What this is about: This checklist covers multiple elements concerning the visual aspects of the website development. Some of the information here can be dismissed, depending on the type of site, but overall these are good points to consider during the design process.

Why this is important: The site design is essentially the first impression that someone gets when they land on your site. You may have all your usability and SEO elements in place, but if the design is lacking then your visitor's impression of you will be lacking as well. A visually appealing site can not only bolster trust and credibility, but it can make you stand out among other less-appealing sites in your industry.

What to look for:

• Instant site identification: As soon as landing on any page the visitor must be able to tell what website they are on.
• Crisp, clean image quality: Don't use old or blurry images. Keep them neat, clean and sharp.
• Clean, clutter-less design: Avoid trying to do too much at once. Keep navigation and content areas clear of unnecessary clutter.
• Consistent colors and type: Use the same colors and font styles from page to page.
• Whitespace usage: Don't pack too much in, allow some breathing room so important areas stick out.
• Minimal distractions: Be careful of images, animation and even links that pull the visitor into unwanted directions.
• Targets intended audience: Make certain that your design targets your audience with appropriate colors, layout and wording.
• Meets industry best practices: Design to be the best site in your industry. If there are industry-specific guidelines to be followed, be sure to do that.
• Easy to navigate: Make it is easy for your visitor to find the links they need to take them to their desired pages.
• Descriptive links: All links should accurately describe the destination page.
• Good on-page organization: Put page information together in a logical way and keep information where it is expected to be found.
• Easy to find phone number: Phone number should be easy to find regardless of page the visitor is on. The header is a great place for the phone number.
• Don't link screen captures: It's not a good idea to link screen captures to other pages. Use text links or buttons.
• Skip option for flash: If you use flash animations, have an option to skip it or turn it off all together.
• Consistent page formatting: Use a consistent layout from page to page so the site feels like one cohesive unit.
• No/minimal on-page styling: Use external CSS for all on-page styling. Only keep on the page what is specific for that page only.
• Avoid text in images: Don't place quality keyword rich text in images.
• Font size is adequate: Don't use excessively small fonts. Larger fonts increase readability of content.
• Font type is friendly: Use fonts meant for the web, rather than fonts designed for print.
• Paragraphs not too wide: Don't allow paragraphs to get too wide. Use absolute widths if necessary.
• Visual cues to important elements: Be sure important links and action items stand out visually from the rest of the content.
• Good overall contrast: Make sure text can be read (black on white) and colors don't bleed into each other.
• Low usage of animated graphics: Avoid animated graphics unless absolutely essential to the user experience.
• Uses obvious action objects: Calls to actions, links and subscribe buttons should be obvious at a glance.
• Avoid requiring plugins: Don't use plugins that visitors have to download before getting the full site experience.
• Minimize the use of graphics: Don't make your site graphic heavy to the point where the visitor is overwhelmed with visual eye-candy.
• Understandable graphic file names: Name your images and other files in a way that makes sense if read.
  No: /images/BDJ2330.jpg
  Yes: /images/boys-denali-jacket.jpg
• No horizontal scrolling: Make sure the design is not so wide that horizontal scrolling is required.
• Non-busy background: Keep site background unobtrusive to the main content areas of the site.
• Recognizable look and feel: Your site design should be distinctive to you alone. Avoid templates that are mass reproduced.
• Proper image / text padding: Give enough room between images and text so they don't bump up against each other.
• Uses trust symbols: Better Business Bureau, site security and other trust symbols should be in obvious (and applicable) locations.
• Works on variety of resolutions: Test site to be sure it works on a variety of different screen resolutions.
• Works on variety of screen widths: Test site to be sure it functions correctly on different width screens and browser windows.