Times have greatly evolved in the world of web style and design. Web designers have huge competition. People are picky, bounce rates are higher, and of course content remains king.

How can you keep customer attention and keep ahead of the vast levels of competition? A basic approach: Eye appeal.

In recent times, stock photography and graphics have adjusted the visual appeal of the internet. Not surprisingly, now the whole word wide web seems the same. Due to wordpress templates and stock photos, graphic design has become much like the production trade -- every thing has interchangable components! How many times have you navigated a webpage and recognized the graphics they are using because their competition are making use of them too?

People are visual creatures. You could put all of the search engine marketing you could possibly into a web site, however it will not make a difference if your users are bored. And people can swiftly sense whether or not you're authentic. Are you?

Its not quite that tough to make your website unique. Its just not apparent how to do so these days. Here are some guidelines to break free from the proverbial mold and start standing out from the crowd.

1: Cease using mainstream stock photograph websites.

If you adhere to only 1 suggestion, let it be this one. I repeat: Cease utilizing mainstream stock clip art internet sites. People are addicted to these web-sites -- artists as well as users. The outcome is everybody thinks the same, appears the same, plus the entire point of branding is lost.

2: Never ever use a template straight out of the box.

Templates are awesome. But similar to stock photographs, thousands of other individuals are using exactly the same types you might be. The usage of just a little creativeness, you can also make a few small changes that will modify the appearance of the whole template. I do it all the time. It works.

3: Find unique clip art on Artist's personal internet websites an portfolios.

A decent jeweler will journey the planet to discover the most valuable gems. As a web developer, you do not have to leave your home. Begin executing illustration searches by way of yahoo and portfolio websites (like flickr.com, deviantart.com, and so forth). After you uncover illustrations that fit your venture, get in touch with the artist. Have him or her do customized work. Quite likely they have more art or pics that fit your mission.

4: Compare your self to your opponents and strive to become different!

End users can tell a "knock-off" very easily. Whether its fake watches, apparel brand look-alikes, or even websites, buyers can tell a phony or knock-off. Conversely, don't underestimate your own skill to successfully design a authentic theme. Creativity is something many people lack. Not surprisingly, success comes difficult for them as well. This is because people make the assumption that their ideas are worth less than other people's. Dare to be different, dare to imagine, and you will be successful.

5: Know your artist.

A useful and important attribute has become lost due to the electronic age: Collaboration. Discover an illustrator or two which you discover work well using your concepts as well as branding as well as keep them handy! They appreciate your business.

6: Establish new trends, stay away from previous ones.

In your visual appeal, don't assume "the usual principles" of design and branding apply for you. The saying goes, "rules are made to be broken". Some incredibly effective companies have risen to prosperity with very goofy as well as uncoordinated designs. Believe it or not, this is because it helps make obvious that there's a real person behind the work, instead of some squeeky-clean and perfect corporate entity, which customers are learning to distrust. Imperfection is a sign of individuality.

7: Don't be like the crowd.

The whole way to stand out from the masses is to stop thinking, acting, and looking like them. This is becoming more and more easy on the internet. Capitalize on this fact.

Lastly, while you know what you are striving to be, lets just review what you absolutely DO NOT want to do. Do not use copy/paste content from stock photo internet sites and templates in your design, but rather go out of your way to seek out individual illustrators and content. Know your targets and make an active effort for being different from your competition. Know your illustrator and allow yourself (and them) independence to create.

That is it! It really is that uncomplicated. Amazingly, not many individuals have figured out these strategies. If you make use of them, you may be far ahead of everybody else. On the net currently, where social networks are changing into the determinant for your success, appealing to humans is more essential than ever. Toss the oldschool Search engine optimisation stuff. Its important, but absolutely not the biggest determinate for your achievement. Use the above tips and your website will thrive.

Is your website operated by Wordpress? The below illustrator has developed a plugin to give you direct access to his illustrations -- free! See here...

Automatic Digital Art Locate and Insert to Post, Wordpress Plugin

Author's Bio: 

Writer and freelance web designer, promotion specialist. Enjoys long walks barefoot on hot sand.