How to Create Good Layout and Content

A good layout gives your site a clean, professional look. Visitors will be able to find what they want easily, and navigate your website with ease. If your layout is not pleasing, visitors may not want to return to your site. The way you dress; whether sloppy, neat, business or casual, conveys an immediate impression to the viewer. The same holds true when a user goes to your website, she gets a first impression. That first impression is critical. It will determine whether she wants to stay and look around your site or leave.

Consider the following when designing your layout

1. KISS

Keep it simple. A simple layout is user friendly.

2. Use contrasting colours on your site

i.e. dark text on light colour background or vice-versa. If you use dark text on a dark background or vice-versa it will be difficult to read the text.

3. Avoid using several different fonts in one page

Small serif fonts (like Times Roman) are difficult to read on a computer screen. Verdana is a popular font, since it is clean and easy to read.

4. Design your layout so that important content is within viewable area without scrolling.

To avoid a horizontal scrollbar, set the page layout to expand and shrink with changes in browser window size.

5. Break up long paragraphs into smaller chunks

Visitors don't like to see long lines of text because they want information to be concise and quick. They want easy-to-read material.

6. Use bullets, subtitles, highlighted keywords, hyperlinks, etc. to improve scanability

This will help guide readers to key information.

7. Avoid all caps, busy backgrounds and excessive animation

Don't type all words in caps. Busy backgrounds can make your text hard to read. Animation and sounds are distracting to the visitor.

8. Save the top of your page for your most important content.

A good layout will give your site a professional look and keep your visitors coming back. Now, here's an exercise for you. Go to your website, and see how many things you can and should change. Change them, and stand back and marvel at the difference!

Contact InterDream Designs for more information.

- Nina Menezes

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