For some, web design is as easy as 1, 2, 3. But many web designers have fallen prey to marketing tricks that made web design more complicated. Sometimes you come across a web site that looks good with a particular browser but when viewed with a different browser you cannot even read the text. What is worse is that with the different operating system available today, these sites may not be seen properly by some of the surfers.

Creating a good website requires good web copy, easy and spontaneous site navigation, good graphic design and sound site layout. Thus, the goal of most website designer is to create an easily accessible, creative and functional website that will convince visitors to make some action.

Say for example you have a web site that sells jewelries online. The fact that the site cannot be viewed by the users means losses to you and failed investment. So when designing websites it is important that designers exercise creativity, skill and technical prowess in order to create a site that translates into profit.

Here are a few guidelines that can be considered as a rule of thumb by web designers.

Use images. A picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures enhance the look of the page. But see to it that you do not go overboard and stuff your page with a lot of images. Keep in mind that the average time to load a page should be five seconds. If your page takes longer than that the visitor may click away and surf some other site.

Consider the content. People use the internet to gain information. So, as much as possible you want your visitors to gain a lot of information and knowledge from your site. Poor grammar and spelling will reduce your credibility and reputation. You would not want this to happen so make sure that your site provides valuable information or else your visitor will again click away from your site.

Site navigation. Functionality and navigability should come before artistic excellence. Site navigation should be simple, easy and spontaneous. It's no use making your site artistic if users cannot navigate around it.

Browser compatibility. There are hundreds of browsers in use today. Hence, you must design your website to work properly in the most widely used browser.

Likewise, occasionally test all site links to make sure that they are valid. Nothing discourages a visitor off faster than broken links.

Simply put a good web design is a combination of good planning and common sense. A good website is like a good storefront – it could mean the difference between a casual visitor and a serious customer. Remember that your visitor is the king. Hence, it is important to make them happy and to keep them happy.