Kuka Studios

Here are our top 5 tips for making a user-friendly website:

1. Make your navigation clean and simple.
A successful navigation system should tell a user where they are, where they have been, and where they can go. Keep it in the same format and place on every page and use text rather than images for links. Include a text-based sitemap and a site search box.

2. Keep the content simple and easy to read.
You might be desperate for an all-singing all-dancing site design, but if people can’t tell what you do they won’t hang around to find out. Good text is the best way to improve search engine rankings, and gain the trust of your customers. Emphasise the important words and

3. Keep the design consistent
Choose your brand colours carefully and use them consistently. Visitors should never click on an internal link in your site and wonder if they’ve left your Web site. Similarly, page layout and fonts should be consistent.

4. Plan before you start
Websites can grow arms and legs as a company gets bigger and as its needs grow. If you want all the hard work you put in at the start to still be worthwhile in a year’s time, take time to plan your navigation and needs before you start. It will help the site grow organically.

5. Test the site on real people
If your web designer friend likes it - it doesn’t count. Ask your mum. If she’s too biased, ask your little sister or someone not so internet savvy. Unfortunately the most powerful business man and the biggest spenders on the high street can have something in common - a fear of technology. Make sure that your site caters for them by testing it on them.