Most businesses today have an internet presence. Some content-driven, others provide online services through sophisticated user interfaces. Others are providing entertainment their visitors – Youtube being an example. Whatever your website is for, there are a few fundamentals to consider before the build starts.

Your first objective must be focus. Visitors want instant gratification, to be sure they are at the right place, if your site is to vague it will not be sticky and your visitors will leave. Within a few seconds your site must communicate its message.

One way of focusing the whole design and content is to write a précis of what your site does and why. In the same way that a well written novel will have a central premise that plot, characters, dialogue and narrative promote, so your site must have this focus.

Once you have this description carefully crafted select some key phrases from it and search on Google. These websites are your competition.

It is essential that your visitors see this mission statement immediately to reassure them that they are in the right place.

The second objective is to deal with the premise in depth. To do so you must provide well-written content that is as focused as the mission statement.

The more you write about your premise the more searches will be picked up by search engines. But the content must be useful. Spamming with random text stuffed with keywords does not work.

If your site is focused and provides a useful resource to your visitor it will have a good chance to stick to your visitor: they will look around. So you are now providing your visitor with value.

The next step is to have further value statements: satisfied customers, examples of services provided, pictures and prices of products and so on. Of course the content is augmented by the graphics that surround it. The same principle is applicable to logo design and layout: they must all support the basic premise of the site.

Tags: Design & Content //