Navigating through a web site should be simple and efficient. Navigation is one of the key determinants of a web site’s usability.

Usability refers to the ease of use and learning with regards to web sites. It can refer to the effectiveness and quickness of the navigation structure of the web site to be able to present pertinent information to the surfers.

The Issue of Usability

Usability is deemed to be very important in terms of web development today. Web Sites are made with the intention of making them tools for people in doing their daily tasks. Developing complex web sites which do not assist people in effectively doing their tasks would make little sense.

People with disabilities are continuing to grow in number. In the United States alone, one-fifth of the population is pestered by some kind of disability. This is the main reason why many people are gearing towards making web sites more usable. The Internet has become a main instrument for these people to be able to live their lives.

Navigation

The usability of a web site is dependent on several different factors such as accessibility, content quality and readability and over-all presentation, however, many web developers would say that the usability of a web site is all about navigation.

This article tries to lay down some basic tips which should guide a developer on how to make a web site more usable through the improvement of its navigational structure.

Here are some tips on how to make a web site’s navigation more user-friendly:

-Avoidance of irrelevant links

One of the main mistakes of web developers in building web sites is that they add more confusion to the visitor rather than eliminate it. This is the result of putting too much links that are not really needed by the visitors.

Having too many links to the other parts of the web site is clearly an indication that the navigational structure of the web site is not at its best. Let’s examine a hypothetical web site so as to give us a way to discuss the different things to avoid and do in designing a web site’s navigation structure. Let’s say that we are building a public auction web site (one similar to E-bay).

If a surfer would want to buy computer accessories, the web site should not contain irrelevant links to other parts of the web site such as putting a direct link towards the section on buying clothes. If the said person is interested in buying clothes after he has shopped for the computer accessories that he needs, he will definitely find his way to the clothes section. Putting these kinds of links will irritate more people than satisfy more people. It’s like putting a section of computer accessories and a section of clothing right beside each other in a department store-it makes no sense.

-Standardize icons

A study has revealed that 39% of shoppers did not pursue in buying certain items from the Internet because they found the web sites to be too hard to navigate. This meant a lot of loss for the businesses, but this can be avoided.

One of the ways to improve navigation is to use standardized icons for linking pages. Icons were made to be able to represent something that is related to it. The use of random icons will definitely add up to the confusion regarding navigation. Also, developers should not over-explain the icon because icons are there to be able to provide non-text information about the link. A brief explanation should be provided, but it should be kept brief and concise.

-Web Sitemap

The provision of a web sitemap will definitely help people to effectively navigate through the web site. A web sitemap provides a skeleton structure of the web site in a single page. All the links and contents are indicated in a web sitemap therefore making navigation a much easier process.

-Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumb links provide linkage to the major pages of a web site. These are particularly useful for people because they give easy access to the major pages.

-Avoid burying information

Navigating through a web site need not be a journey through an ocean. A simple rule of thumb is that all the web pages in the web site should be accessible from each other not more than 3 clicks away.

These are just some of the ways on how to improve the usability of a web site through the improvement of navigation. These steps should be done hand-in-hand with the other ways of improving a web site’s usability.

• Improve The Usability Of Your Web Design
• Page Length And Website Usability
• Frames And Website Usability
• Menu Arrangement To Improve Website Usability
• Website Design That Can Improve The Usability

Web usability according to research, was proven to be the most significant factor in web design. In fact, it is the influential element that keeps visitors returning to your web site.

Usually the most overlooked aspect when designing a web site, nonetheless in actuality, usability has power over the web. When your visitors can not easily navigate your web site, chances are, he will not utilize your library in search for information and just go to other web sites. Note that all web sites are just a click of the mouse away. Hundreds of thousands of other online stores that offer the same services or products as you are crowding the internet, making online shoppers more selective and choosy when concluding whether to stay and continue their browsing or just leave.

The internet offers online shoppers ample freedom and various choices; nobody will ever waste their time on a poorly constructed web site. In order to provide web usability, you must involve or think of your prospect clients in designing it.

Not like a traditional “brick and mortar” store, a lot of online stores or web sites do not permit their visitors to “walk through” inside the web site as they can in a traditional store set-up. While this may seem an unworkable task to accomplish, if done correctly, a “user-friendly” approach to web design will easily accomplish this task.

