Good web design is a combination of content, navigation design, graphic design and search engine optimization. Leave out any one part of this combination and your site will suffer. With proper design your site will rank well in the search engines, but if your site is lacking in the other 3 areas you will loose your viewers.

On the web you only have a moment to get the viewers attention. One click on the back button and they are back at the search engine ready to click on your competitors link. They are gone and your company is forgotten. You must get their attention on your first page if you expect them to go any further into your site.

Graphic design is a carefully planned balance of text, graphics and white space. Good design will pull the viewer in and make them want to explore your site. Great pictures and good content thrown together in a haphazard way can cause confusion and an uncomfortable feeling to the viewer. Poor design can actually drive them away. Don't loose customers because of poor site design.

Content is king on the Internet, without it you have nothing. Information is the reason they come to your site. Good design will make them stay. They not only want product or service information, they want to know... "Who is this company"? How long have they been in business and why should I trust them? A professional looking web site instills trust because it shows you care about your company's image. Good design will make your company stand out from the rest. Nobody goes to just one web site, they go to many similar companies and make comparisons. A well designed site will be remembered.

Think about it for a minute. What makes you choose one product over another? Often without even realizing it, it is the design on the package. If it looks better we think it must be better. The quality of a product is often more important than the price. With all things being equal, we always grab the package that looks the best.

Don't hire a web designer just because you don't know HTML. Hire a web designer because you know the image you present to the world matters. Show your viewers that you are a reliable company that cares about it's customers. Good design can bring you more customers and more customers is the reason you build a web site.