The document discusses essential factors for effective website design, including on-page SEO, accessibility, and graphical elements. It highlights the importance of navigation, alt-tags, and compliance with web standards to enhance user experience and avoid legal issues. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for a refreshing and dynamic visual representation of the brand to engage users.

1. Is your website design current?
Some niggly but critical bits you may not have previously
considered…

2. What I hope to cover…
• On page SEO
– Alt tags, navigation, text etc
• Accessibility & Compliance
– Cross platform usability, how not to get sued,
simple bits you can do yourself
• Graphical elements of website design
– The integration of marketing into design

3. An Introduction…
• I’m John
– I work in the Web
Design team at
Generate UK
– I have previously built
newsletters, blogs, we
bsites, posters and
much more
– I understand the effect
of marketing on design

4. On-page SEO
Making pages search engine friendly
• Ensure all of you pages are linked!
– If the user cannot find it, neither will the search engines
– Navigation must be easy to use
– Drop down menus and Flash: BAD

5. On-page SEO
Making pages search engine friendly
• Alt-tags
– Images might mean 1000 words to you or I
– In image free browsers, slow Internet connections #-
images are of no use.
– Good for Search Engines
– Good for text readers
– Has further accessibility implications

6. On-page SEO
Making pages search engine friendly
• Web standards
– The W3C, for a universally accessible resource
– Site has not been updated recently?
you can be left behind
– Implications for SEO and accessibility
– Free W3C validator!

7. On-page SEO
Making pages search engine friendly
• Accessibility
– Website accessibility is a legal requirement.
• ramada.com, priceline.com and the Australian Olympic
committee were sued
– Up to 48% of your audience could be affected.
– Cater for Lynx, Screen readers, screen magnifiers,
differing resolutions, slow connections, flash, java,
alt-tags for images as well as including subtitles
where necessary

8. Graphics & Design
• Is it current?
– Does it look a little basic? Grainy? Boring?
– Visual representation of your business
– It needs to WOW the user
– No visible effort? Why should they go to the
trouble of buying it?

9. Graphics & Design
• How can I improve on this?
– Refresh your website, updated
– Interactivity -social media, blogs etc
– Includes videos, audio, animations
– Adds a dynamic feel

10. Designing a Structure
Create a list of key factors your site must achieve
For example:
1) Promote the brand
2) Highlight our biggest product
3) Capture details through enquiries
4) Promote secondary products
5) Encourage direct contact

11. Site Structure Example
1
4
2
5
3
6
7

12. Layout Options
What is this and what are the options?
• Fixed Width - restricted for larger screens
• Flexible Width - width expands to browser width
• Expanding Width - site increases in all dimensions
to allow growth of text

13. Branding
Best use of your Corporate Identity
• Is your corporate ID well represented?
• How much space does it require?
• Corporate colours are key to visual integration

14. Banner
Does your banner carry the right message?
• How big should your banner be?
• What will the content be?
• Should it be static or dynamic?
• Should it be minimal or more dramatic?

15. Teasers / Call To Action
• Retain / Interest
• Left / Right columns are the best locations
• Best incorporated on the home page
• Minimised throughout the site

16. Example 1

17. Example 2

18. Example 3

19. Example 4

20. Tying it all together
– Before building your pages,
consider the on-page SEO
– Ensure the design and multimedia is accessible
– Make sure you stand out