How to Create a Professional Looking Website 1,541 Views

The appearance of your web site is arguably the most important feature. Forget content, graphics and how much it sings and dances, if it does not look professional then users will go elsewhere and/or struggle to use your web site. There are certain criteria to make your web site look professional, and if your web site meets each of these criteria then it will look appealing to the user, as well as be easy to use.

Firstly, one option you should consider when designing your site is going for a simple design. Simplicity can make your web site easy to use as well as look great. The best websites are those that have a simplistic layout and very few colors and text. Yes having a flashy web site that jumps out at the user, screams and shouts shows that your web site is built well, but if it cluttered it can quickly look unprofessional. It is best to keep it simple and easy.

Another criterion that should be fulfilled to make a good web site is content, but not too much. The content you include on your web site needs to be detailed, and importantly a suitable font size, style, and color. If you go a bit overboard with the content then your web site will become start to look more like a giant block of text, than a sleek, stylish web site. The content you include should try to be straight to the point also - a good way to do this is through bullet points! The user will want to get answers straight away instead of having to scan through hordes of text to get the answer they need, so there is little need to write huge amounts of text for your web site - you’ll see that most web sites seem to follow this principle. It is also important to restrain from using lots of animations. Animations are fun and quirky, but over use of animations can make your web site look extremely unprofessional. However, clever and strategic use of animations in a simple style can work in your favor.

Finally, the colors you choose to have on your web site will also have a huge impact on the appearance. When it comes to choosing a background, the background should be a plain color, which will not distract attention from other parts of the site. It’s always a safe bet to go for a black font color, as this is easy to read on most backgrounds. Only change the font color if the background is a dark color and the text cannot clearly be seen. To wrap things up, it’s best to keep your design simple and to not get carried away with making your web site the most impressive. An impressive web site is a web site that will allow the user to come back and back, time and time again; as well as getting the audience the answers they are after. Remember to not overdo it on the features and design – simplicity is the key to users returning to your site and enjoying it!

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