When we take on a new web site design for a client, it is important to consider the fact that the goal of a web site is to attract traffic and visitors via the information and content that we are using for the web site design on behalf of our client.
Fortunately there are many ways this can be accomplished. One simple and effective way is to simply change sizes, colors and the weights of page titles, headlines or other such elements in the web site design and its content. Setting the font size to a larger size then the standard text on a page is a simple yet effective way to draw the attention of the visitor on the web site. This is a technique that has been used for hundreds of years in print media, and applies just as good on a web site design.
Attracting the attention of the viewer through the use of typography or various font sizes or colors is not a new concept by any means; however there are a few things that should be remembered when using this approach to draw attention to content on a web site design:
1. Web site design tip #1: Only highlight information that is relevant and important. Before you go and select a headline or piece of text to change font sizes, weights or color, make sure this actually is important and relevant information for the viewer of the page. Announcing you have a special product on sale for half price is important, but don’t go crazy with huge font sizes, as this is a sure fire way to both look amateurish, but also turn off your visitor.
2. Web site design tip #2: Determine a easy to read and fair sized font for your general content on your web site pages. Usually you are better using a font such as Arial or Verdana as they are easier to read, and generally a font size between 11-14 points’ works best. For your page titles, headings etc. you should generally use the same font, about 2-4 points larger. This all together creates a uniform and professional look.
3. Web site design #3: set “rules” on the use of font sizes for the sites content. You will have already decided on your standard font face, size and color, as well as the same for your headings and page titles, so stick to that. If you have areas on your web site design that are completely different in the way of fonts, colors or sizes, the site will not look uniform, mis-managed and unprofessional.
Remember as well that even if you’re using a standard “set” of font sizes and colors for your main elements of your web page design, you can still use the bold, underline and italic font variants to attract the attention of the visitors of the site.
Also, getting the attention of your visitors is not just limited to your use of fonts. You can also attract attention using some other simple but effective ways…
4. Web site design tip #4: Change your web site design layout from time to time. Nothing is worse then having people come to your site over the months or years, to see the same site layout and design over and over. A good way to keep people interested and coming back is to have several different design themes for the site. They could be a full blown redesign of the layout, or as simple as a change in the sites css file to change css elements such as colors and fonts. Change is good, so long as you don’t go overboard. Generally once every 6 months to a year is a good delay before making a design re-vamp. You could even do things such as theme the site for special holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s day or Halloween.
5. Web site design top #5: Make use of images. Having some descriptive and relevant images directly related to your content, services or products is always a good idea. Also make sure to resize images properly using Photoshop or another image editing package, rather than resizing them in html (as that way will give you poor quality images)
Getting the attention of your visitors may prove easy using some of the techniques outlined above. Do be cautious to not go overboard with ways to grab the attention of your visitors. For example, if you have a spot on your site done with a large font and flashy graphics for something that is not really relevant to your site, your visitors will see it exactly for what it is, a shameless promotional spot on your site. If, however you use some common sense typography rules to keep it within design standards and style of your site, you can have your spot stand out and grab attention, but do so in a well designed and planned way, which is far more a powerful tool.
Tags: design, e-commerce, marketing, professional web design, web design tips, web site design companies