by Eugene Teslya

Created on: November 29, 2009

"Don't judge a book by its cover..." if you could tentatively agree with this old statement, its modern extension: "... nor website by its appearance" - will probably make you LOL. Yes, the content is extremely important; however, visitors will not get to know your wonderful website, if its look and feel turns them off.

It does not mean that shallow but pretty always wins; you still need to offer fresh, valuable and interesting information to maintain a healthy volume of returning visitors. Neglect either side of equation - and your website is doomed to never see the monitor. The following design tips will help you build a well balanced, attractive and informative website.

DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE

Decide what goal you dream to accomplish - whether it's to entertain, educate, show off or earn money through AdSence and other affiliate programs. You may integrate all of them on your website but only one can be a priority. Think about it; what would grab your attention - one loud Big Bang or thousands of squeaky crickets?

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

The entire design - theme, appearance and navigation should be tailored for your targeted audience. Note how rock band's website differs from upscale photographer's studio. Use cute fonts and silly bright colors when designing a page for kid's dentist, but opt for more stern approach promoting samurai's training camp.

RICH CONTENT

Unless you are a wholesaler, you should narrow the content to the visitor's interest. If you are passionate children's writer, who happens to be funny and has a lot of tips to share about the craft - consider creating two separate websites. Both, writing for kids and humorous writing websites will get better search engine ratings thanks to stronger, more condensed content. Plus, more specialized sites have a greater chance to be linked-to from similar websites and blogs.

NAVIGATION

Modern internet users have one thing in common - impatience. The navigation around your website must be flawless and intuitive. The moment a user stops and thinks "I saw it here somewhere, now, where it could be?" - you are loosing them. Unless you are, literally, the only one who sells hand carved moon rocks - the visitors will jump to your rival's website if you fail to grab their attention in the first three clicks.

SEO TIPS

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a huge subject on its own but there are few vital steps that will boost your Google's rating from the start and will save you a lot of time in the future during

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