10 Rules That Should Be Followed When Creating A Website

It is not only the visual design of a site that determines its success. See the top 10 rules that should be followed when creating a website

By Larissa Lopes
Updated on August 10, 2022
10 Rules That Should Be Followed When Creating A Website

Here are 10 rules that should follow when creating a website. It is not the visual design of a website that determines whether or not it is successful; rather, it is the website’s usability and utility. As a result, user-centric design has become a standard technique for successful and profit-oriented website design.

As a result, everything is decided by the visitor. If people cannot take advantage of a feature, then the function might as well not be there at all.

We will not go into the design implementation details (such as where to place the search box) because this has already been covered in several other articles.

Instead, we will concentrate on the essential principles, heuristics, and approaches for effective web design. When used correctly, approaches can lead to more sophisticated design decisions and simplify the process of perceiving presented information. See the top 10 rules that should follow when creating a website.

1 – Avoid Putting Unnecessary Mental Efforts on the User

The first Law of usability proposed by Krug states that the webpage in question has to be intuitive and self-explanatory.

When developing a website, you must remove all open questions, representing the choices visitors will need to make after carefully weighing the benefits, drawbacks, and available options.

Users will have difficulty understanding how the system functions and how to move from point A to point B if the navigation and site architecture are not intuitive. Moreover, this will result in an increased number of question marks. On the other hand, users can find their way to their goal more simply if the structure is straightforward, there are some visual cues, and the links are easy to recognize.

Let’s have a look at an illustration, shall we when creating a website?

The website beyondis.co.uk boldly claims it is “beyond channels, items, and distribution.” So what exactly does it signify?

These three assertions will likely be the first things viewers see on the page once it has completely loaded. And also, this is because users typically navigate web pages using the “F” pattern.

Even if the design is straightforward, the user needs to look for the solution to comprehend the page.

This is what a question mark that isn’t needed looks like. So, it is the designer’s responsibility to ensure that the number of question marks is as near to zero as possible.

The right-hand side contains the visual explanation that has been provided. Simply switching these two blocks around would make the system more usable.

ExpressionEngine follows an identical framework to that of Beyondis but does not include question marks unless they are absolutely necessary. In addition, the tagline starts to make sense after customers allowed to test out the service for free and download an unlocked version of the software.

You may make it simpler for visitors to understand the concept behind the system by lowering the amount of mental work required.

As soon as you’ve accomplished this goal, you’ll be able to explain why the system is valuable and how users can profit from using it. For example, if your website is difficult to navigate, people won’t utilize it and you’ll lose business as a result.

2 – Don’t Squander Users’ Patience

In every project, you intend to provide your site visitors with a service or tool. You should strive to keep the user requirements as simple as possible. When testing service, a random visitor is more likely to try it if users are forced to take the few actions possible.

People who have never used the service before are more interested in experimenting with it than in filling out long web forms to create an account they may never use again.

Permit users to explore the website and become familiar with your services without requiring them to disclose personal information. For example, it seems unreasonable to insist that users enter an email address before allowing them to test the service.

3 – Take Charge Of Directing The Attention Of Users

Another rule that should follow when creating a website is that some components of the user interface garner more attention than others because websites deliver static and dynamic material. For example, pictures are more appealing to the eye than the text; similarly. And also, bolded sentences stand out more than those just written in regular font.

Users of the internet can rapidly discern edges, patterns, and motions due to the very non-linear nature of the human eye.

Because of this, video commercials are incredibly bothersome and intrusive, but from a marketing point of view. They perform an excellent job of attracting consumers’ attention and fulfilling their purpose in doing so.

The concept of attention is executed flawlessly in Humanized. The word “free” is the only component that is directly visible to users. It functions attractively and enticingly while still being peaceful and providing information in its purest form.

Subtle hints give users enough information to learn about a “free” product.

By directing users’ attention to particular website sections and making limited use of visual components. You may help your site visitors move from point A to point B without thinking about how the process is supposed to work.

Visitors will have a better feeling of orientation and will be able to create a greater level of trust in the organization that the website represents if there are fewer question marks.

In other words, the user experience will improve if there is less thought that needs put behind the scenes. Therefore, this should be the primary focus of usability efforts in the first place.

4 – Strive to Get Featured in Publications

Other rule that should follow when creating a website is that it is common practice to criticize contemporary online design for the way it directs users through aesthetically appealing “1-2-3 done” steps. Huge buttons with visual effects and other design elements of this nature.

However, when viewed from the point of view of design, these components are not always a negative thing at all.

On the other hand, when creating a website such rules are incredibly efficient since they guide site visitors through the website’s material in a very straightforward way and welcoming to users.

One of the most important aspects of good user interface design is making it easy for users to understand the functions available. It makes little difference to me how this goal is accomplished.

What really counts is that the content is easily digestible. And that users have a positive experience with the way the system allows them to interact with it.

5 – Employ Efficient Methods Of Writing

It is vital to change the writing style to the tastes and surfing patterns of consumers because the format of the Web is different from that of print.

