Optimal performance is the number one priority in any website design. Many new webmasters feel the need to entertain their visitor by adding expensive, fancy flash works that can actually hamper the optimal performance of their site.

To help you remember the rules for effective website design, here are five basic rules. 1)

Forget about splash pages

These are fancy pages you will see when you click on to a link to visit a website. They are dazzling pages that have images with words such as “welcome” or “click here to enter”. They are pages with no purpose, and serves to discourage uses from fully utilizing the actual purpose of the website due to their slow loading time. This fanciful addition only serves to confuse the visitor who will likely leave your website immediately if loading time takes too long.

2) Be careful using banners

The most common place for these large advertising banners to be placed is close to the page header but the bottom of the page is also quite popular too. Adding banner ads are actually futile efforts to maximize the use of your website as space research shows that people tend to ignore such advertisements. Instead add useful contents and add your affiliate links skillfully into the body of the text so that it would seem like a natural part of your text and not an advertisement.

3) Try to make it as easy as possible to navigate

Navigation should be made very simple so that even a young child can understand. Avoid the use of flash menus or multi-tiered menus because generally they are not a good idea as far as easy navigation is concerned. Remember, if users find it hard to navigate, they will leave very soon after landing on your home page. A site map will help them find what they want and should be factored in to the website design right from the start.

4) A clear indication of where the user is at the moment is good to assist navigation

You will need to have a sitemap to facilitate the user to be in control. This map will help them get to where they want to be without wasting too much time. This can be achieved by making sure that each page has its own title and some form of trail that shows them which links they have been to and which is new for them. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means they will leave!

5) If possible, do not use any form of audio files

To make your visitors stay longer, avoid the use of excessive music. If sound is used, do not let it play over and over again. It may be a cool thing to include some music but do give your users some form of control such as muting ability or volume control. If you wish for the visitors to return to your site, learn to apply all these website design rules and you can reap the benefits of long term traffic.