Even to early users of the internet, the website didn’t have much use until about 1996. Then the browser wars between Microsoft and Netscape exemplified the potential of websites, and website design took off as people tried to take advantage of the new medium for advertising and sales. These early websites were just alternatives to the old media of magazines, radio and television. As such they all shared the same content.

People regard websites differently these days. Websites are regarded as lifeless or dull if they only consist of static material. Contemporary sites should have dynamic content and interaction, so visitors feel they can participate in the website. Content available through the internet is often not available through any other method. The internet has become a chief tool for communication. So what are some simple website design approaches that designers can use as they build new internet sites?

The most important thing to remember when creating a website is that CONTENT IS KING! If your website does not have interesting content like updated information and interested products or services, it will not attract a lot of visitors. The design of your website should focus on attracting visitors and making them want to come back to the site. No matter how sophisticated your website is, visitors will not remain on the site without interesting content. One easy way that designers can use to keep visitors is to establish a blog on the site. The blog can either showcase the items for sale or provide commentary and opinions on the content of the site.

Another step developers can consider in website design is to allow site visitors to interact with the site. Clearly, website surfers enjoy providing comments on the sites they visit. Blogs often have hundreds of comments on articles, newspapers often allow site visitors to comment on articles, and most online stores allow customers to review products purchased on the site. Encouraging this type of interaction serves several purposes, from adding useful content to your site (product reviews, for example) to giving site visitors a sense of ownership in your site. This interactivity can enhance a website.

Developers might wish to think about adding some improvements to a site from a core interactivity standpoint. Modern websites use a number of advanced methods which have shattered the conventional link-click, wait, read page, link-click, repeat, use of the Internet. Now, most useful sites will use methods which make web pages appear to come alive. Such methods are far past the scope of this article, but they include using Ajax techniques; integrating external sites via mashups and rss feeds; and integrating the advanced CSS design methods to make the web page seem as if it’s more like a desktop application.

Website design used to be a simple process of choosing colors and fonts and laying it out like a magazine page. Technology has increased the possibilities by so much that you can’t compare a website to a magazine anymore. Still the basics mentioned above are still important and play a part in successful website design.

Content is the most important factor to keep in mind when developing a website. A website will not attract many visitors without interesting content, such as updated information, interesting products, or interesting applications. No matter how fancy your website design, without interesting content visitors will not stay at the site. One simple mechanism designers may consider is the addition of a blog to showcase and discuss items for sale, or to provide commentary. Encouraging this type of interaction serves several different purposes, from adding helpful material to your website, to providing visitors a feeling of ownership.

– Tem Balanco