At this point in time, everyone is familiar with many of the traditional web design laws. Many of the rules are simply common sense, however, others are often outdated guidelines left over from the early days of web design and they tend to stifle creativity and lead to some very ordinary looking pages. As the web evolves, it’s becoming apparent that these rules are being broken to provide users with a more differentiated, more meaningful, or even more content-driven experience (i.e. blogs). It’s important to remember that the rules and limitations of any media are helpful parameters-not steadfast rules-to keep in mind when you’re designing. It’s equally important to keep in mind that if you decide to go rogue and break some of these design laws, you need to have a clear reason for doing so.

The Five Golden Rules

1. Navigation belongs in the familiar locations.
Otherwise, the user will get confused-and leave! Not true. At least, not anymore. Yes, years ago if a button didn’t sit on the top or left side of the page, it darn well better blink or pulsate or catch fire. But today it’s okay to give your visitors some credit. As long as your navigation is designed with some logic, the user experience will be seamless.

2. Every page on your site should be accessible within 3 clicks of the homepage.
Ok. This is actually a pretty good one. But it just might be that you’d like to create a site where a user could do a little exploring. If your content is going to be particularly dense and (ideally) interesting, you could benefit from navigation that lets someone browse around the way you would with a thick magazine.

3. Don’t place your content “Below the Fold.”
The “fold” refers to the bottom edge of the viewable browser space. Anything placed below the fold will require the user to scroll down to see it. Well, guess what? Everybody scrolls down! It’s second nature (and takes very little effort with that handy little scroll wheel on the top of your mouse). Think of your favorite websites-would they be able to display all that great content without the ability to scroll down?

4. Don’t make your visitors scroll horizontally.
This rule is sort of the cousin of Rule #3. And while it might seem a little awkward for first-time visitors, the novelty of a very horizontal page layout would certainly make it stand out.

5. Limit file sizes so the page can load instantly.
Waiting for a large image or graphic to load can be torture-no argument there. But there are many cases where a nice, big, beautiful photo can really make a page shine! Just keep the size within reasonable limits and do some load-time testing. Most people won’t begrudge you a few extra seconds. A good example is the Bing search engine. The big splashy photo that appears on the main page is a refreshing alternative to the stark white background Google is known for.

The traditional rules still serve as still good guidelines to consider when creating your online presence especially since they force you to consider the user experience. But as the Web evolves, as technology changes, and as average users become more savvy, remember that you’ll get to enjoy more freedom to be creative, unique, and innovative which will result in differentiation from the competition.

A little bit about Andrew.

• Senior Designer, Adventure HouseSenior designer at Adventure House
• Lead designer of adventurehousegroup.com
• Lives in: Jersey CIty, NJ
• Studied: design and illustration at S.C.A.D.
• Reading: Some comic books
• Tools of the trade: Wacom Tablet, Pan flute
• Loves: Long walks and short piers
• Hates: People that say “A Whole Nother”
• Favorite artist: That one guy who painted fruit

Adventure House Communications Group – New York City’s Premier Creative Marketing Agency.

Author: Andrew Holahan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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With all the competition among Realtors who are all basically selling the same thing it is vital that your Website design lets you stand out from all the others. While you may think the best way to stand out is with glitzy design or graphical elements, the fact is that it is much simpler than that and, at the same time, much more complex. What you need to do to differentiate yourself from your competition is to identify your niche market and make sure your Website focuses on their interests and gets to the point quickly.

Do Not Make Me Think
I am amazed at the number of real estate Websites that I am asked to visit only to find that I am forced to click on several pages and the source code before I can determine what the site is about. Sometimes I never learn. Believe me, prospective buyers will not do your thinking for you nor will they patiently click again and again hoping that your site is relevant to their needs. An effective real estate Web design is one that anticipates the visitors thinking and sees to it that fulfillment is either on the homepage or only one, clearly labeled, click away.

