Selecting the right website design will undoubtedly be critical to your success online. If you’re running an online business, chances are you’re not an expert in web design. You can hire your own web designer, or you can take the time to purchase a website template and work on it yourself.
So how do you choose a website template? Get it right, and you’ll end up with a website that people will remember, bookmark, revisit, and recommend to all their friends. A well-designed template will contain the following features:
It’s unique. You don’t want to use the same template that your competitors are using right now, do you? Find something that is different from what everyone else is using. Most of the popular templates and web design trends are overused, so you can find more than a hundred websites that look exactly the same.
It is easy to edit. Find a flexible website template, one that you can edit with almost any HTML editor. If a template or layout has many graphics, choose one whose graphics are easy to edit or replace. Make sure the included image files are also optimized for web viewing. Otherwise, you will end up with slow loading pages.
It’s flashy but not too annoying. Choose a layout that will impress your visitors but won’t distract them from your main content. You want your website to stand out for two reasons: good design and exceptional content. Use colors that are too strong for your niche theme and you will end up with visitors who may think you are not a professional.
It is NOT a Flash template. Until Flash websites are 100% “indexable” by Google and other search engines, please refrain from using them. And that is not all. Flash websites load slowly, are very distracting, and difficult to edit or update with content.
It does not contain too many scripts for layout. Scripts should only be used when absolutely necessary, not to add unnecessary design. If a design element can be achieved with just HTML, CSS, and simple graphics, it’s best not to use scripts. It’s an exaggeration. Scripts must be used to manipulate data and facilitate online transactions.
If a template contains scripts, check the code. Make sure that all scripting code is placed at the bottom of the HTML document, not near the header. If it is placed near the top of the document, web pages containing the script will appear to load very slowly.
It is optimized for SEO and usability. There are many factors to consider here. To get started, check out the layout. Make sure the top left side of the page allows you to place your most important links and elements there: your header, link to the home page, or your page title. The top left is where your main navigation should be. Why? Because that’s the first place visitors will look (because people read from left to right). Visitors only have a few seconds to figure out where to get the information they need before giving up. You’ll want to make sure that’s possible with your website design.
Those are the qualities of a well-designed website template. Your website design can make or break the success of your online business, so take your time selecting your template.
