Design plays a big factor when it comes to captivating your audience. Statistics say you have about three seconds to capture their attention to keep them on your site. The best way is usually through the appearance of your site. It doesn’t take long for somebody to criticize your site without giving it a “real” chance.
There are many different parts of design that most people overlook. The most common are:
- Banner
- Text
- Buttons
- Corporate Identity (logo)
- Content layout/placement
- Footer
Having a custom design for each of the above can get pricey. Although these things are nice, they are not always needed. One of the most efficient ways to cut back on design is through navigational links. A lot of people want the fancy buttons with roller overs. What they don’t realize is that it can cause their price to go up too. So, what you can do is…have regular text links! This is a simple way to cut back yet still have a pleasing design.
Don’t get me wrong, design plays a MAJOR role in web development whether it be Columbus, Ohio or not! It’s really about captivating your audience and grabbing their attention long enough to find out about your company or purchase your products/services. I personally recommend going with a fancy design when you have a brochure site (informational - not too much functionality) since there isn’t a lot the site would have to offer functionally anyway. As I said in part 2, I would always recommend the functionality over design since that’s usually what increases your revenue, productivity, or awareness. Keep in mind that this is only if your budget doesn’t allow you to get the full package up front. It is usually less expensive to re-design a site rather than re-developing one…