This is part one of a multi-part article on how to thoroughly create a professional web page the proper way with in-depth studies on each aspect of designing and creating a web page.
The first step to creating a professional webpage is deciding upon a layout that will represent the site in the best manner. The layout is one of the most important factors when creating a web page due to it being the blueprint of the design that will be made later.
When thinking about the layout of the site, there are a few things you’ll need to ask yourself:
- What type of website am I making?
- How can I make it easy to understand and navigate?
- What sections need to be attention-grabbing?
What type of website is it?
The first main thing that is required is that you understand the type of website you are creating so that you can produce an appropriate layout for the design. Choosing the right layout for the type of website you are designing is a crucial step in the development of any web page because different layouts are suited for different websites. For example, the layout for a portfolio site will be completely different than for an e-commerce site as portfolios tend to be very clean with intricate design, and e-commerce websites are usually packed full of advertising and information trying to sell their products. An example of this is below:
Portfolio Website: http://www.design2work.net/
E-commerce Website: http://www.amazon.co.uk/
How can I make it easy to understand and navigate?
Creating a website that is easy for the user to understand and navigate isn’t an easy job, and is probably the most important aspect to consider when coming up with a layout for the website. This is because the user won’t want to struggle in navigating through the site to find what they want as they are likely to lose patience and leave the website. Therefore, the use of clear buttons and links to each part of the website and clear headings for each section on the page will greatly aid the user in understanding using the site.
What sections need to be attention-grabbing?
Deciding upon which sections of the website you want to be attention-grabbing can be vital to a businesses’ survival as they are there to promote the company and try to persuade the visitor to use their services. This can be achieved by the use of bigger, uniquely styled boxes that stand out when the user first looks at the page are great to use to for advertising, displaying special deals, letting the visitor know why your site is so special, and so on.
I have drawn up a quick layout sketch and labelled some key elements in it that are worth noting:
Conclusion – Part One
Hopefully, you have managed to take most of this into account and understand the importance of having a good layout. So now get your pens and pencils out and start drawing down some basic ideas of how you want the website to be displayed. Don’t worry about getting it perfect, just some rough sketches to outline key areas is all you need at this stage. The following sections of the article will help you to design the graphical elements of the website so keep watching for any updates.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Nice article. Direct and informative.