Designing and publishing a web site is easier than ever using modern software tools. These easy-to-use software tools provide a simple, intuitive, graphical interface to take the place of cryptic computer codes. However, a simple interface does not guarantee the production of a good web site. For people who disregard thoughtful web site design, the simplicity and usability of these programs makes it easier to produce lousy, unreadable, unusable web sites. This article offers general guidelines for good web site design applicable to any web design software package.

Creating pages that are easy to read is the first rule of good graphic design for web sites. A common complaint among web site visitors is text that is hard to read against the background. Opposing colors, such as black and white, allow text to be easily distinguished from the background. If a fancy background is desired, such as a pattern or a photograph, then it is very important to offset the text with a block comprised of a single color.

A small text block should not dominate the page. However, the text should be large enough that it is readable. Links should possess a color that is different from the other text. The text body looks best when the headlines are centered and both sides of paragraphs justified. Modern internet browsers support justification formats, but older ones may disregard the format and will align the test to the left side. However, a page with fully justified text formatting is very appealing to most visitors.

The next set of graphic design guidelines pertains to easy navigation of a web site. Every page of a web site should be accessible within three clicks. A table of contents or other menu is useful for keeping a site organized and easy to navigate. The use of frames, which are pages within pages, is helpful. A frame for the table of contents can be placed on the left side of the page, while each link opens in a frame on the right side of the page. In this way, the user remains anchored to the main page.

A web site that is hard to find might as well not exist. The proper use of keywords is critical to making a web site a popular web site. Keywords pertaining to the subject matter of the site, invisibly peppered throughout the site, will make the site easier for search engines to find and properly categorize. Search engines also provide forms for search engine submission which will further help the search engine serve your site to people who are seeking sites on a particular subject.

The software tools available today allow even the novice web designer to create an appealing web site that will captivate a large audience. By following these suggestions for good graphic design, the web site content will be presented in a concise and attractive manner. With practice, someone new to world of web design can prepare themselves for one of the various professional web design jobs.

With the assistance of modern software, developing a web site has never been easier. Attention must still be paid to the elements of good design, as well as navigability, usability, and readability. This article offers insight into the fundamentals of good web site design that can be applied to any web design software package. The most important thing to remember about using graphic design to create web design jobs, is to keep the page easy to read. Remember that search engine submission will further help serve your site to people who are seeking sites on a particular subject.

- samora Jinqua