When visitors come to a site the first five seconds allow the user to make a judgments about the quality of the website, and this judgments is transferred to the quality of the company or the service being offered. These one step judgments means that the first impression of the website is very important – for this reason, a well designed site is a must for any business.

The design of the website must be consistent and recognizable, similar to creating a brand. A successful website is designed with this in mind. The user should be able to identify the website, the service being offered and the company offering the service with couple quick clicks. Logo placement should be subtle, with an adequate amount of information being offered on the website.

A site that has been designed cohesively with complimentary color and design schemes will mean users spending more time on your site! Two main colors, with one complimentary color work best in any site design. Regardless of color, the site should be easily read, with a contrast between the text and background. Should the image in the background be patterned – text boxes should be used to implement any information. This will ensure readability.

A difficult website to navigate can have a terrible impact on traffic. The navigation bar for the website should be clear, easy to locate and in the same area on every page of the website. Ensuring that it is in the same place ensures continuity throughout the duration of the visit. Doing this will ensure more time spent on your site, as the user can link back to the home page and visit other pages on the website.

Having too many graphics on the website can distract the visitor from the information that they visited the site for. Graphics should be kept a minimum, or at least be in line with text to avoid confusion and make for ease of reading. It is important to remember that an increased amount of graphics could cause increased loading times within the site. Many consumers will click away from the site should there be large amounts of graphics that are not loading. Remember this tip when designing – and take into account if the graphics are necessary.

Use headings. All successful websites have static headings that display logos, text and other important contact information at the top of the site where it is easily located. These headings also assist in customer recognition. Every website should include the contact information for the business.

Use clear and outlines sections for text within the websites that create easy to read sections for the user. Allow links within the text to complimentary information, or other sections of the website. There is one rule when it comes to website, the simpler and more elegant the design – the easier it is going to be to read. Consumers don’t want to spend valuable time reading information that is not pertinent to what it is they are looking for.

Using these elements create a positive experience for all visitors that join the site. A website should be functional, and aesthetically pleasing to ensure future visits. Take these tips into account, and traffic should increase and be sustained for a long period of time.