Various Website Development Tips to Help You Get Started
Website Development can always be a difficult task, not least if you haven't got much
experience with it. However the basic website structure is quite consistent across a range of
websites. No doubt you will have come across many websites by now. You probably will have
noticed that many websites have the following basic structure:
• Header - usually an image showing the website name (and/or logo). Usually eye-
catching, to draw the user in
• Navigation Bar - this is horizontal and contains links to the most important parts of
your website
• General Content area - this part may have a secondary navigation menu in it (with
links to other parts of your website). This will also contain your main content - hence
this is obviously the most important part of your website. Make sure that it is easy and
clear for your visitors to see
• Footer - the footer area is a horizontal bar with copyright information on, and usually
links to pages such as "Contact Us" and the website's sitemap.
Obviously this general layout can and will vary depending upon the website, but such a
structure is quite typical.
Creating your actual website will vary depending upon your skill level. However assuming that
you don't know XHTML and CSS, you can use a website creation tool or a WYSIWYG
software program.
When creating your website, try to remember the following four website development
principles. There are more things to remember, but the following are perhaps the most
important.
• Content is king - whilst a good looking website will help draw your visitors in, it's your
content that will keep your visitors there. Hence be sure to focus as much as possible on
your content.
• Users scan content - On average, a website user is relatively lazy in that they won't read
every word on a page. The typical user will instead scan a web-page, looking for the
most important information at a glance. Hence use bold text, headings and bullet points
to highlight the most important aspects of your website to your visitors.
• Use good spelling and grammar - since content is king (above), it is imperative that your

content uses good quality grammar and spelling. Be sure to proof read your content
more than once, and also ask other people to read it for you too. More than a few
spelling mistakes on a page will harm your potential trust-worthy factor.
• Keep to a simple design - try and keep your design (and so website structure) as simple
as possible (but of course make your website visually appealing to help 'hook' in
visitors). This will help ensure that your visitors won't get confused when browsing your
website.
A few examples of some websites that adhere to the above principles and design structure
are outlined below:
• YouTube - obviously YouTube is massively popular, however it still follows the above
principles. Its got great content (i.e. videos), has a clear header and navigation area, and
each part of the page is defined by a border/box, making browsing the website as easy as
possible.
• eZineArticles (this website) - eZineArticles also has quite a simple design to follow,
despite having a wealth of information and links on offer. It helps separate things (and
so keep things simple for visitors) by using various content blocks - with red headings -
which help the visitor differentiate between the various sections easier.
• BBC (UK news site) - the BBC website has a lot of content on its homepage, but it
again uses clearly defined areas on the page to help break the page up for the user. The
logo is also very clear, leaving the visitor in no doubt about which website they are on.
So overall try and keep your website design relatively simple. Then focus on your content. This
will help you build a solid foundation for your website.
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Article Source: Ezine Articles