Having a clean, well designed, visually appealing blog or website that presents your content in a professional manner will increase the chance your users will spend time on your website and not quickly move on. Users want to know what a site is about in seconds and done correctly the design and elements presented can grab a users attention and spell out why a user should stick around and check out your content.
Having a look and feel that flows throughout your website will enable visitors to use your site easily and quickly differentiate content from navigational and other website elements. A visually pleasing design shows that you’ve taken the time to construct your site for visitors and generally makes it easier for a user to understand the layout of the site, and to use it.
Structure content so it is quickly scanned by the eye and takes advantage of headers, sub-headers, bullet points, lists, and relevant images that will help your readers filter your content and determine if the content matches what the reader is looking for. Done correctly, these visuals will alert a reader to the content being presented and if this is not exactly what the reader was looking for, the site may be bookmarked for a later visit.
Make fonts and links readable so the reader can easily view and digest the content presented and move to other areas of your website easily. Do not use fancy fonts or type that is too small, and keep the font usage consistent throughout your site. Make links stand out from text offerings so users know immediately that the link will take them to another part of your website.
Rich media elements of the site should be an option to the user. Don’t play audio or video files automatically. Let the user be in control of the use of the site. Avoid over using Flash or other media formats that automatically slow page loading times. Again, if you are going to use rich media, let the user be in control.
Its important to display about us and contact information and other key company and website data from the homepage and other pages where its appropriate. Clearly state how to opt-in to your newsletter or opt-out, present security measures the site takes, display your website terms of use and privacy policy in easy to read formats. All of this information lends credibility to your site and will increase the likely hood of your users staying and enjoying your website and returning to visit the site in the future.
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