When online shopping, all things must to be located where visitors expect them to be at. The practice of flooding a client with abundant item choices all at the same time and making them search for certain items that they need, is most definitely not the concept of web usability.

Your visitors must be taken into consideration all throughout your planning as well as designing process. Bear in mind that web usability must never be considered after the construction of a web site.

Fixing and then testing your web site only after construction is useless and will not yield satisfactory results. Your best approach would be to combine a replica of ^pervasive usability^ unto your web design and construction process.

According to surveys, here are top 12 reasons why visitors want to go back to your web site:

* Easy navigation 74%

* Quick download time 65%

* Frequently updated information 58%

* Content quality 57%

* Content quantity 30%

* Content organization 40%

* Prompt customer service 40%

* Web Site search tools 25%

* Layout of homepage 20%

* Enjoyment 19%

* Web Site appearance 18%

* Inclusion of animated graphics 9%

Basing from these reasons, here are usability tips to help you design your web site:

1. Become familiar with your visitors based on their preferences. You need a web site with personality as well as content quality that accommodates your visitor’s taste; you should understand and recognize their color choices, technical skills, etc.

2. Create obvious and simple interface. The more apparent and recognizable the web interface is, then your visitors never have to undergo frustration in guessing how your web site really works, and instead on concentrating on the interface, they should be concentrating on your web site’s content.

3. Web Site readability. Create “easy to read” paragraph, not using small text or font size.

4. Quick loading. You need a fast downloadable page as visitors hate to wait.

5. Avoid hidden navigation, as your visitors need to know where and what to click in order to go someplace.

6. Get visitor feedbacks so you will know what is working and what does not. Learn from your prospects.

7. Investigate on web site visitor performance. Determine how long it takes to perform a certain task? It should not take too long, the faster the better. If not, work on your user interaction so to improve performance.

8. Provide a help section. If your web site visitor does make a certain mistake, then they truly will appreciate it if you provide ways to assist them. “404 page” is great for directing “spiders” to crawl unto your webpage.
Testing for usability

Testing for usability is not complicated and very inexpensive to carry out. The easiest answer is to design a simple sequence of undertakings for web users to carry out trials.

Invite people or friends to your workplace, then request them to navigate your web site, watching and observing while they surf. Do not wait when your web site is done before you test it; test it now.

The work can be simple like finding out a product’s information or finding out how a certain firm can be contacted or one can order a product and finding shipping policies information.

After testing, fix any problem and test it again. Continue testing and refining web usability of your web site until such time that there are no problems found, that the experience is efficient and pleasant.

Remember that web site usability is concerned to not just the appearance of a web site, but more importantly how your web site performs and particularly, it gives emphasis on the experience of your visitors.

• Website Interface And Usability
• Website Design That Can Improve The Usability
• Improve The Usability Of Your Web Design
• Well Designed Headings To Improve Usability Of Website
• Navigation Design To Improve Website Usability

The issue of web site usability is one of the main topics today in web development. There are many moves regarding the push of web development to accommodate a wider range of visitors.

Different sectors of society have taken their initiative in terms of improving their web sites to be able to make them more user-friendly. The government has taken legal steps to be able to realize laws which intend to make web sites more usable. The different institutions which are involved in education, information awareness and public services are also moving towards usability. The business sector is also moving towards the same goal because they rely on generating and maintaining traffic. Studies have found out that usability is directly correlated with the desire of people to come back to a certain web site. 74% of people consider usability as one of their main considerations for coming back to a web site. Making a business web site more usable will also give a company a good image.

Context

The main reason why there are moves towards improving the usability of web sites is that a big chunk of Internet users are impaired with some kind of disability. In fact, around 20% of the whole American population has some kind of disability. With this situation in mind, the Internet is deemed as an important tool in providing services and opportunities to these people. The Internet has become an avenue for communication, information dissemination and gathering for these people.

Usability Factors

There are a lot of factors to consider when developing a user-centered web site. These factors can be grouped in different ways and can be tested by different means. Listed below are some of these factors:

1) Accessibility

The usability of a web site is dependent and intertwined with its accessibility. Accessibility refers to the quickness and easiness of gathering information from the web site.

2) Download time

Nobody likes a web site which takes too long to load. Many people would actually prefer a basic-looking web site which loads quickly than a beautiful web site which takes minutes to load.

