Good Website Design Is...
Simple Website Design

How to Design a Website That Works

Remember - good website design is a simple website design. If you want to know how to design a website that attracts traffic, keeps visitors on site and makes money, this page is a great place to start!

Effective web design doesn't just happen. And it isn't always easy to achieve. There are many factors to consider, from color to layout to the type of graphics you use.

There's also the question of how to make it happen. Do you hire a professional designer? Buy a template? Do it yourself? What if you have no graphic skills or knowledge of web design code?

Here's some good news for Site Build It owners... you have tons of tools for good website design at your disposal:

• Professional, creative templates
• Ability to create your own simple graphics & color schemes
• Access to quality design at a reasonable fee
• Ability to upload your own templates

One of the mistakes brand new webmasters... and even some experienced ones... make is to put form above function... and appearance above quality content.

Those are cardinal mistakes I encourage you to avoid at all costs. Ignore this advice on how to design a website that works and chances are your website will fail on some level.

You see, good website design is all about balance.

Content IS King...
But Your Site Must Make a Great First Impression Too!

For many years, the folks who head up Site Build It maintained that all that really mattered was your content. So they provided – in my opinion – pretty shabby design tools. I NEVER agreed with that so-called wisdom... and I wasn't the only one.

I think visual people like me – and there are a lot of us in the world! – can't truly appreciate content on an ugly site. We need design that enhances the content and makes it better. I so strongly believe that.

And... I'm happy to say that SBI finally caught up... and they now push at least a pleasing design, along with content.

So, this section of the site will provide you with some general tips and advice on how to design a website that exemplifies good website design. More than that, it should be simple website design... complexity only pleases the designer, not the people for whom you're really building the site... your visitors.

Foundations to Good Website Design

The rest of the pages in this section of the site will give you a sort of introductory course into how to design a website that is both pleasing to the eye and also a complement to your content.

• Getting a grip on basic design principles
• Block builder vs. uploading your own HTML pages... how do you choose?
• Picking a color palette
• How many columns does a website really need?
• Tips for designing great website headers

In Summary...

Good website design depends on so many factors... and it IS important. But it also needs to not take over your website, eclipsing the content. Balance is essential.