Here you will find some necessary design guidelines that are generally followed in the web design industry. You only get one chance to make a good first impression! So design a clean, friendly and easy to navigate web site. Keep it simple for both the humans and search engine spiders. The more bells & whistles you have on your website the more it becomes difficult for search engines to spider your website. Humans too, are more receptive towards simple web designs. The use of too many colors is a sign of an amateur. It distracts the visitor and feels amateurish. Therefore, choose only two three colors. Also limit your special effects. Special effects should be used for impact, not as the basis of your design. Just because they are there, does not mean you must use them. Simplicity rules! KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE. Here are some professional level tips.
Web Design Guidelines for Using Fonts: If your site does not use standard fonts (such as Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman) the chances are that your visitors won't see your fonts as you want them to see. It may appear altogether different on their computers. So, live with standard fonts. This Web Design Guide is written in Verdana. It is extremely easy to see. Furthermore the text should always be dark on a light background. Your content is intended for easier reading. Use bolds and underlines only when you want to emphasize some point. Don't use graphics for a paragraph of text unless it's absolutely necessary. Also make sure to include an "Alt Tag", to make your image visible to search engine spiders. Links to other sites should be blue and underlined.
Web Design Guidelines for Display and Width: One of the first things about the professional Web site design is understanding that your site will be viewed on a variety of computer platforms and browsers. Mostly it doesn't matter, but occasionally it does. Although the standard screen resolutions for those with good eyesight are 1024 by 768 pixels, many folks still use 800 by 600. So, you should design for the lowest common of screen size, which is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall. This will ensure that all people can see the whole page on their display. It is better to design your pages so that they are consistent across various platforms. It's a good idea to design your entire page for 800x600, but keep the width of text within 640 pixels. People with older computers will still be able to read your content, even if some parts of the page require scrolling. If you must use images, do not forget to include ALT text. Your image name should be keyword focused. Images are for humans only. Search engine spiders cannot see them. So, it's a good idea to name the image with ALT Text to make it visible for the search engine spiders.
Web Design Guidelines for Developing Consistent Navigation: In making professional Web site design, consistency is the most important factor to keep in mind. Nothing is more unprofessional in Website design than a different colored background for every page. Backgrounds, colors, fonts, navigation buttons all need to present your site visitor with the same appearance. Your visitors should be able to navigate to any page on your site within three mouse clicks of the homepage. Keep this simple rule in mind. Remember the 3-Tier website structure from my article "How to Plan a Website?" You can keep your website elements consistent when you use the same template for every page on your site. Essentially, consistency is about making it easy for your visitors to find what they want. Use headlines and underlines clearly to identify headings. Each page should be clearly identified and fonts should be consistent in color and size from page to page. You want your readers to become accustomed to a consistent website layout, so they can move quickly and easily through your website.