“Good web design” may seem like a very subjective thing, open to much interpretation. It isn’t always easy to figure out what works, but you can always tell when something doesn’t – even if you can’t quite put a finger on it! As a service to our friends in small business, here are a few guideposts to determine whether your website is all it could be. For the purposes of this discussion, we have come up with a Big 3 of good web design:

Content, Layout and Functionality

Content: A Consistent, Clear Message

Organize your info for quick scanning and comprehension. This means bold headers that sum up the topic, use of bullet points, short sentences, short paragraphs, and so on. And once again, organize info consistently throughout your site.

Use common, easy to read fonts, and use them consistently. Papyrus is fine for a new-age health food store. Gothic is great for your tattoo shop. Otherwise, just stick with Arial or Times New Roman, OK?

Layout: Make it Easy on the Eye!

In terms of content, lay out the information so that the important stuff appears first – above the fold, in newspaper terms. The audience should get the gist of your site without having to scroll down.

Color and Graphics: Again, consistency is key. Contrast between your text and background is important. And every graphic or image should have a reason for being there: they should facilitate – and never distract from – your message.

Overall, the classic design principles should apply, namely:

• Contrast: the visual differences between elements that draw our attention.

• Repetition: Subtly reusing elements to ensure that everything is viewed part of a unified whole.

• Alignment: Connection between elements that suggest order; items seem to be placed purposely, not randomly.

• Proximity: Related elements are grouped together, unrelated elements are spaced farther apart.

Functionality: What Happens When I Click This?

Media: whether it’s video, audio or Flash, your media files should have a clear purpose for being there – do they enhance or distract? They should slow downloads as little as possible. And you should provide links to get the latest plug ins.

Browser Compatibility: Be sure to test your site on all popular versions of common browsers, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Chrome. And stay on top of what browser is popular this month!

Simply put, your site should WORK. Your links, internal and external, should work every time. If you use forms, they should produce the expected results for your audience. And you should test each function to make sure you get a JavaScript error.

Here are a few quick tools to test your current website:

..versus other websites that have been tested in the past www.websitegrader.com

..W3C validations, tests for errors on your website http://validator.w3.org/

..Browser Compatibility testing http://browsershots.org/

Time for Professional Web Assistance?

Revenflo Web Team knows that it can be difficult for the average small business person to see why a site works, or why it doesn’t. If you suspect that your website is lacking in any of these Big 3 areas, maybe it’s time to call upon the professionals at Revenflo!