Less is more – Create a layout that is fast and clutter free!

Content over design
Many web designers have the impression that using many images and Flash-based designs is the best way to grab a users attention. Although in some situations this is the truth – the vast majority of users prefer to see content over design. Text intensive sites are easier to edit, maintain and format and using a simple layout that places your content in a logical and intuitive manner is a much more effective way to deliver information to your users.

It is still important for you to have a logo included for branding purposes, and images to draw attention to key areas of your site, but it is a good habit to use mostly text – especially for menus and descriptions of aspects of your site. Not only does this allow you to change them quickly if you wish (which is very important for updating – see the next section in this article), but it also helps search engines such as Google and Yahoo! to spider and index your site more effectively, the end result - Increasing your exposure to the Internet at large.

CSS and HTML
With the use of CSS and HTML code you can change the formatting of text to look exactly how you want it in all recent browsers. Clunky, slow loading, image-heavy pages are a thing of the past now that text is able to be positioned anywhere on your site with only a small amount of effort – and even less effort is required to apply the same effect on many pages from only one file! Using a CSS/HTML template for all of your pages will get you on the fast track to a good looking and more importantly, fast website.

Screen resolution
When designing the layout of your new site, keep in mind that the majority of users are using outdated software and hardware to contact your site – as I write this, 35% of total WWW users are still viewing websites in the small 800x600 resolution. Although an increasing number of users are beginning to update their systems, it is still wise to develop a site that will work properly in smaller resolutions and with a wide array of browsers. This can be achieved by using either a fluid or fixed-width design. Fluid designs cause the page to automatically resize to fit whatever resolution the user is browsing with whereas a fixed-width design has a fixed horizontal width property that does not resize but may look poor in higher resolutions. Both are very common and choosing one or the other is simply put down to personal preference and aesthetics.

Menus and other Navigation
Layout of your menus and content text is also a key factor in producing an effective website. Menus should always be in a prominent position on the page, usually in the top left hand corner or the left side column. Use a font size that doesn’t draw undue attention from your content – but make sure it is still clear and visible! Simple links, such as ‘About Us’ and ‘Terms and Conditions’ are best positioned towards the bottom of the page next to Copyright information and the like.

Drawing from the knowledge in this article you should be on your way to creating a clean and effective web site layout without clutter or slow loading times which your users will love!

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