Much consideration has to be given to your website design if you want to do business on the Internet through the use of an e-commerce website. This is because it is the overall design of your website that can either provide a pleasing or disappointing experience to your visitors.

The Design of Your Website

Website design refers to the graphic makeup of the site itself including your web pages, usability, interactive applications, and level of user interface as perceived by your visitors. For this, you can either hire a web development firm to build you a website complete with hosting and maintaining services, opt for the services of a fee-only web designer, or download website design software from the Internet.

The website design software is a tool used for creating web pages tailored according to your preferences. The features that the software comes equipped with can vary, although the fundamental features include drag-and-drop image selection, web templates, layouts, graphic effects and animations, incorporate colors, customizable fonts, and even free website designs among others - indeed, the software is designed for building professional-looking websites in an instant.

But before you can go all out in building your website with your web design software, it would be best to know the basics of a website first.

Nuts and Bolts of a Website Design

Homepage

This is referred to as the main page or window of your website, and reflects the site's entire content at best. You can design your homepage depending on the tools available in your website design software: animations, speakers and essential Flash effects, links directing to the lower pages, colored graphics, logos, and more.

Inner Pages and Landing Pages

Linked directly from the homepage, it is on the inner pages and landing pages that you will find the products and services offered on the site. While others use their lower pages to put their contact info, references, and site resources among others.

Navigation

Website navigation can vary depending on the structure of the site. You can find embedded links, breadcrumb trails, drop-down buttons, pop-up navigation bars, and other web buttons available on the site. Here, it has to be well constructed and user-friendly because the tools are your visitors main avenue to navigating and discovering the rest of your website.