3) Feedback Mechanisms

Web Sites should be able to provide avenues which can be used by its users to give feedback. Feedback gathering is very important in assessing and improving a web site.

4) Navigation

Navigational links should be provided and placed properly all through out the web site to guide the users on how to effectively gather the information that they need from the web site.

There are other details that need attention when it comes to optimizing the usability of a web site. This article tries to tackle one of them which is- menu arrangement. The menu is a basic tool which surfers use to be able to get from one web page to another and to track their navigation.

Here are some useful tips in arranging the menu of a web site.

1) Go back to the goals

One should ask what the main goals of the web site are to be able to determine the right links to put in the menu bar. The menu’s basic function should be connected with the main goal of the web site. A web site which is offering an array of products might want to put the different categories of the products in the menu bar.

2) Important pages

The menu bar should highlight all the pages which contain pertinent information regarding the purpose of the web site. The contents of the menu bar should be carefully chosen so as to maximize its limited space.

3) Cohesion

Items should be placed in the menu in a cohesive manner. It’s basically a choice which involves the right placement of items so as to give proper guidance to the users.

4) Fonts

The users should be able to customize the size of the fonts of the entire web site. The fonts that are places in the menu should not be too small or too big. Using a different font for the menu can be done under the premise that they do not deviate too much from the other fonts.

Menu arrangement is just a speck in the whole idea of web site usability. The tips above are just basic ways of modifying the menu so as to provide maximum guidance to the users and must be seen in the context of the whole picture. The other aspects of usability should be given attention to be able to develop a user-centered web site.

• Improve The Usability Of Your Web Design
• Page Length And Website Usability
• Navigation Design To Improve Website Usability
• Frames And Website Usability
• Designing Web Site for Accessibility and Usability

When talking about design across-the-board, it’s harder to define what is the best based on a singular standard, as compared to deciding which is more aesthetically pleasing than the other. After all, like most human creations, there may be no exact definition or standard to define or embody perfect design at any cost, especially given the subjective perspective by which each individual may look upon any object.

However, there is such a thing coined by many as optimal web design. Optimal, by virtue of its definition alone, already means the most favorable or desired form of any particular subject. This then translates to what is optimal web design–which is web design that best suits the tastes of the greater majority, while at the same time working within the feasibility constraints of any undertaking.

What then makes web design optimal? Web design is optimal when it seeks to provide maximum utility to users while providing business or operational viability. In this way, the designer is able to best provide for the demand of both the end consumers as well as the people who plan and conceptualize for the purpose of deriving profit.

Putting the end users in mind is another means in order to emphasize what’s in every web designer’s mind–friendlier usability for each and every user. This means taking into consideration the fact that people visit web sites in order to find particular content; therefore, it is imperative that the content must always take the precedence over any other accents and extraneous designs or artwork.

The more effective web designers are not afraid to make use of white backgrounds, or generally very clean lines in their web site. By limiting the use of unrelated pictures that may even cause loading the page to take longer, and adding in very integral elements like the title and an outline of the contents of the page, it brings attention back to the content over anything else.

Pictures, unless completely necessary, should be used sparingly. When it would take longer than usual to load due to the size or the volume of pictures, it is recommended to forewarn users so that they may opt out of viewing pictures and instead proceed to seeking content they need. Moreover, advertisements and their placements, when possible, must be planned so that while they will serve their purpose, they will also in no way cause distraction or distaste to the visitors of the web site.

Moreover, navigation is made consistent and simple in order to make accessing content as simple and as easy as possible. After all, who’s to say if everyone who surfs the Internet have the same capacities to grasp and decipher navigational tactics and the like.

Integrate into the design a means through which each and every visitor may have access to basic information about the web site and its proponents (usually in the ‘About’ page), as well as a means of access to the privacy statement of the company. After all, the latter has played a big role in building–or inversely destroying–many relationships on the Internet.

An additional means in order to have an optimal web design is by using rudimentary conventions in web design–like making clear buttons, describing links accurately, and displaying links in the conventional blue. In this manner, the web site will accommodate even the older users without the same sort of grounding with the use of the computer, and will make sure that users have the least amount of trouble in just trying to access a design.

However, there are also particular selling points that will assure marketability and will reflect business viability to its necessary degree. First and foremost, aesthetic design and code design are very much limited by the resources made available by the company. It is also important that the web site has the capacity to meld in with the strategies undertaken by the company.

