How to Design a Website
The first thing you need to do is decide what your website is going to be about. This will help you figure out the look and feel of the site, as well as how it's going to function. Some people want their websites to have an artsy/craftsy feel, while others prefer something more professional looking. You can also choose from a variety of themes such as; lifestyle, fashion, home decorating, etc. Once you've decided on a theme, try to focus in on one particular niche or industry. For example, if you're selling handmade soaps, then create a website that looks like it would fit right into a craft store. If you sell clothing, then make sure the design is clean and simple with only necessary information. Another important aspect is to include images and photo galleries (of products). Your site should reflect who you are and what you offer. People really get excited when they see photos of items they may be interested in buying. It makes them feel as though they know you better and trust you more because you seem less "salesy" through pictures. A good rule of thumb is to keep everything simple. Don't go overboard with graphics and other eye-catching features. Keep things simple, professional, and easy to navigate.
You now have a general idea of what your website is supposed to look like. The next step is to sit down and jot down some ideas for content. Content is very important on any website, but especially so on ecommerce sites where visitors are coming mainly to shop rather than just read. Make sure the content is relevant and interesting enough to hold someone's attention. Think about what you'd like to write about yourself or your business. Write several different articles and post them on your site at least once per week. Always add fresh content. If there isn't much new being added to your site regularly, potential customers won't stay long. Also, don't forget to update your blog frequently to encourage readers to come back often.
After you've got all of your content ready, you'll probably want to start making changes based on feedback you receive from your target audience. However, before you start doing this, think about which direction you want your navigation bar to take. Do you want it to appear at the top or bottom? And depending on whether your site has many pages or not, you might also want to consider having menus instead of links. Links tend to work better for smaller sites as visitors usually click around without much difficulty. Menus are better for larger sites as visitors aren't quite as familiar with navigating through them. They can sometimes become tricky since users may not always understand what each item does or points toward. You can always change these options later after testing.
Now we move onto designing the actual layout of your site. There are various ways you can go about creating a beautiful layout for your website. For instance, you could use columns. Columns consist of multiple boxes stacked together. Each box contains a header and a sidebar. In between these two areas lies a main body section. By using columns, you can give each page its own unique identity. For instance, you can put text or pictures in headers and sidebars, while putting product descriptions and prices in the main area. Try to make the most prominent elements stand out by placing them near the top of each column. But remember that nothing should ever distract the reader from reading the rest of the article. Make sure that the colors used throughout the entire site match the overall theme. Avoid bright reds, blues, oranges, purples, greens, pinks, etc. Stick to neutral tones that complement each other. Colors also convey emotions and feelings. So, avoid choosing pastels or muted colors. They can sometimes be too boring and uninteresting. Instead, pick bolder colors and patterns. These types of colors can be exciting and fun.
Another way to spice up your layouts is to incorporate videos, animations, and music. Videos are great for conveying information and giving visitors the feeling that they're part of the experience. Images can also provide a lot of excitement. Animations can be incorporated anywhere on the site including banners, buttons, popups, etc. Music can be placed over background scenes or inside frames as long as it doesn't detract from the overall look and feel of the site. Be careful when incorporating sounds, however. Too many noises can distract readers' eyes away from the primary goal of the site.
Finally, don't forget to make your pages load quickly. Most online shoppers expect to find what they're searching for within seconds. Any longer than 2 or 3 seconds and they're likely to leave. That means no slow loading gifs, large banner ads, or lengthy scripts. Use CSS to style your webpages. This technology allows designers to place stylesheets alongside HTML code. This lets them easily modify the appearance of the site without needing to learn complicated coding languages.
Once you've created your website, test drive it thoroughly. Pay close attention to every little detail. Is the font size big enough? Are the colors correct? Does the menu work properly? Take note of any problems you encounter and fix them immediately. When you launch your site, you want visitors to be impressed and satisfied. Remember that a well designed site is half the battle!