Web designing in Zambia can be a hot topic for debate considering the many factors that go into making a great website.

You want to make your website visible in search engines, preferably on page one; and at the same time you want your website to be aimed at your visitors so that they stay on it for as long as possible.

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind when you designing or having a website designed for you, so that it is appealing and keeps visitors wanting to visit it more.

Keep it simple

If you visit some of the best websites in Zambia, you will see one common thread running through ever site, and that is they are kept simple. A cluttered website will confuse your visitors and they will leave, looking for something better

To keep visitors coming to your website, you have to make sure that it is pleasing to the eye, by having a simple design. A simple design does not mean that it cannot be very beautifully done; it just means that it is not too busy and distracting.

If you take a closer look at other websites in your niche, that are doing well. You will notice that their design is simple and yet appealing at the same time.

You will also need to make sure that it is free of any errors because it would either consciously or subconsciously turn off your visitors.

A website that is full of errors will be a complete distraction because the viewer will have his attention fixed on the errors instead of the message that you are trying to send across.

Keep it Quiet

No matter how tempting it may be, do not have audio playing on your website when it is first loaded. Most people that visit your website will move onto your competitor’s site as fast as they can as soon as they hear music blasting out  of their speakers or into their headphones.

Similarly, a website that opens with somebody talking can be a complete urn off to many people. You should instead consider having a control that can be used to play audio if they want, or a video they can control for instructional material.

Avoid automatic Pop-ups

Pop-ups can irritate a lot of people, and many visitors will just press x on the screen as soon as it opens. Although pop-ups are common these days, a website designed for the average consumer should not have a pop-up on their landing page.

You are risking your reputation by putting pop-ups on a landing page, and may even be considered a spammer by some. If you are trying to build a positive reputation in your niche, drop the pop-ups.

If you are building a subscriber list, you could either put an inline subscription   form on your website, or use an exit pop-up so visitors can only view the pop-up once they want to  leave your  website (not when they are browsing).

Make it Browser friendly

While many old folks use Internet Explorer, there is a huge chunk of people using another Browser –such as Firefox, Google Chrome and Netscape –these people need to have the website open properly for them as well.

When you have your website designed, you need to test it on different browsers to make sure that it is compatible with some of the major ones.

At the very least it should work on Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, but getting it to work on Safari and Opera should be a goal as well.

Keep the flash away 

Generally, flash websites take longer to open and are not as search engine friendly as regular websites. If the website takes too long to open, the visitor will just head over to the back button, click it and then move to your competitor’s website.

Flash websites were popular when they first made the scene, and they can be very fancy and flashy, but they can be distracting and irritating at times.

If your focus is to impress visitors, then perhaps a flash website would be appropriate. But if your focus is to make money and build relationships (which is the aim of most website owners), then posting beneficial content and including some attractive graphics would do.

Resist the temptation of using a flash website and remember to keep it simple.

Make it easy to navigate

Good navigation is the most important feature you can have on your website. You need to make it as easy as possible for your website. You need to make is as easy as possible for your visitors to make their way through your website.

You can set up links with an easy-to-use follow path on your website for your visitors, and at the same time set up some SEO friendly linking. Keep the navigation as easy to follow as possible.

If your visitors get confused about where to go next, they won’t go anywhere next and you would lose them.

Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) without distraction

When designing a website for the Zambian market, you have to maintain a careful balance between making your website appealing to both the search engines and your visitors. If you try too hard to make it search engine friendly, you may end up with a site that does not work for the general public.

Search engines generally love and appreciate any site that keeps visitors in mind and is written for people, not machines. Proper SEO does not involve keyword stuffing or any other type of writing that is not written for the audience.

A good thing to do when setting up your website is to have it looked at by a web designing expert.

Keep these website designing tips in mind when you are designing your website. Although they may seem simple, overlooking just one aspect of these tips can cost a lot of visitors or customers in the end.