The first consideration in the optimal business viability of a web site are the limitations experienced and set in order to create it. This includes the limitations on space, the domain address, as well as the terms and conditions that a company would have to sign in order to enlist services.

Moreover, optimal web design when it comes to business applications when the web site is able to integrate itself to all the collective efforts, like marketing strategies and the like, of any company hoping to gain an edge through the Internet. This means that in the end, while aesthetics play an important role, creating an optimal web design is still one that best accommodates without alienation its users, sponsors, and web design planners.

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The issue of web site usability has garnered much attention today. In fact, there have been laws and legal moves against web site developers who would not take into consideration the wide range of people who will be viewing their web sites.

The issue of usability has been founded on the context that there are a lot of people who are disabled or impaired in some way. In America alone, there are 1 out of 5 people who are disabled in one way or another.

The Internet has provided us with ways to communicate, interact, exchange information and do business. It is a pertinent tool in providing much needed avenues for accessing these things especially for people who are disabled. This is why usability has been a pressing issue in terms of web site development.

Frames and web site usability

One of the ways which can increase the usability of a web site is the proper use of frames. Frames basically segment the browser into different portion and each portion is independent from the others. There are two major schools of thought when it comes to the use of frames: one that says frames should not be used and one that says that there are advantages to using frames in web site development.

This article tries to give guidance on the use of frames in web site development. The ultimate aim of web site development is to make it easier for more people to use the web site, whether with the use of frames or without them.

Why not use frames?

There are a lot of negative thoughts when it comes to the use of frames in web sites. Here are some of them:

Printing

There have been much complaints about printing web pages that are framed. Internet browsers seem to select the frame to be sent to the printer randomly. The user cannot usually print the frame that he wants because the computer selects the frame which is the focal point of the webpage.

Downloading

Many newbies in the field of web site development employs frames to be able to cut the downloading time of their web sites. This can only be achieved if the right ways of presenting the content are achieved. Other contents such as style sheets, images and scripts are recommended to be cached.

Linking

Using frames which contains third-party information can raise issues of infringement of copyrights and trademarks.

Bookmarks

Visitors usually cannot mark the particular frame that he wants when using framed web sites. The basic structure of frames deviates from the normal structure of unification of the “web site.” This can cause problems in bookmarking.

Search engines

Search engines encounter problems when indexing framed web sites. This is a result of the frames paradox. The “spiders” of the search engines are drawn to what developers refer to as black hole pages.

Over-all usability

Surfers may become confused with the structuring of a web site which uses frames. The provision of multiple scrollbars will definitely add to the problem. If a designer hides the scrollbars, the contents of the web site may become inaccessible.

Advantages in Using Frames

There are also some key advantages in using frames. Many people are still lured to use frames in their web sites and listed below are some of the explanations why they are inclined to do so:

Ease in designing

One of the key features of the usage of frames in web sites is that it makes the job easier for the developer. When a developer employs frames, he is relieved of the task of putting the logos and navigation menu on every single page that he will develop. Frames can contain these information and need not to be copied every time a user clicks another page of the web site.

Flexibility

Frames provide a surfer several mini-browsers which he can view all at the same time. This allows for more flexibility in terms of getting more work done or getting more information for a single viewing of the webpage.

Quicker downloads

With the use of frames, different web site contents need not be downloaded every time a click is made. This makes downloading much easier because contents that should be re-downloaded need not be downloaded because they are contained in a different frame.

These are just some of the features and perceived disadvantages of the use of frames. They can be used as long as the developer knows how to fully maximize the potential of frames without making them a problem for the surfers.

• Improve The Usability Of Your Web Design
• Page Length And Website Usability
• Designing Web Site for Accessibility and Usability
• Navigation Design To Improve Website Usability
• Menu Arrangement To Improve Website Usability

E-commerce, or doing business through the Internet is certainly picking up. This may primarily be because of the ease and convenience of shopping online, not to mention the savings from a significantly lower overhead compared to brick-and-mortar stores.

However, regardless of the benefits of e-commerce, why is it that traditional brick-and-mortar stores are still around and seem to grow instead of decline?

One major reason could be because these kinds of stores still represent and hold a significantly higher degree of security to the consumer as compared to a web site. The sense of permanence, familiarity and reliability that a physical location holds is what brings customers back to the store.

