The home page
So what do you want on this most important first screen? You naturally want the title of your website and you want to let visitors know what the content is as briefly as possible. Use short phrases and short paragraphs. You also want to provide links to the main sections of your site (making sure to include text links).
Set the theme
In addition, you are setting the tone/theme of your site with this first page. . . what visitors will expect to see carried out on every page within the site. This is also true of the navigation system you use.
Organize the pages
You want to use contrast to guide the eye around your pages. And, to be effective, the contrast must be bold. Also, any good web page design must have a focal point. Something on the page must be the dominant eye catcher. If everything has the same level of importance, then nothing is important. Group items and information that belongs together using white space so that the eye knows they are together.
Alignment
The alignment of elements on the page - both vertically and horizontally - is also very important. Choose one alignment and stick with it. That doesn't mean you have to align everything similarly, it means things should be aligned the same on the page.
Webpage content
A webpage should not overwhelm the visitor with unnecessary animations, flash novelties or music. All these things can detract from the content of your page. If you want to present these things, do it on another page where you can isolate the full affect from other elements of the website or use them sparingly. Use white space to lead the eye around the page.
Rules of thumb
In order for visitors to understand your site you need to follow a few more rules of thumb:
" Explain everything clearly and briefly
" Make sure you present information in a logical order
" Use plain language
Main sections
It is best to keep your main website sections to no more than five - seven divisions. As the visitor moves farther into your website you can begin to add more pages and detail. A website can be compared to a triangle. The index page forms the tip of the pyramid followed by the main sections, subsections and pages of increased content. Let your visitors decide where they want to go, starting with brief introductions and leading into more detail as they proceed through the site.
Now let's recap the main points:
" Balance the web page for a more pleasing experience for the visitor
" Have a clearly defined focal point on your page
" Make good use of the hot spots on the page for your title and links. (see - http://blog.eyetools.net/eyetools_research/2005/03/eyetracking_goo.html)
" Keep your text brief and to the point
" Use only one style of alignment and be consistent throughout the website.
Summary
Treat each page of your website as though it were the only page on your site. Put as much care into the designing of each individual page as you would your homepage. To help you get started check out magazines they are a good source of layout ideas. They have the same problem that a website does, they must keep your attention throughout the publication. Build good webpage's and you will be building a great website.
Gene DeFazzio is the webmaster and author of the Rocketface(R) Workshop. http://www.rocketface.com/