If the thought of designing a great website scares you, take a deep breath and read on for some practical tips for some excellent website design that can be found in Ireland.

Choose a colour scheme and follow through consistently

As a start, use your company branding and logo colours. If you are starting from scratch, choose two or three complementary colours and stick with them. Try to be as consistent as possible and be wary of changing colours on every page.

The most common colour schemes used on websites are:

Red, yellow, white

Blue, white

Red, grey, white

Blue, orange, white

Yellow, grey, white.

Not sure about the colours to use? Check the internet for a website that you like and create a scheme from that that exists.

Work from a website template

Another option is to choose a template. There are many templates or pre-set designs. These come as part of your web design software or you can check out some websites that specialise in designing templates. Even better would be to engage with one of the many professional website design companies in Ireland, who can guide you.

Provide an easy to use navigation system

This is one of the most important issues to consider when designing a website. You need to ensure your visitors can find what they are looking for easily. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it's best to stick with it.

It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

Don't overdo the special effects

Whilst it is ok to have one or two special effects to jazz up your website, spinning graphics and logos often distract your visitor from the content, not to mention they can take too long to download. Your visitors may click away even before your spinning logo finishes loading.

Backgrounds

Ensure your visitors can read the text on the background, for example: avoid black writing on a dark blue background or yellow on white. Also be careful that your links are visible before and after being visited.

External links

It is wise to open links to other websites in a new window. That way your visitors can easily return to your site when they are finished browsing the external link.

Site Map and Search Feature

If you website is more than 15 pages, it is useful to have a site map or a "Search" feature to ensure your visitors can easily find what they're looking for.

Content is crucial

While it is important that your website looks clean and professional, it is far more important that you concentrate your efforts on the content and promotion.

Professional website design in Ireland

If these tips still seem daunting and you are uncertain of where to start, don't worry. Simply engage with a professional website design company in Ireland, and they will be able to effectively put your entire website together, leaving you with a result that is both superb and professional