While online businesses cannot compete with the physical assurance brick-and-mortars have, web-based enterprises can still develop a degree of familiarity with their customers that fosters a relationship of trust and reliability. And majority of this is built around the design of a web site.

The One Unchanging Principle: Think Like Your Customer
Whether your business has a physical or virtual location, one principle in building relationships with your customers remains — and this is to think like them.

The more successful businesses have prospered because they have made their customers’ mindset their own. For traditional businesses, it meant everything from convenienctly locating goods to offering ready and credible assistance.

Successful web sites should follow suit. With the lack of tangible contact, a potential customer could have little basis for forming a relationship with an online store. And if building customer loyalty is your goal, then suitable substitutes must be found.

Looks and feels familiar
First impressions last. As soon as a visitor clicks on a link to your web site, he expects to see something that he will like, and therefore trust.

Take an online garden supply store for an example. A cut and dry layout of columns and rows, with little to no pictures will not give the visitor the impression he has accessed a gardening store. Not a lot of hits would result, much less in sales.

However, if that same web site was built to look like a garden shed, for example, the customer might feel more at home with shopping there because the look of the web site used a familiar concept with the customer and incorporated it into the over-all look and feel of the web site.

Being able to capture and retain your visitor’s attention is the first step in converting a visit into a sale and eventually working towards a strong business relationship.

Ready Assistance and Assurance
A customer appreciates a ready source of help and information when he or she is shopping. So again, thinking like a customer, find ways where a visitor can access answers to common questions about your products. This could be in the form of a prominent FAQ page or a concise product description alongside a picture.

It helps to strategically locate short but strong testimonials from satisfied customers among your products so visitors can see right away the reliability of the service and goods you provide.

Safe and Secure
While familiarity and assurances of reliable service is great in building customer relationship and loyalty, the bedrock of any relationship is trust. So place a good deal of emphasis on this.

Almost all business and financial transactions over the Internet are now performed over a 128-bit encryption system. So settle for nothing less than this. It will also help to prominently display this information on your payment and sales confirmation page to assure your customers this measure of security.

Build on the Relationship
The beginnings of a lasting relationship start from a good first impression. Hopefully, the look of the web site has drawn your visitor in comfortably enough to make them want to purchase something from you for the first time. Once they have done so, it is still well within your control to assure that that first transaction will lead to many more.

You can do this through a number of ways, the most common of which is to thank the customer for purchasing from you and to assure them of your products’ warranties (if any apply).

Offer your customers useful tips and information on a resource page so they can visit you again, even if to purchase is not the primary intention. Most online transactions require an email address to be submitted so invite the customer to subscribe to your e-newsletter (if you have one). You may offer perks and / or discounts if they do subscribe. However, to avoid being labeled as spam, make sure the material is clearly solicited for and is sent in timely manner.

About the best indicator of loyalty is when your customer sees you as an expert in your line of business. Aim to be this through your web site and your customers will begin to see you as more than just a supplier, but a trusted consultant.

By taking the necessary steps with your web site in cultivating familiarity and trust with your customers, results will be reflected not only in your sales but with your customer relationships as well.

• Website Usability Tips
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• Proper Positioning Of Information In A Typical Website
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Arranging information in a web site is hardly different from laying out furniture in a house. As much as you would group different kinds of furniture together in certain rooms, so would you group different kinds of information in certain pages.

If you’re just starting out in building your own web site, then this is a useful metaphor for you when it comes to positioning information effectively in your web site and avoiding a confusing, unorganized mess.

Grouping information together
Beds, dressers and closets belong in a bedroom; kitchen appliances, cupboards and pantry shelves belong in the kitchen — you get the idea, right?

The idea is to categorize information. You do not want to be hopping from one page to another and back again to get a coherent set of information. You’d want them all conveniently contained in one page.

So for example, if you sell items on your web site, group these into one page. (Of course if you have a lot of items to sell, categorize them into the different kinds of products as well).

If you maintain a web site about your family or an association you’re part of, group pertinent information together. It probably will not be helpful if you lump the family tree with the photo albums and the contact information all in one single page. That’d make for one very cluttered web site.

Typical web sites have major headings or categories, which are:
- Home (also called index) page
- About Me / Us page
- Resources page
- Contact page

A Home page should contain information that answers the question “What is this web site about?” It should also display the other categories so a visitor can easily access them.

