It's Not All Function - Don't Forget About Your Web Site's Looks

Monday 17 March, 2008

by Scot Villeneuve

Many people are worried about their search engine ranking, without necessarily being concerned about what the user sees when they click to the site. Sure, a search engine can match up the key terms with your site, but what impression are you making to the visitors once they click to your homepage?

People don't care about how amazing the technology is that makes search engines work. They just type in their keyword and get the results - no fanfare about how the complex network searched through tens of thousands if not millions of potential results in a nano-second and popped up the results an instant later. No one cares - nor should they.  

How the site looks is critically important 

Organisations spend a lot to look professional: signage, business stationery, logo designs, apparel with the company logo, mugs, pens, "trinkets and trash" as it has been said. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for a company to have a terrible looking website. 

We are visually-wired beings

Now honestly, of all the things your company spends money on, shouldn't a good-looking site be one of them? I'll answer that for you - of course it should!  There are basic guidelines that can easily be followed that can set your website apart from the amateurs.
Here are a few pointers:

1. Photography is everything
   
   There is nothing that makes a site look worse than amateur photography. Get a subscription to a royalty free photography site, or have some shots taken by a local (professional) photographer. You will never regret investing in good photography, which is one of the cornerstones of great communications.
   
2. K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple stupid
   
   OK, it's an old cliché - but it's true. Make sure there's some white space in there. Don't feel compelled to cram every square inch of the site with content.
   
3. Fonts
   
   This one's too big, this one's too small, this one's JUST RIGHT. That's really it isn't it? Keep fonts big enough so they are readable, but small enough so they are classy and attractive. It's hard to describe, but you know it when you see it.
   
4. Black type on white or white type on black
   
   Everyone's got an opinion on this. Mine is that there are no absolutes, although 95+% of the time, black type on white is the way to go - it's just more readable. However, there are certain moods and effects that can only be achieved with dark backgrounds. I advise people to proceed with caution, but nothing is off-limits.

Source:ceoonline.com