The economy may be on the ropes, but research shows e-commerce popularity is growing and many consumers are choosing to spend their money online. With online shopping becoming universal, wi-fi access available virtually everywhere, and the recent boom of social networking sites being utilized for mass marketing, more than ever, business owners are expanding their brick-and-mortar stores into web-based businesses. The average Joe is finding out that he, too, has the opportunity to create an additional revenue source with a website and a merchant account.
Now before you go out and venture into the virtual world of online retailing, let me start by saying that every field has its share of widespread, but mistaken beliefs, and e-commerce is undoubtedly one of them. Personally, I’m finding that one of the biggest (and common) misconceptions among webmasters today is that the more complex the site design, the better. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Take a look at the world (wide web) around you and you’ll notice that the top retailers such as Apple, OfficeMax, and Best Buy maintain clean and organized sites that have a lot of breathing room. My favorite example is Google. Here is a website to be exact, the most visited website in the world, which contains nothing more than a logo, search box, and a few text links on their homepage. Although it is not an e-commerce site, it is still a major example showing how simplistic websites prove to be the most successful. What’s their trick? They cut the clutter!
To start, let me say that cleanliness in design is not limited to one certain characteristic on a homepage. In fact, to create a crisp looking design, several aspects must be taken into consideration: typography, color, photography, and which I personally believe to be the two most important factors, the layout and the use of white space. Let’s discuss the KISS principal for a moment. No, I’m not talking about makeup application techniques pertaining to four musicians from Detroit Rock City. KISS is a commonly-used, modern acronym for “Keep it Simple, Stupid” (though, if you want to be more polite, “Keep it Sweet and Simple” works just as well). KISS states that simplicity should be a key design goal and one should avoid dabbling into a mess of unnecessary complexities. It’s been stated that the origins of KISS have been traced back to similar concepts practiced by Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci. With that known, if the great minds that helped shape the 15th and 20th centuries are on board with this theory, it may prove to be a wise decision to hop on this design bandwagon.
Layout
The first step towards cutting the clutter is to make sure you start with an orderly layout that is not only properly aligned, but also makes good use of white space. Let me be clear: white space refers to the blank areas, or negative space, between the graphics, columns, and margins on your page. It’s the unmarked portions of your page, not the actual color, so don’t feel like every page you design has to look like it’s lost in a snowstorm. Let your website breathe. Utilize space appropriately and determine how you will align the elements on your page. Page navigation is usually found at the top and/or left of the site, while headlines, photographs, products, and textual content are found in the body. Though screen sizes can vary between users, attempt to keep your important information above the fold; that is, make sure anything appealing is placed on the top half of the page. Alignment creates connections between your visuals, and helps develop a balanced relationship between objects. A page that is overcrowded with graphics or text, has little to no white space, and is poorly aligned will run the risk of appearing muddled, difficult to navigate, and difficult to read.
Typeface
Use simple and traditional typefaces whenever possible. When it comes to the Internet, to increase the chance that your content will be properly displayed on multiple platforms and systems, a web-safe font should always be used. If you have failed to use a web-safe font, more than likely your customer’s browser will select a substitute font that you may not have intended to appear on your page. This can often result in text that is not easy to read and your homepage turning into an ugly mess. Fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Georgia, and Times New Roman are safe choices, have great letter spacing, and won’t appear awkward or unbalanced on your site. You want your type to be pleasing to the eye. Present everything in a fluid manner to the reader and let him or her easily obtain the information you are providing. This is the exact reason they are visiting your site in the first place. Don’t be distracting! Make sure your important elements get top billing. You only have a few seconds to grab a customer’s attention, so make sure your welcome/sale messages are minimal and to the point. Littering your page with paragraphs of text is a complete turn-off. Your goal is to sell a product, not to bore your readers with an overabundance of incoherent drivel.
Color
Also avoid littering the page with multiple colors. Color is extremely critical to the overall design, and a poor palette could possibly drive visitors away, ultimately resulting in less business. It’s best to always start with one major color in mind and then vary the lightness and saturation of that color to see the optional tones it can provide. If you are incorporating a pre-existing logo into your design that must be adhered to, separate the colors used, and explore all the possible tones that can be created. Try to design your page using that one main color. Then introduce one or two complementary colors to enhance the rest of the page. This will help draw attention to places of importance, such as the navigation bar, section headings, or a sales headline. Choosing a sensible color scheme depends upon what mood you want to portray and what will fit your customers’ needs. Keep in mind who your target audience is. Research what colors appeal to women and men. Make sure everything is easy to see and that your text is not placed upon a conflicting, hard-to-read background. Your page doesn’t have to have a beautiful color scheme; it has to have a successful color scheme.
Images
Along with color choices, it is also important to choose the right images and to use them carefully. In some situations, not only can images increase load times (think of your target audience), but they can clutter up a page in no time. Display your product images in a uniform manner and stick to using one or two prominent images to advertise what you are selling, help balance the page, and fill in the empty spots with some weight. Stay away from distracting backgrounds and don’t go overboard with flash animations. You want customers to immediately understand what your site is about, and in the process, refrain from going blind. Make sure all your visuals are being placed in the right spot and aren’t solely being used to add decoration to the page or its background. Just don’t give your visitors “stuff” to view. Utilize images to properly clarify content, features, and navigation. A good, clean website is one that will not get in the way of the visitor’s shopping agenda. Your customers should be able to reach the checkout with only a few clicks, so avoid building roadblocks by overwhelming users with distracting banners and animations.
Simplicity can be a very complex issue, but it’s not impossible to achieve. Your website makes a big impression on your viewers, so take the time to educate yourself about the latest trends in design, presentation, and functionality. How you portray your website is how visitors will think you portray your business in general. You want to show them you are structured, professional, and here to help. It might take some time before you manage to find the perfect mix between details and appearance, but that’s okay; Rome wasn’t built in a day (actually it took about 850 years to build, but you don’t have that much time and that’s not really the point). Again, stay up-to-date on web development and constantly pay attention to how you are laying out the elements on your page. Remember, your website is not for you, it’s for your visitors – so cut the clutter and keep it sweet and simple!
By Marc Manfre
marc.manfre@ebizinsider.com
