The word dominance is the noun form of the verb “dominate”. Dominate means to overpower or to control. When we talk about dominance with reference to web design it is about design creation of elements in such a way as to draw the visitor’s attention without getting distracted towards other part of the web design.

When the web design task is taken at hand there are many different aspects the need to be presented on the website. Among these elements some are such that they need to grab the visitor’s attention. These sorts of elements play a key role in the success of the website and are usually called focal points. These focal elements have to be designed in such a way that they prevail over other elements. It is at this juncture that dominance comes into play.

Dominance is a relative terminology because without a recessive element the dominant element cannot exist. This implies that some contrasting element or reference factor needs to be present for any factor to be dominant. In case of web design the central parts the need to draw the attention of the visitor has to be dominant over other elements.

There are three domination levels and this depends on the magnitude of emphasis.

The magnitude of emphasis varies for each dominant level. There are primary emphasis factors, secondary emphasis factors and tertiary emphasis factors. The primary emphasis factors refer to the elements that are kept in focus with maximum visual appeal and dominant over the rest of the elements. The secondary emphasis elements refer to the elements of mediocre importance, not as dominant as the primary emphasis elements and are usually referred to as sub-dominant elements. The tertiary emphasis elements refer to elements of least importance especially with reference to the other two and are usually referred to as subordinate elements.

If the principle of dominance is not practiced, the web site can be ready but this kind of website would usually confuse the visitor. What should he/she focus on could be the biggest issue. Now every web designer knows that the success of any website is possible when the visitor focuses on the parts or the elements of the website that play a pivotal role of converting the visitor into buyer. The key or focal elements need to be designed in such a way that the visitor’s attention is drawn directly towards it. This is where dominance comes into play. The dominating element is supposed to draw the attention of the visitor and lure him/her into acting as desired by the web site designer.

In absence of the dominant element the attention of the visitor may be diverted to something that is not very productive for the web site owner and in this situation the visit of the visitor can prove futile for the web site.