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Web Design Checklist [2]

3. Easy to load

You must make sure that your web pages load quickly. This means that when visitors visit your website, they don't have to wait for ages for your site to become visible (i.e., to load). In these days of the broadband and some other very fast means of connecting to the internet, coupled with the inherent lack of time, people expect a web page to load immediately.

Secondly, surfers always do have numerous websites they want to visit, and therefore they cannot afford to waste time on just one of them. In fact, unless you have a worldwide advertised, very high profile, hot content on your website, or the surfer desperately needs to find a particular information he/she believes is hidden somewhere on your web pages, you can be sure that no one will waste time waiting for your website to load.

You should use smaller sized graphics/pictures, and be sure not  to use more than is necessary to achieve your purpose. Note that webpages with unnecessary large sized graphics generally load very slowly.

In case you haven't gotten it, you'll lose business if your visitors leave your site due to the long time it takes to load. It's like watching your money fly off the window.

4. Unclutter Your WebPages: Define each Page

Some people pack loads of unnecessary stuff in a web page, making it look very disorganized and difficult to navigate. You should design your website in such a manner that each page is specifically focused on a particular topic or product ( or related products or services). This ensures that your site's visitors stay focused on the topic or product you want them to be focused on. You should make sure that your visitors have a friendly, bright, easy-to-use website staring at them when they land.

Remember that you have just about 10 seconds to either get them and keep them, or lose them forever. Therefore, when you fill your site with confusing graphics, excessive links that are all over the place, tons of multi-colored flashing banners, don't complain when you do not make any sales. It's just as simple as that.
5. Avoid use of Splash Pages

Those who love flash may not agree with me, but I think that flash intros or splash pages are one of the best ways of asking people to stay away from your site. Most of them start with either some abstract flash page with music, or some other colourful watch-me-unfold layer of pictures that add nothing to the functionality of your website. There will then be provision for a visitor to “click here to enter site” or “skip intro”, making one to wonder why the intro was there in the first place.

I have said this several times, and I will keep saying it until it sinks in: you have just about 10 seconds to grab the attention of your site's visitors. It is now up to you to decide whether you want them to spend the 10 seconds deciding whether to “click here to leave” your fancy splash page, or spend them viewing the benefits of the services or products on your web pages.  Your choice.

6. Do Not Overuse Marquees

Marquees are those scrolling texts some web developers use in designing their websites. Some are used to highlight features of a product or service, benefits or even as navigation links to a particular section of a site. They could be useful, but at the same time very distractive. This is especially so when they are here, there and everywhere with dodgy background  and text colours that don't complement each other.


I don't know the pick and drop web design software you are using at the moment. But if you are like me who does not know how to string together half a line of code (whether html, php, etc), but designs and produces professional looking websites, then I suggest that you download BlueVoda for free. You will thoroughly love it.
Web Design Checklist [2]
Grab the attention of every visitor within 10 seconds by making sure that they see the most compelling benefit(s) of your service or product. They don't have to scroll to the bottom of the page before they see this most important component of your website. Prioritise the position of the benefits, and go easy on stuff like " About Us"