Signs of a Good Website Design Part One

Website design is a multi-faceted endeavour that aims to achieve many goals. At once it should act as an advert, internet ambassador, and information sheet for the company it`s representing – drawing in customers and clients and ensuring that the company looks professional and trustworthy. At the same time though it might also be a shop, a place for visitors to interact, a form of entertainment in itself, a newsletter and a portfolio. If it goes wrong then and the website design isn`t all it`s scratched up to be then this will drive visitors away and will fail on all of those fronts. So how do you tell a good web design from a bad one? And how do you ensure that yours falls into the former category?
One common mistake is to judge a website by its Flash animations and its sound effects. Many people mistakenly believe that a good website design is one that makes a lot of noise and has a lot of features and interactivity. While this all helps to make a website more eye catching and immersive for the visitor however this is really an optional `bonus`. On its own it doesn`t make a website design great and it won`t be enough to save a poor layout.
What`s far more important with a website design is ensuring that your navigation is simple and easy and that your visitors come away with all the information they need.