The About Me / Us page holds information about the person or organization who owns the web site. Some web sites do not have these, but it adds to reliability and attachment to the web site when visitors are allowed information that lets them know more about the web site’s owner.

The Resources page holds useful and practical information for the visitor. Some resource pages also contain trivia and games, which many visitors enjoy. The resources page is usually the page that gets updated the most as resources are added or renewed. Updates on this page is usually the main reason a visitor comes back to surf the web site again.

A contact page is usually the last page to be viewed by visitor when accessing a web site. It is usually done only when the visitor wishes to directly communicate with the web site’s administrator and / or owner. While the information for this could have been included in the About Us page, a Contact page makes this getting information easier for the visitor. And ease in accessing information is an important factor in good web site design.

Laying Them All Out
Now that you’ve got your categories and the information ready, now is the time to lay the information out on each page.

First of all, it is highly recommended that you maintain a uniform layout for all your web site’s major pages. This is to help the visitor orient himself quickly to your web site navigate easily.

For example, if you locate the major headings of your web site at the top area of your Home page, it is best that you do the same for all the rest of the pages. Getting a different layout for each page tends to confuse the visitor.

Hot Spots, Weak Spots
With a uniform layout, now it’s time to begin prioritizing information. As it is with a room, a web page has choice focal points and weak spots. You should identify these areas on your web pages and lay out the information accordingly in degrees of priority.

Even with animation and graphics, the main medium of the Internet is still text. Since this is so, applying the principles of reading when laying out information on your web site will make it so that viewing each page is easy and effective.

The English language is written (and therefore, also read) from left to right, top to bottom. The web site visitor will skim the pages in this general pattern. So the information you consider the most important should ideally be located at the top left area of your web page.

Of course, the information may not necessarily be text as it could very well be a picture. But rest assured, what will be located in the top left will get the first and therefore, freshest attention from the visitor. It would do well to present your core message in this area.

Other information follows as the progression from left to right, top to bottom continues. However, despite this pattern, a visitor is capable to digressing from such a pattern. In fact, next to the top left area, a visitor tends to notice the left and right margins of a page. Usually, links to other pages are located in the left side of the page, while pictures or advertisements are located at the right.

The center can either become the weakest or strongest area of a page, depending on how the other elements are laid out.

It becomes weak when the body is uniform all throughout (as one continuous block of text or pictures). However, if the body is strategically broken up, the center of the page becomes a prime focal point and therefore may rank as the most important area next to, if not higher than, the top left area of a web page.

While it is possible to have an endless length for a web page, it is highly discouraged. It is much preferred to have several short pages that are concise with easily seen information, rather than to have a few long ones that are crammed with text and pictures.

As you layout the information you wish to share on your web site, keep in mind convenience and practicality as would in laying out tables and chairs in a room. You will soon find that you have come up with a web site that is not only informative, but memorable as well, because of how well you laid it out.

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• Website Usability Tips

Whether it is to shop online, to book a plane ticket, to check movie schedules, or to pinpoint your current location via GPS, the Internet has become a one-stop shop for almost all the needs for daily activities — and then some.

And yet, despite all functionality many web sites offer, there are still a huge number of web sites that simply do nothing but take up space, particularly on a SERP or search engine results page. What happens is that even with the most stringent of filters employed by powerful search engines, Internet users still need to wade through web sites that are practically dead — dead because they offer no real information and are therefore useless.

But should it necessarily be that way? Do functional and effective web sites come into being by simply throwing money at it? Does it mean that small companies cannot produce useful and practical web sites? The answer to all three questions is a resounding NO.

With just a little bit more effort, small web sites can offer just as much information, if not more, than the high profile web sites maintained by media giants and conglomerates. And it does not necessarily entail needing to break the bank.

There is a fundamental rule in designing web sites and that is Content is the number 1 consideration.

You could spend a fortune on producing glitzy and flashy animation and special effects, but if your target user is not getting anything useful from the web site, then all the bells and whistle will be for nothing. Remember that the Internet paved the way for the Information Highway and as such, content — useful content — is the heart of this medium.

Just what constitutes useful content?

When you first set out to create your web site, you had to think about your target user. These vary with the kind of audience you wish to reach. Some target young people, others go for the yuppies, still there are others who wish to cater to household moms and dads. There is practically a market for everything. It’s simply a matter of identifying what to present to whom.

