Today, every business needs a website. But if you’re a small business owner just starting out, hiring a web designer may not be an option.  Fortunately, there are plenty of programs out there that offer simple, easy to use web design software that help you do it yourself. You don’t even have to be particularly artistic because they’ll provide you with templates to help you get started.

However, these templates are just the beginning and many of these programs give you a lot of flexibility.  You want your website to be the best it can be, which means knowing how to take advantage of that. It all comes down to making your website user-friendly. That means that it should be nice to look at and easy to navigate.

We’ve collected the most basic tips from web-designers in cyber world to help you get the most from your site and avoid the mistakes that even the best web design software won’t stop you from making.

First of all, make sure that the menu is available and clearly visible on every page. The more links are accessible from any given page the more people are likely to click on them. Of course, be careful not to overwhelm the user and always keep things organized.

Some design programs have a lot of really neat tools and it can be tempting to try them all out at once. Resist the temptation. Keep in mind that the most readable text is still old fashioned black on white. The users are on your site because they want to know what you have to say. They don’t need to be distracted by too much visual stuff going on.

This brings us to the topic of images. Sure, sure, a picture is worth a thousand words. And a few small icons can add color to your site and make it easier to navigate but don’t go overboard. Make sure that whatever pictures you do add are consistent with the feel of the site. Try to stick to what will be useful and add to the content not just decorate it. Too many pictures can make a page take longer to load and the last thing you want is for potential users to lose patience before they’ve even seen your site.

A lot of web design programs offer some sort of professional design advice in addition to the do-it-yourself software. They also have tips and design guides to help you make the most of the tools they provide.

Designing your own site can be a lot of fun and its worth making sure that your users enjoy it as much as you do!