Won’t read any promotional text. Long blocks of text that do not contain it will not display images or keywords indicated in bold or italics. And will not tolerate the use of hyperbolic language.

Talk business.

When creating a website a good rule of thumb is to steer clear of charming or funny names. Names that are marketing-induced, company-specific names, and unusual technical names.

For example, if you want users to establish accounts. And you are describing a service. The phrase “sign up” is preferable to “start immediately!”. Which in turn is preferable to the phrase “explore our offerings.”

One of the effective ways to improve your writing is to:

  • Make use of sentences that are brief and to the point (come to the point as quickly as possible),
  • Use searchable layouts (categorize content, use multi-level headings. Use visuals and bulleted lists that break the flow of coherent blocks of text),
  • Use unambiguous language (a promotion does not have to seem like an advertisement. Provide your users with some objective and logical justification for why they should use your service or continue to visit your website).

6 – Strive for Easy Understanding

The design of a website ought to center on the “keep it simple” (KIS) philosophy as its primary objective.

When creating a website users visit a website not to appreciate the design nearly all the time. And in the majority of instances, they are looking for information despite the design. Therefore, keep things as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible.

Pure text, devoid of any adverts or additional content blocks that precisely match the visitors’ search query. Or the content they have been seeking considers the optimal layout for a website from the perspective of the site’s visitors.

One of the reasons it is vital for a good user experience to have a print version of user-friendly web pages is this.

7 – You Should Not Be Afraid Of The White Space

It is very difficult to exaggerate the significance of having white space. Not only does this serve to lessen the mental burden that visitors already have. But it also makes it easy for them to understand the information displayed on the screen.

And when a new visitor arrives at a design layout. They first try to scan the page and break the content area into manageable chunks of information. This is done to get a feel for the layout.

When creating a website reading, scanning, analyzing, and working with complex structures is more difficult. So if you can separate two design elements with a visible line or space, it’s usually best to use the white space approach.

This is because visible lines can be distracting to the eye.

Simon’s Law states that hierarchical structures simplify complex systems. Therefore the more effectively you can convey a sense of visual hierarchy to your visitors. The simpler your material will be for them to understand.

There should be white space. The website Cameron.io places a significant emphasis on white space as a design component. The result is a format that is easy to scan and which gives the material the dominant position it is entitled to.

8 – It can achieve effective communication through a “Visible Language” when creating a website

Another rule that should follow when creating a website is in his writings on efficient visual communication, Aaron Marcus outlines three essential principles associated with the utilisation of the so-called “visible language,” which refers to the content that users perceive when they look at a screen.

Organizing means offering the user an obvious and consistent conceptual structure. The notions of consistency, screen layout, linkages, and navigability are all essential components of an organized system.

All of the elements must follow the same norms and guidelines.

  • Reduce costs by maximizing output while minimizing the number of cues and graphic components you use. Simplicity, clarity, distinctiveness, and emphasis are the four primary factors that should consider.
  • Only the components vital to effective communication, including in simple designs. Clarity requires every element be crafted, so there’s no room for interpretation regarding its intended meaning.
  • Distinctiveness: The essential qualities of the required components must be able to differentiate from one another. The most vital elements should be emphasized and should be easily noticed.
  • Communicate by adjusting the presentation so that it is in line with the capabilities of the user. The user interface must strike a healthy balance between intelligibility, readability, typography, symbolism, various viewpoints, and color or texture for effective communication. Use no more than three different typefaces, with no more than three different point sizes. And no more than 18 words or 50-80 characters per line of text.

9 – Conventions Are Our Friends When Creating a Website

A website won’t automatically be dull simply because its pieces have a conventional design. On the contrary, conventions are particularly helpful since they shorten the learning curve and eliminate the need to figure out how things function.

This makes them very valuable. For example, if every website uses a distinct visual presentation of RSS feeds, it would be a headache for users trying to navigate websites. However, that is not all that dissimilar from our daily lives, in which we tend to become accustomed to fundamental ideas. Such as how we store information (in folders) or go shopping (placement of products).

You can earn users’ confidence, trust, and reliability and demonstrate your reputation by participating in conventions.

Respect users’ expectations by understanding what they anticipate from a website’s navigation, text structure, search positioning, etc.

The page translates into Japanese (assuming your site visitors don’t know Japanese, for example, using Babelfish). And your usability testers are tasked with finding something on the page written in a language other than Japanese. This is an example of a typical usability session.

If the conventions use correctly, users can accomplish a goal that is not overly specific, even if they don’t understand the word.

10 – Test everything, and Do It Often When Creating a Website

Usability testing frequently provides essential insights into key flaws and challenges associated with a specific layout. Hence, must use this so-called TETO principle for every online design project.

Not too late, not too little, and also not for the wrong reasons: that is the goal of your examination.

In the second scenario, it is essential to be aware that most design choices are local; this implies that you cannot provide a definitive response. Which layout is superior to the other because you must conduct a situation analysis from a very particular point of view (considering requirements, stakeholders, budget, etc.).