Focus on Your Target Audience
And this is where you need to do your homework: You need to focus on your target audience and determine what kind of information and content material will capture and sustain their interest.

For example, if your target audience is women in their early retirement years, then you should probably be creating and posting content that has to do with hobbies taken up by your target market, which could be garden, golf, or maybe even both. The same applies to young teenagers if that is your target. You will most likely need to gather content about teenaged stars, fashion tips, sports news and / or the like.

Identify Your Web Site’s Goals
What should your target audience get out of visiting your web site? This is the core question you need to ask to determine a web site’s usability. Will it be able to answer or given solutions to problems commonly faced by your audience? The answer you should strive for that question is a big YES.

Sourcing Your Materials
Now that you have an idea what you want to give your web site’s target audience, you need to find legitimate and reliable sources of the content you wish to present.

Of course nothing beats writing and producing the material yourself, or hiring someone to do it, because you can claim the material is uniquely yours and you do not need to worry about copyright issues. However, should you be unable to spare the resources of producing your own web site content, there are still solutions around that.

The Internet is full of articles written by people of varied expertise, which very likely include your web site’s line of interest. And the best part of it is that, very often, these articles can be published on other web sites (including yours!) for free. The small trade-off is simply including the writer’s name and credentials before or after the article.

Nifty Knick-knacks
In addition to informative (and free) articles, there are all sorts of mini-programs (usually Java-based) that come in the form of games, quotation estimators, body fat counters, weather report update, etc.

The idea is to give your target user more tools to use that will help them with what they need to accomplish on and with your web site. Once again, you have the option of programming these yourself and making it available on your web site, or you can copy a code from a third-party programmer and integrate it with your own web site’s code. Very often the only trade off again is reference to the creator — which is only just right. Other more interactive elements such as surveys, quizzes and the like may be enjoyed and appreciated by your audience (especially if prizes are available afterwards).

In providing useful content for your web site’s target audience, you may not have to look very far or to pay prohibitive professional fees. All it takes is an attentive mind to what your audience wants and needs and the patience and resourcefulness of looking around and assessing what options are out there. Once you’ve got those down pat, it simply a matter of time when visitors will come by regularly and repeatedly because your web site offers current and useful information.

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In this age of instant everything, hardly anyone wants to wait. That is probably the main reasons why drive-thrus, instant messaging, one-touch photo printing and all sorts of “now” technology and products were invented and are profitable today.

The same can be said when surfing the Internet. Recent studies conducted on Internet habits show that users get irritated when a web page takes more than 10 seconds to completely download; beyond 15 seconds, more than half leave the web site entirely. That is how demanding the average Internet user is.

Some web designers and developers would probably argue that with broadband access, download time should no longer be an issue. However, what these people fail to mention is that only 3 in 10 users in America have hi-speed access. A great majority of Internet users still surf the Internet via dial-up modems. At speed of about or below 50 kbps, web pages heavy with unnecessary baggage easily lose the race for the user’s precious attention.

So how do you keep your web site lean, mean and quick? Here are some tips:

1. Use lean graphics.
Graphics, even in .jpeg or .gif form will still take a while to load. But since images do enhance a web site’s appearance, it is very likely you will find these necessary. However, keep the loading time for the images down by specifying the height and width attributes of your images. That way, the user’s browser will be able to map the page’s layout while the images are being loaded.

If large images are necessary for your content, use a thumbnail a link to the bigger version of the picture. This allows the user choose what images he will wait for to load and saves him from needing to wait for those pictures he’s not interested in.
Another nifty trick for quick-loading images is to use software that cuts up large graphic files into smaller pieces that can be put back together using a table. Software like PictureDicer (by ShoeString) or Online Image Splitter does exactly that and generates HTML code for a table tag. However, be sure to reduce 256-color images to 8-bit colors before processing the picture.
2. Cut down on the flash intros.
They may look nice, but they take forever to load. And if these animated presentations are at the front door of your web site, you stand to lose a lot of visitors (practically half) even before they saw your actual web site.

If you simply have to have a flash introduction, please do not forget to include a “skip” button prominently displayed on the page as an option for those who do not want to wait to load the intro.

Another caveat that comes with flash intros is that (as of now) search engines are unable to index content on flash format. So if you intend to present most of your important information via flash presentation, you stand to lose a lot when it comes to hits from search engines.