Why People Visit Your Site
As a real estate agent or brokerage, the majority of your Web visitors will be people interested in information about the market in your area. Some will be potential buyers looking for great buys and some will be sellers hoping to determine what they could get for their home should they decide to sell. A small percentage of these visitors will be what most agents would consider a good prospect, that is, someone who is ready to take action. The center, the hub of your Website from the point of view of your visitors is your home search section. A very powerful way to differentiate yourself from your competition is to make sure the search function on your Website is easy to use and meets all the needs of prospective buyers and sellers. It is a good idea when designing your search function to spend some time thinking about local buyers, out of area buyers and homeowners thinking of selling.

• Local:

These buyers are familiar with the area in general and more than likely know all the cities or towns in the area. These visitors will appreciate it if your search function allows them to search by neighborhood.

• Out of Area:

These buyers may appreciate some information about the area that they may not be able to find elsewhere. If your service area includes more than one town or city, you might consider a page of information for each area coupled with the actual results page.

• Homeowners:

Prospective sellers will appreciate a section that showcases recent sales in the area. Actually buyers like this information as well. A section like this is not always possible through your MLS but it is such an important marketing tool for you that it is worth keeping up on your own.

KISS
Another wise old saying that most of us learned as kids is Keep It Simple Stupid and that advice applies to Web design. It is actually just another way of saying, Don’t Make Me Think. The more you think about the needs of your prospective clients and design your site to meet their needs, the more your Website will stand out among all the rest.

Noel Markham, MA
http://www.sellrealestate.net

To receive a Free Custom Web Design Plan, visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp.

Author: Noel Markham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When it comes to designing a new website, you have three basic options:

• Purchase a template or theme that is already designed for you.
• Use an HTML editor to have a bit more control over your design.
• Learn HTML code and have complete control over your design.

Learning HTML code used to be the only option. You had to know this code if you wanted to set up a website because the market for predesigned templates and themes simply was not there yet. Today, editing programs and themes have come a long way, but many still believe that the only way to set up the perfect website is to learn at least some HTML code.

Templates/Themes

A template or theme is a predesigned website that is sold to more than one person. They can be used as-is after purchase, but most people customize them to create something more unique for their own site.

While just slapping up a template or theme already designed for you is incredibly simple and does away with the need to learn HTML, it doesn’t give you a unique design for your website only. Others are likely using that theme or template, which means your website will not be unique.

You can change that by customizing the template or theme, which takes a bit more technical knowledge and de-simplifies the process. You are also severely limiting the amount of control you have over your design when you use these templates and themes.

HTML Editors

You can use a good HTML editor like Dreamweaver to get some of the control over your design back into your own hands. These programs make it easier to create your design. You essentially work in a program that is about as easy to use as Microsoft Word. Most people can figure these out and you don’t need to be an HTML expert to get the most out of an editor.

The problem here is you are still limited in some ways. You have to stay within the options of your editor and don’t have complete freedom to create whatever vision comes into your mind while designing.

Many people like HTML editors because they give enough control to whip up a great website in limited amounts of time. Others feel too confined with these programs because they don’t have complete control over the design process.

Learning HTML

Learning HTML is the only way to have 100% control over the design of your website. Yes, learning this takes some time and is more difficult for some than others. Yet, it is the only way to go if you want the vision in your head to be translated just perfectly onto the computer screen.

If time is your concern, ten consider the fact that it takes a bit of time to learn how most high quality HTML editors operate as well. Maybe not as much time, but if you want any amount of control over the design process there is going to be a learning curve so you are prepared to handle that control.

If you only want one really good website and have no plans to start other sites, then hiring a professional web designer who already knows HTML is probably your best bet. If you are interested in starting multiple websites in the future, then hiring a designer to get the first one started for you while you learn HTML to create the others is the best bet.

# 1 leading web design Singapore agency. Check out Interactive@OOm now.

Feel free to publish this article on your website, or send it to your friends, as long as you keep the resource box and the content of the article intact.

Author: Ian Cheow
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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