Smart Site Design

Most folks can tell, when they come to a site, if the builders were paying attention. It usually doesn't take long to figure out whether a site is usable, or not.

Problem is, how do you design a site that's usable, attractive, and makes your visitors want to come back? Here are some ideas:

• Start with the design. Build a site that serves a valuable purpose, not just shows off the custom features of your page-building software.

• Use your head. It's that simple. Don't over-analyze your site -- just use your common sense.

• Be consistent. Keep to the same design on all your pages. Use templates that you design ahead of time, to create your pages, so they all look like they belong together.

• Be vigilant. Fix broken links -- everywhere. If information about your company or your endeavors changes, show it on your site. Don't let your pages get stale and show dates from several years ago.

• Keep things simple and basic, and make it accessible. You want to draw people in and keep them there -- but not longer than they want to.

• Ask yourself, what would you want, if you came to a site like yours? What kind of information would you want, and how far would you go to get it?

• Trust the user. Don't treat them like they're foolish, but don't confuse them. Think how they would feel if they came to your site -- would they be disoriented, over-stimulated, or annoyed?