8 Steps To Effective Website Design

Posted December 3rd, 2006 by John

1. Clearly define the focus of the website
2. Decide on specific features of the website
3. Create a section based sitemap of the website
4. Write out the content of the website
5. Find a style/template for the website
6. Build the website
7. Critically evaluate the website; make changes
8. Go live

Clearly define the focus of the website

The first and most important step along the way to great website design is to clearly define what the main purpose of the website is. This step may take a great deal of time, but it will save you lots of work and money in the long run as it is the foundation of the website. Clearly decide what you want the website to focus on. For instance, is the website going to be an online store? Maybe it’s a product information website for clients. Or even a branding website to increase your brand awareness. No matter what it is, it needs to be defined in this step.

Decide on specific features of the website

This step just involves a brainstorming session where you come up with all the actual features you would like implemented in the website. For example, a contact form, online shopping cart, password protected section, weekly news articles, and so on.

Create a section based sitemap of the website

Now that you have clearly defined the focus of the website and all the features you want, you are ready to start mapping out the major sections or areas of the website. An easy way to accomplish this is to grab some blank sheets of paper and a pen or pencil and draw a quick diagram showing your website’s structure or sitemap. The diagram should show the hierarchy of the website and how various sections link or relate to one another.

Write out the content of the website

From a search engine optimizer’s perspective, “Content is Kingâ€?. All websites and search engines are driven by content. However, in website design, it’s the content that makes a website effective and successful. Unique, relevant, and interesting content will keep your website visitors on your website and search engine spiders crawling your website on a regular basis. In my opinion, this is arguably the second most important step in this process.

Find a style/template for the website

Now you have the website structure and content, so you are ready to start looking for a style for your website. Look at other websites in your industry and determine what you like and dislike about their websites. Choose a colour scheme that will work within your industry, preferably not the same as your closest competitor.

Build the website

Now it’s time to build the website. Wow it’s done. That was fast!

Critically evaluate the website; make changes

The best way to approach this step is to take some time away from the project, a day or two, once completing the initial website design to give yourself a fresh perspective. Also, ask your significant other, co-worker, or friend to have a look at it so you can introduce a brand new perspective to your site before you launch. It’s always better to hear negative opinions before the site launches to avoid any personal attachment to the website.

Look to see if the website conveys your clearly defined focus and message from step 1. Is the navigation intuitive? I always re-examine the navigation and check to see if my mother would be able to traverse the website with confidence. If not, then maybe you should change it as usability is a key component to both a search engine crawler as well as a human visitor. Other common areas to evaluate include page loading times (too much flash?), ease of updating, and proper search engine optimization techniques.

Go Live

Now it’s time to upload your website and reap the rewards of all your hard work during the 8 steps to effective website design!