Research - Effective Web Design

In the 1990's, websites were designed for one particular type of browser - primarily Internet Explorer. This limited the usage of the internet, as no-one really thought about the design of sites.

The World Wide Web Consortium laid down the rules for web design. It split the content from the design, which meant changes were easier to make, and websites are now easily read through different methods, for example, mobile phones. The vast majority of websites are now written in Cascading Style Sheet, or CSS for short.

How To Create An Effective Website

1. Plan it first 

Draw a site map - what you are going to include on each page, and what information needs to be used. Sketch how you want the pages on your site to look - having a continuous, vibrant image is key to people wanting to look at the site again. 

2. Think about your audience
Work out what the purpose of your website is - is it to inform, or to entertain? You have to consider how you pitch the information on your page to your chosen target audience. 

3. Navigation
Every link on your site needs to be labelled correctly, and be separate from the main text so it physically looks like a link. Links usually have a separate section on a page, and stay in the same position on every page on your site. 

4. Fonts
The majority of websites use basic fonts, as others have to be included as images, which means each page will take a lot longer to load. Also, consider the continuity on each page - will it be visually appealing if every other word is a different font? 

5. Homepage
The most important page on the whole of your website is the homepage. You have two seconds to gain the attention of your audience, as otherwise, they will click away. There is always other sites that are similar to yours. Think what is the most important and the best things to put on your homepage, and try to keep it simple and interesting. 

6. Test it
You have to constantly test your website. Make sure it all works, and every link works. You'll also be able to see what works, and what doesn't.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0, as it has become known, is the next generation of the internet. Nothing has changed in terms of tools and software, but the way people use the internet is completely different. The rise in social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, means that the new way for people to access the world is through other people online.

With over a billion accounts in total from those three sites alone, social networking is the future. This is why businesses are using it to advertise and contact customers.