| Top Web Hosting Provider of The Month: |
 |
| Visit Bluehost.com | Read Bluehost Review |
|
|
| >> Web Hosting Geeks // Web Hosting Articles // Web Design |
|
|
 |
Keep Your Navigation Highly Visible
Effective navigation stands out. It's clear, obvious, and highly visible. You'll need to have a clear section of the page designated for navigation--one that a visitor will immediately recognize as the navigation area when he arrives at the site. Navigation should not necessarily be the prime focus, but it must be highly visible. On many sites, the main navigation is overly subdued. It sort of "lurks" on the page, but it's not the kind of thing that really gets to a visitor's consciousness. It gets drowned out because there is too much color or excitement in the rest of the page. Occasionally, this is ok. You may have some navigation options, such as a privacy policy, that need to be available, but don't need to be emphasized. However, aside from those few exceptions, you'll want your navigation to be used. So it will need a voice loud enough to be heard above the excitement of the rest of the site. Here are 4 tips to make sure your navigation stands out: 1. Put it in a prime spot It's all about positioning. Give your main navigation good placement at the top or left of the page. When visitors arrive at a page, they scan in an orderly pattern from left to right, starting in the top left corner and working down the page. So if your navigation is at the top or on the left, it's going to be seen fairly quickly. Also, this is where visitors expect to find navigation, so they'll be primed to notice it there. 2. Use color Besides size, color is the best way to get something noticed on a page. You can use color very powerfully in drawing out your navigation. A very common technique is to place navigation options on a colored field, on a horizontal bar or a sidebar. This is effective because it creates a strong contrast with other elements on the page. Just remember, the brightest, most vivid, most saturated colors will stand out the most. You don't necessarily need to use a strong color for your navigation, but you do need to look at how your navigation color mixes with the rest of the page. If you have a very bright site, pale colors in your navigation won't cut it. But if the site is fairly subdued, even a hint of color to draw out your navigation will be plenty of contrast. 3. Give it space If your navigation has a lot of clutter around it, it stands a smaller chance of getting noticed. In a busy situation, people do not notice detail. It's very hard for them to pick out specific items. Think about the difficulty of trying to find somebody in a crowded room. Visitors will pick out the elements of your page that have the most breathing room. So be sure to leave plenty of space around your navigation. Don't let other elements--especially other text--get so close that the navigation is crowded out. 4. Separate it from ads If want your navigation to be noticed, keep it away from ads. People on the web are highly suceptible to "banner blindness". That's a real condition in which people ignore anything that is associated with an ad. Since most people are not fond of ads they try to avoid them. So keep ads and navigation physically separated. Don't let them get mixed together. Two key pointers: never put navigation above the logo. Since banners are frequently located in the center of the top of the page, that's a prime spot to be ignored. Also, if you have a blank, empty white space between your logo and something on the right side of the page, be very careful about filling it with navigation. It will be confused with banners simply because of guilt by association. In addition to physically separating ads and navigation, you should make sure that your navigation doesn't LOOK like an ad. Square or rectangular buttons and images at the top and sides of the page are especially problematic. For example, take a look at http://www.sendfree.com. Notice that the member login button is not very obvious as navigation. It has an ad-like appearance and it's in an area of the page where visitors would expect to see an ad. Critically evaluate all of your buttons and images to make sure they won't be mixed up with ads. Don't leave any confusion in a visitor's mind about where ads stop and navigation begins. Position, color, space, and separation from ads. There you have it--four tips for making your navigation stand out. About The Author There are 605.6 million people online. Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates powerful and engaging websites that make sure YOUR company gets noticed. Visit http://www.kianta.com for a free quote. Get a quick, free web design tip every two weeks--sign up for Jamie's newsletter: http://www.kianta.com/newsletter.php
MORE RESOURCES:
Web-Design - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
