should look the same as regards its repeating elements. These are things like the masthead, or logo. This is usually the top section of the site that holds the name of the website. It may also have an image that helps to further define the nature of the site.
Other repeating elements can be the footer, which typically will hold a company name, copyright information and perhaps a link to the site’s designer. This is a small and brief repeating element but an important one nevertheless. The other common element that is repeated is the navigation sidebar. This can alternatively be a horizontal bar just under the masthead. The sidebar is most often found on the left-hand side, but it can just as easily be on the right-hand side too.
Well designed websites will have all the elements that do not change from page to page staying the same on every page. This provides a familiar and comforting look to the visitor. When a visitor clicks on what appears to be another page or section of a website and they find themselves on a page that bears no resemblance to the page they left, they will immediately become suspicious and most likely leave the website all together.
Another feature you should expect to find in well designed websites is easy navigation. A visitor should not have to click more than twice to reach any page – once is better. The site should be designed to be intuitive and pleasing to move around. This works equally well for humans and search engine robots, incidentally.
Good design extends to the parts of a website that remain invisible to the visitor. This can be the underlying HTML code. It needs to be written properly in accordance with the best accepted practices. This includes any CSS documents that are linked to. There is an accepted hierarchy of tags and a proper way to nest elements, for example. Well designed websites are made with this firmly in mind.
About seoblogger:
Our SEO blogger is an expert in Web Marketing, Usability and Interface Design. He has been a vital part of The Blue Cube Communications since 2003. As the West Midlands fastest growing web marketing agency, we always strive to maximise return on investment for our customers.
