Website Creation Guidelines
1)Page Layout
When it comes to the way you lay out the pages on your website, there are some important guidelines to follow. Thinking back to one of the first guidelines, you should only include what is necessary on your site. This means that you should not make your pages cluttered with extraneous information or images. The research shows that an uncluttered page is more easily navigated than a page with lots of stuff. Important items that you want your users to see right away should be in the top center of the page. Any comparative information you display should be next to each other, so it is easy to see. Don’t make your users go back and forth between pages to compare information. Use a level of importance that goes from high to low. The most important info should be on the top and the least on the bottom. Make the items on a page aesthetically pleasing by lining everything up. In addition, use appropriate page and line lengths, do not use scroll stoppers, and be conservative with how much white space you include.
2) Make sure your Design is Accessible
If your website isn’t completely accessible, then it will affect your conversion rates and your ranking with search engines. Your website must be viewable on all browsers, as if it is not, it will cause visitors to exit your site, without purchasing any products, or using your services. If your website loads slowly, or it’s difficult to navigate, then it will likely rank low with search engines. Make sure that your website looks correct on all browsers, that it loads properly, and that you don’t use any images that load slowly.
3)Be Careful with Flash Elements
Using too much flash on your website cannot only be distracting for your visitors, but it can also affect your website’s search engine ranking. If you use flash elements on your site, then it will be more difficult for search engines to rank your website. This is because flash is often ignored or devalued by search engines, meaning that it won’t add anything to your site’s SEO. If you are going to use flash on your website, make sure that you do it sparingly.
4)Use JavaScript Sparingly
Many websites make the mistake of using Javascript for their whole site design. Search engines crawl through websites to index them, and determine their ranking in the results. If your site features a great deal of Javascript, search engines will struggle to read your site, and it will cause crawling issues. Additionally, Javascript doesn’t work particularly well on mobile devices. You want to make it as simple and easy as possible for search engines to read your website, and you want to make your site is as user-friendly as possible for your visitors.
5)Graphics, Images, and Multimedia
When it comes to guidelines involving graphics, images and media, you should also keep consistency in mind. Having these features on your website is helpful, but you don’t want to overwhelm your user with too much. Appropriate graphics can really enhance your usability. Use your images logo on the page, so that the user can identify it. Keep in mind that multiple images may take longer to load, so don’t overwhelm your page and make your user bored while waiting. When you decide to conduct usability testing, one thing you should test for is to see if graphics, images and multimedia are conveying the right message to users. If not, then you don’t need them. Give images a descriptive label to identify their purpose. Stick to images that do not take up the whole background. This can make it difficult to display necessary text. Any images that you do decide to use should not be too similar to banner ads, as users tend to ignore them according to research. These features are necessary for your webpage, but be sure to use them only when needed.
6)Text Appearance
Text is a very important part of your website, and there are some guidelines to go along with the types, sizes and location of texts that you decide to display. It is important, in general, to keep font formatting consistent when designing your webpage. When choosing background and text colors, keep in mind that it is easier to read when there is a greater contrast between the two. Using black text on a plain background made it easier for users to read in the research that was conducted. You should also use consistent formats with text items like times, dates, telephone numbers and addresses. This will help your reader understand and notice the information easier. Remember to use appropriate capitalization. Avoid using CAPS Lock too often, as this will make it seem like you are screaming at your visitors. When it comes to bold and italic font, use it sparingly. Its purpose is to highlight important information, and if you overuse it, then it will lose its effectiveness. When you want to attract the attention of users, use those features sparingly. When it comes to size, use 12 points or larger.
7)Headings, Titles, and Labels
In order to help your users navigate your site better, consider headings, titles and labels that are descriptive. While you don’t want to have a ton of words in your hearings, titles and labels, make sure the words you do use are meaningful. It is also important to make sure they really reflect the information your reader will find when going to that spot on your site. Making your headings or labels unique will also help users become curious about what they will find there. This will prompt them to click on them more often. Also, consider using the correct hierarchy when it comes to using headings on your page. This means you should be using appropriate heading tags where necessary. Providing clear options for your users to choose from will also help out with your usability. If you can also highlight important headings visually, this will help readers find the information they came for. Without following these necessary guidelines for headings, titles, and labels, your users may become frustrated with your website and leave.
8) Search
One very helpful feature that users appreciate is the ability to search for information throughout your website. This does come with some guidelines. When using a search toolbar on your website, it is important to remember to put the search bar on each page of your website. This will allow them to easily find what they are looking for. The more precise you set your search up to be, the better. You should also set up each search tool to look through the entire site for keywords. Be vigilant about capitalizing search terms, as users might not be aware how that affects the information provided upon searching. Make sure all the forms of a word or phrase can be found. You can figure out what kind of terminology your visitors might use and design your searches around common keywords and phrases. To make the search process easier, you can include hints that can help users find what they need. Templates can also be used to simplify the process. This feature on your site will help users easily find what they are looking for.
9)Colors are crucial.
Color selection can make or break a website. Most of us have visited websites that are simply painful to look at. When choosing colors, use a consistent palette of colors that don't clash and make sure there is a strong contrast between the text and the background.
10)Make your website responsive.
People will access your website using a wide variety of devices – from smartphones to desktop computers. Therefore, it is important that your website displays correctly on different screen sizes. CSS media queries are a great way to implement responsive web design.
11)Write your own code.
Whether it's HTML or PHP, nothing beats writing your code from scratch. If you build your site from templates and pre-written scripts, you will be clueless when something goes wrong. When you code your own pages, you have full control over how they look and act.
12)Don't forget the content.
Even if your site is beautifully designed, it is only an empty shell without content. A good website has both great design and great content. Therefore, make sure your pages have unique, original content that makes them worth visiting.
13)Live Chat
Most good websites these days come with live chat support. These are quickly replacing the “Contact us” pages on most websites where it is extremely rare to get a response at all.Live chats require an employee of the main center of the website to stay online at all times, this is usually done in shifts, so he could listen to anything the viewer has to say and provide an appropriate response accordingly
14)Feature videos
Many website make it a point to include a short video that features the product they are endorsing on the homepage. An auto-play option for this video is ideal as most users tend to not click on feature videos on their own.
This video, if included, must explain the product in simple words along with its merits. This is to the benefit of the user since he will hesitate to use the product if he feels that it is complex.
15) Add High-Quality Images
Yes, a picture really is worth a thousand words when it comes to web content. And no, that doesn't give you the green light to skip the text and front-load your site with images. Great, high-quality images of your products, services, team, facility, events and other relevant images can greatly complement your message, balance out page content, and add visual appeal to your page. web development company in Hyderabad