Intricacies of Web Layout

In website designing an important but often ignored aspect is the layout of the site. In the muddle of SEO or complex scripts or images or flash, layout is forgotten. But remember if your layout is not appealing or user friendly, users are not going to come back.

Here are a few of the very basics of web layout pointers............

User-Friendly A user friendly website is simple and uncomplicated, so keep it that in mind when you begin planning the layout. It's best to avoid complex navigational links with complex scripts or images that are hard to view. Curtail the use of huge images which take long to load, instead use smaller icons. Also avoid too many colors, tables or types of fonts, as this gives the site a cluttered look.

Placement If elements are logically placed they connect to form a structure to your design. It is important to group similar elements as this communicates to the viewer the concept and theme of your site. These elements can be color, spatial relationships, shape, texture and typeface If there is no pattern to the placement of elements, it creates a confusing and often difficult to navigate situation for the viewers.

Repetition Repetition of elements throughout a design can be used to enhance and reinforce information. Repetition lends to the visual appeal of your design. The repetition of graphic elements specially works to create visual unity.

Consistency While designing you must always remember to maintain an overall aesthetic authenticity. It is important to keep visual and typographic elements simple and clear. It is also necessary to apply them uniformly. An inconsistent design results in decreased user effectiveness. There should be an overall visual system to the text, graphics and spatial relationships.

Dimensions One of the most important aspects of layout is keeping track of the dimensions. It is best to limit the width and height of the webpage, so that the important content of the webpage lies within the top 600x600 area without scrolling. Limit the content of the page to four scroll lengths and if more content needs to be added, shift it to a new page, with a navigational link.

Color Balance In Website designing color is critical for the layout. Balance your color wisely too many contrast or heavy or dark colors create visually unappealing sites. Color can also be used to define or create spaces. Multi-colored sites have the lowest visitation time, as a combination of warm and cool colors confuses the user. It will often make the site seem cluttered and ambiguous. So it is best to choose a couple of colors and stick to them.

File Size File size is another major issue. It is very important your site to keep loading times to a minimum. Most users use a slow 56K modem to access the internet so it's necessary to keep file size small. Keep small pages as they load faster, also avoid too many graphics as they delay loading. Target for page size should be below 35K for at least the home page.

Conclusion The importance of a visually pleasing and quick loading layout cannot be stressed enough; it is the back bone of your site.

Sahil Kumar is a web development expert working with Web Design Company also developing Induction Software.