Polish is to Shoe, as Detail is to Website - The Space Occupied By Your Website
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There is not a clear way to put this. It’s something I’ve learned over time. But, I’m going to try to show you how to spot too little or too much space between objects on your website.
I’ll assume your website is a fixed website and not a liquid website. I always prefer fixed web sites because you can always see the space between borders and text, borders and the side of the browser, and not worry what it looks like in other resolutions. The vertical and horizontal spaces between any object on your website are important. When your web site is liquid it may look perfect in 800x600 resolution, but a rich visitor who has a 21’’ monitor more than likely does not use 800x600; the monitor might display instead something along the lines of 1280x1024, which will show an extremely huge difference in the spacing between objects in your website. This is why I prefer fixed websites.
The point is, if you know your visitors are using a 1280x1024 resolution, then make your site to fit that resolution. Try to eliminate all side spacing between your website border and the border of the browser.
Here's another spacing point to consider: something most webmasters take for granted is the attribute “Padding.” It allows you to control the space between columns, pictures, text and borders and so on.
Conclusion
The details of a web site make or break your visitor’s first impression. Remember, your content may be the best content ever written, but your competitor, who has a sleek design and similar content, will win the war. The details of your website involve so much psychology. Where to put the navigation so that your visitor will spot it first, what colors to use to stimulate which emotion in the brain, what shapes to use to stimulate another emotion. Win your visitor’s feelings!
As I close, let me ask you once again the question I asked at the beginning of this article Which pair of shoes would you rather wear: polished or dull? In other words, which website would you rather read, buy, or interact with: a polished (properly detailed) website, or a dull website?
I hope I’ve helped you understand the importance of detail.
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