Online Design vs. Print Design

A basic understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) and copywriting is important for web designers. Although you can design a website without knowledge in these areas, it's difficult to design a good site without knowing at least something about SEO and copywriting. Designers have to realize their craft revolves around their ability to communicate a message – and that is dependent on the web site's copy and visibility. According to Houston web design companies, without any content or traffic, a designer's work doesn't do any good.

Take note that copywriting for online media is significantly different from writing for print media for several reasons. First, web surfers tend to be impatient and want fast access to information as opposed to print media readers who tend to read at leisure. Web users also have a tendency not to read full articles but prefer to read short chunks of the page in search of what they need. The average person will only read between 5 and 10 percent of your website. This is because most readers who don’t find what they're looking for within the first few pages will leave and move on to other sites. If you're trying to sell something, make sure your important benefits are listed upfront and get to the point quickly.

Secondly, consideration must be given not only to the human audience of a website but also the search robots who will periodically crawl the website. In order to be properly indexed in search engines, a web page needs a minimum of 500 to 750 words on it. In addition, the keywords or key phrase for a web page also needs to be repeated at least four to five times.

Thirdly, since the web is non-linear, we expect hyperlinks and jump frequently, both within pages and to other pages, reading what we need and then moving on, often very quickly. Good writing for the web should be clear, concise, relevant, consistent, and error free. Since the web is interactive, your writing style should be conversational; not necessarily familiar or casual, but direct and friendly.

Lastly, web pages should ideally have text and image complementation. The ratio of images to text should preferably be 50:50. Since web users tend to pass by websites rather quickly, it would help if their attentions are grabbed by compelling images and text. The liberal use of white space also makes a web page look less cluttered and allows the reader to find information more easily.

For more web design and copywriting tips from Houston web design companies, visit http://www.texaswebmaster.com/website_design.php.