Don't Let Curb Appeal Curb Your Web Site Design
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Ian Hess
Newspaper Jargon Lends Web Site Design "Curb Appeal"
Web site design owes a lot to newspaper publishing. The term curb appeal, as you've guessed, refers to being attracted to a newspaper's front page, above the fold, while looking at it from a newspaper box, on a newsstand, or while waved by a street vendor.
These are all, "on the street" locations, viewed by pedestrians or drivers. So, you can't count on them being able to read small text, and certain pictures are more easily seen beneath the headlines than others. That's designing for curb appeal - making sure your message can be seen clearly.
Using Curb Appeal in a Web Site Design.
The banners positioned at the top of many Web pages push the content down beneath the fold (the bottom of the browser). The banner is part of your income, and most of these advertisers insist on the top position. Resist them. It has recently been proven by many Web site design experts that advertising spots nearer the bottom of a content page receive far more clicks.
This leaves all of the space "above the fold" to attract and keep your visitor without shoving distractive ads in their faces. These ads aren't why they came to your site. While ad companies may think their ads are more attractive than your site, push them down for the benefit of everyone.
When your visitor isn't sure where to go at the end of your article, or other content, there's the ad right there with them at the bottom of the page, asking, "Whatchya gonna do next? "
Why Side With the Freelance Web Site Design Professionals?
The advertising industry has always been behind the curve on the Internet. What is just now becoming common knowledge among freelance Web site designers will take ad companies another year to "discover."
Freelancers can't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on failure. Since they measure every penny twice, they are more perceptive about what works and what doesn't. Freelance Web designers are always tweaking their Web site designs for more profit. Ad behemoths just can't afford this level of attention.
Good Web Site Design Uses the Fold to Attract Interaction
One kind of Web site design requires visitors to drill down to get to content. That means the front page cannot be scrolled and the visitor clicks to get more information. This drill down format is appropriate for certain uses. But in general, the drill down web site design format is weaker than allowing content to wander beneath the fold.
If a visitor is reading your content they'll be drawn to scroll down, and this is what you want: interaction. The sooner you can get a visitor's hand to move, to navigate your site, then the more powerful your Web site design. When they interact with your content their psychology ~subtly~ becomes participatory and active.
The Curb Appeal Ends Here!
If your site were a newspaper, once your visitor is interacting with your content, this is like getting them out of their car, up on the curb, reading the paper, forgetting that they were just moving by. Interaction builds site momentum. An active visitor is more likely to do something, such as click on an ad, or buy a product.
If your content doesn't dip below the fold, no matter how much "curb appeal" your site has, your visitors are more likely to drive right by!
Excellent Web site design drives interaction.
