Introduction: How has it that a dream has now become the life and blood of our world’s economy? The internet has grown from a twinkle in our eye to an everyday commodity. We use the internet when we leave our house with our Smartphone’s, iDevice’s, and device’s in our vehicles. As the expectations from the users increase the developers have to meet those expectations. If a company does not meet the needs of the users, then the user will become impatient and go elsewhere. We designers need to keep the design up-to-date to keep the interest of the users there; content also needs to be current. Constant testing is a must for any website, with the constant changing languages, and programs. Layout is another item that needs to be updated continuously. I could go on, but below is the break-down of ten of the rules for website navigation:

1 – Design: This need to be something that has to up-to-date, interesting, and appealing to the users. To get this process started we need to imagine and/or draw our final projects design. This includes, but not limited to, the potential of the site, how many pages the site will have. This will need to be accomplished to succeed with all the alternatives there are out there on the web. So to succeed there will need to be input from several sources and have them evaluated for the best choice to use. This will show us the users’ opinions, wants, and needs that will make your site stand out amongst the others. Performance should be the number one thing when designing the site. Performance will be built then the design will be built around the performance. This will make the site desirable.

2 – Content: The content needs to be updated regularly; this is to keep the interests, wants, and needs of the user in minds. We need to make sure that these wants and needs are met, the users are our customers. The site needs to have dependable and consistent content; if this is done the credibility of the site will not be compromised. Being consistent is a major problem for many people, to many people like to talk nonsense, and that will reduce their credibility. If you are consistent your users will remember what is there, and what is new to the site. This helps you and the user in updating, and maintaining your site.

3 – Testing: This is a huge part for failed websites. Many new comers will build their site and not test they site they have built. They will not go through the links that they have put in place. To test these sites, links, and the readability of your site would be most beneficial to you and the future of the site. When you test your site you need to test on many variables, the main test should be browser testing. Test your site often and regularly.

4 – Layout: The layout of your page/site corresponds with the content and design. Your layout is another area that needs to be updated on a regular basis, just like your content, and design. Your layout and design work hand and hand. As you design your site, you will be working on your layout, and this is like a resume, it should always be changing and getting better. Your layout should never get worse. The object of your layout is not to make it look disorderly. How many time have you gone to a website and seen it in shambles and out-of-order, then left the site because you could not find anything in a timely matter. I know I have had this issue. I just look for another site, immediately. In your layout you need to keep out the clutter, make the text a normal size that the norm will be happy, you do not want the majority of your users to have to zoom in or out to be comfortable reading the content. As I previously said the layout works hand-in-hand with content and design. These three will always make or break your site. Build it well!

5 – Title: Your title need to be noticed, or it could be missed or overlooked. It is imperative to have a well visible title for your site. When you look at a site when searching through a search engine; the description (abstract) is not there, or not well written, most people will not enter that site. How important is title of your pages? It is very important.

6 – Viewing Experience: When the correctly used code is placed in the proper area, Images, animation, audio, & videos could make or break a website. Making sure that everything is working correctly, making sure that it is visible; this can keep your users at your site. To maintain the users that are visiting your site, you will need to do a few things that will keep their interest. First and foremost, write about something interesting, not just blogging. Try to keep you writings interesting, and non-intimidating.

7 – Navigation: What is stressful when attempting to navigate through a new site that you have never been to before; the stress of finding the links to move to where you want too. If you keep your navigation tabs in order on all pages the user will know where to go once he has used the links the first time. The navigation pane might be on the top of your site, it might be on the left or right, it could also be a floating navigation pane. Now if each page within your site has the navigation pane all over the place the user will more than likely get frustrated and move to another website. I know I would! K-I-S = Keep-It-Simple!

8 – Assistance: Providing assistance is almost a must today, there are still, and there will always be people that do not know how the inner workings of a computer or programming. They will know how to navigate, but that will be the height of their knowledge. This is not because they do not want to know, nor they don’t want to learn, but because that is not their passion as it is for most designer, programmers, or engineers. Assistance to help a user is a great thing to have, if you have an outstanding website, but no link, or anyway for the user to contact you, you will miss out on possible errors that have occurred, or potential clients for future work. Keep a contact tab, or any sort of forms to be reached. You will not regret that.

9 – Search: To simplify things for your customers or users there should be a search tool somewhere within your site. A search tool should be easy to use; it should be made for all users. You can add advanced options to help aid the advanced users. When building your search options, make sure that you are making your search engine able to respond to the everyday users’ terminology.

10 – Usability: Usability is how well your site is for the users to learn, lack of errors, how efficient your site is, how easy it is for the users to remember, and finally how satisfied your user is when they leave. The basics are just that the basics. When you are finished creating your site you need to make sure that all areas of your site are working properly. When making sure that the usability of your site, remember that this is important, because this is another thing that the users will rate your site on. Once your site is built, you need to constantly improve and maintain the usability, this is because the programs, and browsers are constantly changing. To do this you should have a team set up to constantly observe your site, take customers complaints to maintain the usability ease.

Conclusion: Start building your site with a dream. Take your dream to reality, do this by taking care of your website, and maintaining it. Design, content, testing, layout, title, viewing experience, navigation, assistance, search and usability; these are some of the basics for creating a website, they all correspond together to help the everyday user to navigate your site. Once all things are implemented your site should be able to be navigated by everyday users.
References
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