When we talk of effective webpage design, most of us think it’s the look that matters. Sure, it’s important! But, what’s more important and effective in bringing all those visitors to your page is the ‘usability and utility’ of the page to the visitor. The visitor is the boss, to say, because with one click of his mouse, he decides whether your site is worth visiting or not. So, even if your page does not look very sleek or even attractive but your content is strong and credible, you would still see a lot more traffic.

Make your visitor stay
So now you have brought the visitor to your homepage. But then you see although the traffic is there, there seems to be no sustainability (what we techies call conversion) on your page. People visit and leave as quickly as they come. Now is where the ‘look’ part comes. Either your webpage looks shoddy and unprofessional or may be your website takes a long time to even load. Remember, the user may be intelligent, but he is extremely impatient. If you make him wait for too long, he is just going to walk out on you, because there are thousands of others waiting for him. There are many websites that open with Flash animations that redirects you to another page. Why waste a page and waste the users’ time? Take them directly to your homepage, which is your trump card. Tell them who you are, what you do and how the user will benefit from your site. Be precise.
While we are discussing the looks, what’s important to take care of is to be consistent in your looks. Don’t use more than three fonts. Don’t mix too many colors such that it becomes difficult to even recognize the words. Use a consistent style for all your headlines and text, and please don’t use text or buttons that don’t stay in one place. Sometimes, crisp information outlined in bullets or numbered can be effective visually and also can get your message across quickly.

Key words
Ok, let’s get this straight. The user does not actually read. He is only scanning to find out what the page has to offer him. He is sort of looking for an anchor that will eventually lead him to what he wants. That is why SEO (search engine optimization), where keywords enhance user readership, is very popular. The right keywords will take your visitor right to your webpage.

Traditional can be good
Contrary to popular belief that conventional is boring, you can actually win over a lot of visitors just by conforming to a traditional design. A known look gives the reader a sense of comfort, and reliability. One look at the site and he knows how to navigate the page. But be conventional without being redundant.

Cater to different users
So we are ready with good design, good content and all. What about the browser? Maybe you think all your users are equipped with huge broadband width. Maybe you are right! But why don’t we also cater to those less-than-lucky souls who do not have the optimum hardware and software. It is good to avoid bandwidth-guzzling graphics. If you still have to include detailed images, show a sample thumbnail version; let the user decide whether he wants to see the larger image or not.

So to sum it up, like someone said already, keep in mind the three ‘Es’ when designing your webpage. Your webpage should be easy to read, easy to maintain, and easy to understand.