In our last article, we discussed pages that were uncluttered with plenty of “whitespace” so the viewer’s eye moves easily from element to element and their attention is directed to your important marketing messages. What we sometimes see is going too far in the direction of “pretty”. This ignores a vital rule:
DESIGN THE CONTENT, NOT THE PAGE
We’ve talked about how content has become “King” as far as Google is concerned. It’s a far more important factor than putting a list of keywords in your site. The same goes for design.
Put energy into designing the content itself. Use backgrounds and other types of web-page “furniture” to set off and emphasize the content and to help get your message across. Don’t “box” things in, let the elements “float” on a solid color background or an image that creates an emotional reaction but does not distract from the text.
The order of messages is also important as the reader moves down the page. Do you want people to sign up for your newsletter? Put that message at or near the top. Are you an author with a book? Put that just beneath.
A good designer is ultimately a good communicator. The focus should be on making the content look good, not the designer!
DOES YOUR SITE GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS EASILY AND QUICKLY?
Give your site a test – see if someone who knows nothing about you will get YOUR message, then contact us to find out how we can give you a professional, impressive presence on the web that connects with your potential market.
Email us at hello@21thirteen.com or call us at 646 808 0249.
Perry Yeldham, 21Thirteen Design
