Tips for Good Web Site Design

Part of the Creating Web Pages All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Because the Web is a visual medium, the design of your Web site is as important as the content you offer. Follow these tips so your visitors aren't quickly leaving your site:

Don't clutter up your site. Make good use of padding, margins, and whitespace.
Be careful not to overwhelm your visitors on your home page. Keep content to a minimum, referring users to other parts of your site for additional information.
Don't use a hodgepodge of design ideas. Find a style you like and be consistent across your site.
Extreme symmetry is a yawner. Use the Rule of Thirds. When an image or a page is divided into thirds vertically and horizontally and objects are positioned on those lines, the image is simply more pleasing to the eye.
Don't forget about the visitor. You're not designing the site for yourself, but for people coming there.
Don't let your site content grew stale. Update it regularly to keep it alive.