The Importance of Web Page Layout

Let’s jump right in. No one is going to question how important layout is when it comes to website design. A well thought out web page layout is what contributes to the overall success of a website, and ultimately, the success of the business behind that website. And it’s not exactly easy. The strategic planning needed to go into the site’s design, color scheme, font style, user friendly functioning and readable content gives the designer just a few things to play around with (or to mess up). There’s a delicate algorithm that goes into web page layout, but there is one thing that is certainly considered to be a top factor to put full focus towards.

That would be how the user experience is on a web page layout. You’d think most designers would have mastered this, but really web page layouts can make user experiences either easy and enjoyable or frustrating and unpleasant. And web surfers who visit a site for the first time make decisions on what they think about a layout very quickly. It’s actually been studied that when a visitor enters a site they’ve never been to, it takes them roughly 7 seconds to decide whether or not they like the site. So you can see how important it is that one’s page layouts is appealing from the start. Don’t let those fresh clients click to another website simply because they were confused or distracted by your layout (or thought the color was yucky…).

Consider these best practices:

• Use simple and matching fonts. Don’t mix and match.
• Make content easy and readable. No one reads, they scan. Feed your info to viewers in short little bites and lead them to the point.
• Choose wisely on color palate. Know the psychology behind the colors you choose.
• Allow for user interactivity
• Simple navigation is key