The system you use on your website for navigation should be consistent on every page, and in simple form.
In place of tabs used by sites such as Amazon.com, you can use underlined text to create an easy format that anticipates your customers need.
Say you are creating a web site that sells ink for printers. A customer visiting such a site would only be interested in finding the ink that is used with their printer. A good navigation system should be designed so that visitorrs can find the brand and model of their printer and the ink cartrigde used with their printer quickly and easily.
Keep your navigation system simple. Some effective and simple navigational items include vertical or horizontal text links, buttons, and tabs.
Your website should be capable of sending a message without reading any text, through its design and feel, though this area is open to interpretation and more of an art than a science.
One thing to keep in mind with creating the feel of your website is successful sites convery their purpose. So CBS.com should convey NEWS and Disney.com should convey FUN. You may triple your conversion rates by creating the correct feel for your website.
The feel of your websites design should mirror its function. When a visitor visits your website you want them to be able to instantly recognize what your site is about based simply on the format and design you've created.
Just as adding a tiny amount of the wrong spice can ruin a recipe there are many small flaws that can spoil a professional design.
It is also true that 'little foxes' can also ruin the look of professionalism of you website. Typical errors in webdesign and how to correct them to raise your conversion rates are as follows:
a) Hide the site stats counter. Unless, that is, your site is so popular you want to show the world.
These only serve to show-off how popular your website is and should be kept private. A large number at the bottom of the page showing the number of visitors to your site is going to look pompous and unprofessional.
b) Make sure text prints out well, or create a printable version of long text for readers who prefer the printed page to the computer screen.
c) Assess whether or not your webdesign is 'scannable.'
Most web users will quickly scan your site before making up their mind whether or not to read it. This means your need to highlight the key points of your website through use of techniques such as bold, color and underlined text and clear useful headings.
d) Avoid oversized graphics or logos that lessen the top fold of your site. The 'top fold' of your home page is the area of the page the visitor sees as soon as the page loads, before scrolling down. If there are large graphics taking up space at the top of the page then there is less space for the actual content of the page, the text, images or whatever else; the important stuff.
Using these webdesign secrets right away may surprise you just how effective such simple changes can be. Watch as your websites conversion rates soar higher.
