By Robert Lockard

In honor of Submit Solution’s newly redesigned website, I will talk about four Web-design strategies you can use to make your website look more pleasing and hold viewers’ attention longer. These strategies come from a blog post on the Think Vitamin Blog, entitled, “How to Make Your Web Design Stand out from the Crowd.”

The first strategy is not to be afraid of empty space in your Web design. On news sites, like CNN, you won’t find a bit of open space; all of it is taken up with headlines, graphics and numbers. That is useful for people looking to cram as much useful information as possible into a confined space. But it can feel cluttered and overwhelming on ecommerce websites that are selling products and services.

Giving viewers space to breathe can create a relaxed atmosphere on your website. We’re already bombarded with information, so it is refreshing to find a website with some elbowroom.

This goes along with the second strategy, which is to try something new. If you always follow current trends, you will wind up looking like everyone else. Try something different, flex your HTML muscles and show off your creativity. It’s your Web design – have fun with it!

The third strategy is to carefully choose your site’s colors and images. These have a big effect on the overall look and feel of your website. Make sure they are interesting to look at and that they show your clients what to expect from your company. Creativity comes into play in this one, as well.

The fourth strategy is to pay attention to the little details that can turn a good website into a great one. Give visitors a reason to come back often and reward them with a bit of wit and style they won’t find anywhere else. Make sure your site is free of grammatical errors as best as you can, and be sure to put your best foot forward at all times.

Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to making something special out of your website. Remember that having a great website doesn’t mean customers will be able to find it. You’ll have to invest in search engine optimization, paid-search campaigns and more to help that happen. You can find SEO and PPC strategies in Submit Solution’s SEO and PPC blogs.

This is the full version of a blog entry on the eHarbor Blog, entitled, “Simple is better in Web design.” The photo of the spider web is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of dann solo.