An Ideal Home Business Home Page From my personal experience of around two year as home business website operator as well as owner, I have spent enough time learning and unlearning. Observing other sites and constantly reading and contributing in online forums about managing a website. How to Make the Online Sales Copy for Your Website More Conversational It has been said that the best online sales copy is one that talks to your prospect as if you are in together in a conversation.But for some of my subscribers to my newsletter, they find it difficult to accomplish. Technology vs. Usability When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995 and the Internet was a very different place than it is today.The first websites we created used simple layouts, a modest amount of graphics, standard "web safe" colors, and no javascript. My Top Ten List Of Extremely Annoying Web Page Design Elements! Easy navigation and usability are one of the most important aspects of creating a "user friendly" website. However, there are still a "plethora" of web-sites out there that are, to be politically correct, "functionally challenged. Recipe For A Good Looking Web Site We've all surfed the web and seen some awful web sites. Sites that never completely loaded. Website Design Considerations Q: Should I build and maintain my business Web site myself or pay someone else to do the work for me? -- Wesley L.A: When you say, pay someone else to do the work for you, Wesley, I am going to assume that you are talking about hiring a professional Web site designer to do the work and not your next-door neighbor's teenage son. 10 Ways Web Site Text Can Impact Your Readers Buying Decision 10 Ways Web Site Text Can Impact Your Reader's Buying DecisionThe appearance of your web site text can actually increase or decrease your sales. The size, font, style and color of your text can easily affect your reader's buying decision. Great E-Cover Creation in 5 Steps There are several graphic software packages available to help you create your own e-covers for your product or service. Most provide you with a set of templates to choose from, and have varying degrees to allow you to modify the templates provided. Alternative to Web Site Templates and Design Software Before I discovered the concept of Web site templates, I felt woefully inadequate to build my own site. It was the old "catch-22" where I didn't have the money to pay to have a site built, I needed a site to make the money to have a professional site, and without the knowledge of how to build a site, I had no hope of getting a site. Appropriate Key Words Choice What do the key words represent?Key words - these are the words that the users enter in a given search engine to find services or products you offer. It is extremely important to know what key words they will use. Tips On Effectively Organizing Your Navigation Not all links are created equal.While all of your links may be important, you must sort and prioritize to come up with an effective navigation scheme. What I Look For In a Website As my occupation is that of a proofreader, one of the first things I look for in a website is quality copy; to me it's important that the textual content is clear and concise with correct spelling and proper punctuation. Many websites I have looked at have sadly failed to follow this basic rule and the build emphasis has been centred on flashy eye-catching graphics, quite often at the expense of the copy. How To Boost Your Chances at Having a Successful Web Site New Web sites are springing up online by the millions. However, when they don't reach a level of success, the Web site owners assume that they can't make money off the Internet. Web Crimes: how to avoid common website design mistakes Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding any of these "features"?1. Animated gifs. How To Shop for a Web Design Firm? While few companies can boast as we do that our first ten clients are still with us today, many companies often change Web design firms to get a new perspective on how their Web presence could look and perform. The following paragraphs serve as a Buyer's Guide to use when shopping for a new Web design company. Dont Make Your Website User-UNfriendly! Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of what looks good may differ from the next person's. Creating Personal Web Sites This is a two-part article about creating a web site on the web and the tools that you need to do that.During the last decade we have truly entered the information age. Cheap Web Design In London Due to the large number of people offering web design services in London, there is always a bargain to be found.Website design firms in London are in a very competitive market and some offer some great deals at various times of the year. Testament To Testimonials We have all seen websites showcasing their testimonials either spread strategically throughout the site or all together on their own glorious page. They're there with the intent of leading us toward that high dollar purchase or convincing us of something's legitimacy. Your Website Visitors - Will They Stay? I'm sure you've all heard the saying 'Build it and they will come'. Although that may have been true a few years ago, now we must work, and work hard, to get visitors to our websites.
|
|
|
|
|
| © 2004 - 2008 "Web Hosting Geeks" | Web Hosting Reviews | Customer Reviews | RealMetrics Reviews | Hosting Articles | Directory | Partners | Contacts Over 7000 articles: web hosting, web development, domain names, ecommerce, web design, site promotion, ppc advertising, seo, site promotion and many others. Web hosting reviews, ratings and awards are not based on any incentives or commissions. Names and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. A direct link to Web Hosting Geeks (http://webhostinggeeks.com) must be provided in order to use any of the above information. Contact us for more info. Partners: Hosts by speed, Cheap Website Hosting, Free Website Hosting, Cheap Web Hosting, Top 10 Web Hosts, Top 10 Web Hosting Deals, Best Website Hosting, Free Web Hosting, Free Web Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, Adult Web Hosting, Web Hosting Discussions, Dedicated Server Reviews, Best Web Hosting, Web Hosting Discounts, HostProfessor.com, rsuog, halyava, PHP Website Hosting Services, Web Hosting Reviews, Hosting Uptime, Best Web Hosting Reviews, Cheap Webhosting, Web Hosting, Flash Templates, CMS Templates, Web Hosting Reviews, Website Hosting Reviews, Web Hosting Providers, Best Web Hosting, Top Web Hosting, RSUOG Web Hosting |