It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting a business, expanding an existing company or if you’re an artist looking to spread the word and meet others, having an online presence is of utmost importance in today’s world. The simplicity of promotion and exposure is nowhere more wonderful than on the internet, where it doesn’t take years of reputation building and a large amount of investment to reach large numbers of people.
When getting online, it can be tempting to outsource the entire process to somebody else. However, the truth is that you’re better off creating a website of your own. Not only is this more cost effective, but it is surprisingly straightforward and will ultimately give you full control over the way your site connects with its audience. Although outsourcing can seem more convenient at the beginning, the moment you need something updated, there’s no easier way than to be able to take care of everything for you.
Perhaps you’ve never made a website before – you don’t know how to write code, don’t know what CSS stands for and don’t know how to buy a domain name. You’re not alone. While it’s always handy to know the basics of how to make your own website, there are plenty of tools out there designed to make web design a simple and accessible process. These tools will guide you through the process, making use of a user friendly beginner’s interface to help make everything clear.
Even with the process of actually creating your website made easy, it’s worth putting some time into the process of design. The internet is a great medium through which to reach a wide and diverse audience and you will want to leave an impression which is both positive and lasting. The key to achieving this is all down to having a clear, beautiful and easy to use website. Let’s take a look at a few things you’ll need to bear in mind.
Navigation bar
Whether you’re selling visitors a range of products, or just passing on information, there’s a good chance that you’ll be encouraging your visitors to navigate their way across a number of different pages within your website.
If this is the case, it is essential that you don’t allow your visitors to get lost. The best way for you to make life easy for your visitors while they’re finding their way around your website is to lock a navigation bar somewhere on your pages. These are usually found either at the top or on the side of web pages and will include links to your basic pages. Common links include pages like ‘Home’, ‘About’ and ‘Contact’.
Placing clear and simple links like these on your site will encourage visitors to stay a little longer on your site, rather than moving elsewhere.
Be selective with content
It can be tempting at first to fill your site with content, giving your audience plenty to keep themselves amused. However, this can often result in a confusing site from which visitors struggle to extrapolate whatever information they came for.
A far more effective method of communicating through a website is to be selective with what you display. Give the user the opportunity to delve further into your site if they wish, but ensure that your landing page doesn’t overwhelm with information or media.
Think about the future
Something that is key to the success of any website is updates. Your visitors – particularly those who are returning – will be looking for up to date information and it’s your job to give it to them. A common mistake made by newcomers to website creation is to create the perfect site right away. While it’s always important to keep your site looking great, be sure to remember that the content on your site is likely to change.
Each time you make changes to the site, think to the future. Understand what will happen to your current information when it is no longer the newest and most exciting bit of news. Getting your formatting right is a question of creating new content in such a way that it is easy to replace when the time comes.
Colors
The internet is a volatile place and if your visitors aren’t impressed with your site right away, they are likely to navigate away, probably towards a competitor. One of the easiest ways to turn somebody away from your website is to use a distasteful color scheme. It is important that your visitors can read text easily and can differentiate between various parts of the site. A good way to begin is with neutral colors, slowly building to something more exciting as you gain confidence.
With such easy to use tools available for the creation of websites, the best way for anyone to learn is simply by getting involved. Remember, you don’t have to publish your site until you’re completely happy with it.