3. Maintain an ideal page size.
Experts vary in opinion on what is the optimum file size for a web page. As a middle figure, somewhere between 30 to 50 KB file size (including fonts, graphics, html and JavaScript and so on) should do fine and load pretty quickly.

4. Keep the pages as shallow as possible.
No one wants to go through so several clicks and links before accessing the page they intend to reach. When creating your web site’s over-all organization, make sure that every page can be accessed from any point within 2 clicks. (3 are ok, but it’s pushing it.)

That said; try to keep all your pages no further down than 2 levels deep from the home page. If the web site grows to have so many pages that making deeper levels is inevitable, consider creating an archive page where outdated pages may be kept for reference without causing delay to the more current content.

Having a quick-loading page show that you value your visitors’ time. They will show their appreciation by staying longer to know what you have to say. It also enhances your company’s brand, showing that you can be efficient, but substantial.

Paying attention to what is important and useful rather than what looks good but offers little in content will result in a web site that is not only quick and lean, but usable as well. And for your target audience, that is the main and most important key.

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There can be no argument about the importance of design in attracting Internet users to a particular web site. No one would bother to explore the contents of a web site if it does not contain eye-catching graphics that can please the visual sense of the users. With so many kinds of web sites existing online, it is extremely challenging to attract users and keep them interested in the web site.

But a web site developer does not simply apply graphics freely on a web site. Graphics should be used in the correct manner, or else, users might get turned off because the graphics featured just overwhelmed or confused them.

While it is true that attractive design is important for reasons that need not be explained, the choice of design must be carefully considered against the fulfilling the needs of users. When done successfully, it could be safely said that the web site has achieved its goals.

Graphics used in the Internet is inextricably linked to multimedia. Multimedia is a combination of graphics, text, sound, and animation to express a message to users. The multimedia features that will be incorporated to a web site should be dependent on the content. In general, multimedia and graphics should serve as supports to content, and should have precise, instructional purpose.

According to research, animated images can facilitate the transfer of learning in a positive way if it is utilized to show a vital part of the concept that is being illustrated. On the other hand, animation can serve as a barrier to user recall and performance.

Here are the guidelines in incorporating graphics to web sites:

1. Justify the usage of the graphics
The most obvious problem that can be seen on web pages is the over-usage of graphics. The main downside of this is that complicated, unnecessary graphics can take a long time to download, and this, of course, will not sit well with users. The graphics to be applied should support the transfer of data and should also be in relation to the accompanying text.

2. The difference between graphics with text-redundant data and those containing information that is non-redundant is that the former facilitates and ushers in the learning process, while the latter does not either help or slow down learning.

3. Consistency should be a priority in graphic design

4. Web pages should be marked up so that text will be downloaded before the graphics. In this way, the users will know immediately if the page has the information that they are looking for, and if not, they will be able to save precious waiting time knowing that they do not need that certain page.

5. The loading of graphics should be controlled as such that loading will commence from top to bottom, and the users scrolling down the page will encounter said graphics.

6. The downloading of pages should be fast in order to save users waiting time, and in order to reduce the chances that they will get frustrated that they will abandon plans to download. Here are several ways to achieve fast download periods:

-Keep the physical size of the graphics to a minimum
-Images should be combined in order to minimize the number of server connections. Remember, the more connections that exists, the slower the download time will be
-Decrease image resolution
-Limit the colors that will be used for the images
-Limit the use of animation

Animation is very much a part of web graphic design. The primary difference between web text and graphics and contents that are print-based is the dynamics. Moving displays attract the attention of users as long as the frequency of the display is regulated. Too much animation display can irritate and distract users. An animation that is perpetually moving can destroy the readable quality of the web page.

The usage of blinking texts should be avoided. It has long been regarded as an overused feature and the latest browsers no longer support it.

In designing a web site, there always exists a conflict between the desire to have total control over the appearance of a page and the need to permit users to establish their own preferences. The general appearance of the page should be made by the designer, but there are certain elements that users should have control over, such as color and text background, and the option whether to display graphics or not.

It takes a considerable amount of effort to establish and maintain the attractiveness and efficiency of a web site. If the guidelines above will be followed, all the efforts of web designers will bear desirable results. They only have to remember that the benefit of the users will always be the basis for everything.

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