Site Design and Visitor Retention

There is a common misconception that runs rampant among professional website designers and amateur blog creators alike. This misconception is the belief that there is one right and true way to design a site or retain visitors. The sheer magnitude of articles and sites online dedicated to the proper method of creating a website design are staggeringly high in number. The truth is that there is no one right way. There is only what works for the needs of your site. A site dedicated to primordial shrubbery may require a drastically different layout compared to a website that focuses on baking cookies. When you blog for dollars it is important to design your website, or simple blog, with your target audience in mind. The amount of flashy graphics, loading images, and videos embedded should correspond to the audience and not to a supposed one-world, one-internet, type of standard that exists only in the minds of people who are trying to sell you eBooks.

Design your site to be based on the needs of your information and audience. That is the only real global rule. There are several things to keep in mind that do work to help retain visitors, however. First on the agenda is the creation of a bare-bones site plan. This will be the framework for sharing the content of your site. While overall design should adhere to the needs of visitors there is a general preference for a specific type of layout in accordance to different types of shared information.

Niche and general information based sites will typically be frequented by individuals who like to have both a side navigation control panel and a horizontal control panel on the top of the page. The side panel can be on either side. This layout design allows for a professional approach and a simplistic method of navigating a site. Simplicity is essential when it comes to sharing information. A site visitor will be more likely to return to a given site if they are capable of actively navigating that site with ease. Make certain that new articles or posts can be readily located on the main page. This allows for direct linking to the newest information and guarantees that people will return due to the fact that they do not need to search the whole site to find anything that has been added since their last visit. This reduces the length of time they remain on the site, but increases the possibility of their return if the information they locate is what they seek.

Font sizes and types are important as well. Many people think that a unique font type or style will make their site seem unique or interesting. This may be true if it is used sparingly and for emphasis. However, most web-surfing individuals who are seeking information want to locate easy-to-read and detailed sources. Emphasizing specific sections with italics or a different font type may help draw attention, but if the entire body of content is in a non-standard format the visitor may leave solely due to legibility issues. This is especially true when they are seeking information on a site that is written in a language that they only speak, read, or write as a secondary language. Aerial Black and Times New Roman are a few popular and basic choices. Font sizes ranging from 10-12 point font are typical as well. I would suggest that slightly larger font should be used for text-heavy sites. While 12 point font is somewhat universal it can also be harder to read. A larger font size allows for a more natural reading experience when a great deal of text is involved. On sites like Blogspot the fonts range from small - largest without defining the exact font point size. Changing font size on sites like this can be done through html rewrites or simply using the method allowed.

Here follows an example of these concepts in action.

This is a test of the writing broadcast system. This is only a test. It is conducted whenever people decide that they wish to use terrible fonts and tiny font sizes instead of easy to read material. I repeat. This is only a test. Thank you and have a nice day.

This is a test of the writing broadcast system. This is only a test. It is conducted whenever people decide that they wish to use terrible fonts and tiny font sizes instead of easy to read material. I repeat. This is only a test. Thank you and have a nice day.

The previous selections of text showcase what happens when you change the font size and font type in a select segment of the information that you wish to provide to your visitors. It easily catches the eye and simple italicization can be utilized to emphasize key sections. The first segment utilizes Blogspot's small font setting. The second segment uses the normal font size. One acts as fine print, while the other provides larger letters which can be easier to read. The first type can be used when lots of technical information needs to be stated in a small amount of space, but not necessarily needs to be read. The second type can be used for better explanation of specific information. This article is mostly written in the large font.

Careful use of font size and type can make provided information easier to read. That is the only rule that can be considered universal on the internet. Save special fonts and sizes for needed emphasis and people will be more likely to return to your site.

The final advice for site design and visitor retention that I can give to you is "Do not over-saturate your page with advertisements." Three to five advertisements spaced around the page are more than adequate in most instances. Pop-up ads may make for nice conversion on clickable link ads, but they often annoy the site visitor. When creating your site ask yourself, "What do I hate about the websites that I visit? What do I like?"

If you were to find two websites with information of very similar nature which would you choose to frequent among them? Would you rather visit the site with few but highly relevant ads or the site with a dozen ads, interstitial page ads that ask you to wait 15 seconds before proceeding, pop-ups, and insistent demands that you click yes or no before leaving their page just to be sure you want to leave? The second site makes a lot more money from each of their visitors based on advertisement but they have to spend a small fortune on advertising of their own just to convince people to wade through the ad placements. The first page may have fewer advertisements but their visitors can be gathered in a more organic manner and they will have an easier time maintaining their traffic. In the end either website design model can work. You simply need to decide whether you prefer a website that has visitors who appreciate the site or visitors who tolerate their site due to the information or items it provides.