The Website Header

Web Design Matters – Especially the Header

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By Alan Orr

Did you really focus on the website header during your web design? It’s one of the most looked at parts of your site and you should give it your full attention. It is the part of the site that says who you are and what you do, it is the attractive part that visitors recognize your site by. So how do you tell if your header is a good header? How can you judge if it was important during the web design process? Well there are a few things to think about.

Does your header lead the web design of follow it?

When you undertook the web design for the site did you think of the header first or did you plough on with the content and fill in the header at the end? If you did it at the end chances are you haven’t given it enough thought. You need to stop what you’re doing and get in there and sort it out.

When you look at the header does it tell you what the site does?

Web design is all about making it easy for the user to have a great experience when visiting your website. Since the header is often the first thing they see you need to make sure it says what you do. That’s not to say you can’t have an innovative name for your site just that if you do add some text to say what you do.

Is the header big enough?

Look at the great websites. The headers they use are big. No 50 pixel height banners. Instead you find a height that is often 200 – 300 pixels high. Don’t be afraid to use your banner to tell people who you are. Shout it out. Be clear so that your visitors are clear too.

Do you have too much colour?

Often when people realise the importance of the header they start to go overboard with it. They go mad with the web design with lots of graphics and colours. Wavy and “artistic” lines start to appear. It starts to get really busy and the message is lost. Don’t lose the message make it clear, big and easy to find.

Do you put the menu above the header?

Some site put a menu above the header. It’s wrong. The top left hand corner is the most important and looked at part of the web page. So don’t have your visitors look at the word home (most common on menus) let them look at your logo. Tell them who you are. Get the web design right and your visitors with grow.

 

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