Since the beginning or the internet era, designers have always had to choose functionality or design. But with new graphic technologies and more advanced coding coming to light, some designers are realizing that it isn't a debate at all. Design, as a matter of fact, should complement functionality, not contrast it.
Let's envision a good website and review how design and functionality commend each other. When you click on the link, the page loads fast (functionality). The title at the top of the page shows you where you are (functionality). After the page has loaded, the first thing you see is the colors of the page (design). They work together, directing the eye to the most important pieces of content (design). The second thing you notice is the menu bar. The design lets the menu bar stand out; it is easy to find (design). The menu is each to read and the titles of the links don't leave you guessing which page they lead to (functionality). The page itself is divided up into sections, making the content easy to distinguish, read, and understand (design).
Through this example, we can see how both design and functionality work together to create an effective site.
Design is responsible for keeping the viewer's attention. Studies show that a web page has just 3 seconds to make an impression before the user viewer decides to stay or leave, and a page has only 12 seconds to meet the viewer's needs before they find someone else to help them. The design is what catches the viewer's eye and keeps them interested. A good design also sends a message to the viewer regarding the company's personality, quality, and the way they do business.
Functionality, on the other hand, is responsible for keeping the viewer. If a website is easy to navigate and the viewer can find the information they are looking for easily, the viewer is likely visit the site often and experience all that the website has to offer. Functionality is a great gauge at seeing how effective the company is at communicating their ideas to their clients or customers in face-to-face situations.
Both parts play an important role, but if both are not used effectively, the website is useless. If a viewer does not find the website visually appealing or it "hurts their eyes", they may not stay on the website long enough to see how easy it is to navigate. In the same aspect, someone may like the looks of the website, but will not spend their time figuring out how to find the hidden information they need.
Article written by Hannah Barnard of Web Depiction. Visit http://www.webdepiction.com for affordable website design from professionals.
Let's continue with the start-up, Scenario 1, which we were covering in Part 1 of this series. The web designer supplies no sales copy at all, so you have no content for your website or for the products that are at the wholesale warehouse. Also, you don't need to submit your site every month - for a multitude of reasons, and you don't need to have your site listed in 2,500 search engines.
If you have your site respectably listed with Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Netscape, and Alta Vista - that is a huge amount of traffic. It is arguable that you could be listed in another ten more of the top search engines, but 2,500 is ludicrous and will not bring in any significant traffic. Google, alone, is a juggernaut and brings us much more than 50% of our current traffic.
One more thing about services that constantly submit your site to the search engines, without changing any of the content; this is a form of spamming. The major search engines may penalize your ranking or ban you all together. Please consult with a qualified SEO expert, before getting repeatedly submitted to thousands of search engines that you don't need.
Scenario 2: A copywriter who lets his web designer dictate how his sales copy should look. Yes, this is a true story, and there are so many pretty colors on the page, you can't read the black type over them. Believe it or not, he also brokers web design services, and has web design listed as one of his services.
Again, does anyone smell a fire? If you can't read a web page, you should run as far as you can from the web designer. If a business website doesn't effectively sell, it's either the sales copy, or the web design that's not working; it's that simple - but you can avoid the problem by letting a competent copywriter have the last say.
You don't need a lot of color to have a great website that sells. Black print, on a light background, will do fine, and is easier on the eyes. Blue for hyperlinks is user-friendly and easily recognized. Bolding a headline, or sub-headline, is good. Using bullets, or check marks, to point out benefits, will help point the reader to what's in it for him or her.
Break up your paragraphs and air out your copy. You can use yellow for highlighting and for a background in your boxes. Use boxes for testimonials or very strong points. Using red in reserve for headlines, and sub-headlines, will draw eyes, so make sure you are drawing attention to something very important.
All of the above-mentioned web sales copy techniques are conservative, and all of them are highly effective on the Internet. Have a few people read the website to see what ?buttons get pushed.?
Lastly, please remember, if you want your site to sell, ?content is King,? and sales copy overrides design every time.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Both Hannah Barnard & Paul M. Jerard Jr. are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Hannah Barnard has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development. . Hannah Barnard's top article generates over 720 views. to your Favourites.
Paul M. Jerard Jr. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Leadership, Yoga Practice and Anger Control. Paul Jerard is director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches that along with fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students who want to be a teacher.. Paul M. Jerard Jr.'s top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.