Type any key phrase into an Internet search engine and you will probably find a website on whatever topic you can dream up. User-friendly tools make it easy for anyone with a computer to create an Internet page, but an effective website requires that a number of strategic elements be in place. Proper planning can help you make your website professional, polished and resourceful.

Proper Flow

In order for a website to be useful, it must be user friendly. Opening the home page of a website is a lot like walking into the entrance hall of a mansion. There are doors everywhere you look, but you don't want to have to search through all of them to find what you need. You would be surprised, for example, if you had to walk through the attic to get to the bathroom. Clear, logical instructions and predictable flow are vital to the reliability your visitors will expect.

Navigation

The text portion of your home page should offer a brief overview of the purpose of your site. Images and color scheme or "the look and feel" should fit the topic at hand. A basic menu should be clearly placed vertically along the side of the page or horizontally across the page. Menu pages should generalize other aspects of the site and should have names that can be easily deciphered so visitors can properly decide which way to go. Users expect to find standard buttons on the main menu of a professional site for things like products and services, course offerings, credentials, pricing, history and resources like contact information, links and location information. Map your pages out on paper much as you would a family tree.

Accuracy

Your website should undergo several stages of proofing. Have more than one person with a working knowledge of grammar and spelling proofread all the text on every page of your site. Ask several people to navigate through the site, clicking every link on every page to make sure they all work. It helps to print out each page so you have a hard copy of the site on which to make corrections. You should also proof the site on a variety of different computer types and operating systems.

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10 Ways to Build an Effective Website

Five Requirements for an Effective Website