Some already know a bit about web design but still struggle with certain aspects of it. If this is a problem you have, keep reading. They are up-to-date and current.
When you design a web page, always choose the graphics that are appropriate for your purposes. Keep in mind that bitmaps don’t usually work well, while PNGs do. For images that are not photographs, use PNG format for over 256 colors. If under 256 colors, use GIF format. You can use Jpegs for photos.
Make sure that a tagline is prominently displayed on your website. The tagline includes a motto or clever phrase that speaks to the purpose of your business. You only have about 10 seconds to gain and keep hold of your visitors’ attention from the time they first hit your site.
When you design a site, pull it up in various browsers. If you just check it from you personal computer, what you see may be vastly different from what others see. Make sure that your site is compatible with all popular browsers. You will want to have a person using a different computer operating system check on your site as well.
The 90’s were the last time frame use was popular. The popularity of frames declined as the more obvious problems became apparent. Using frames makes it hard for viewers to bookmark your website and can make scrolling a chore. There are better ways to allow your users to browse your pages easily.
Incorporate a tagline prominently on your website. Using a tagline simply means that you will need to come up with a quick statement that lets visitors know what your site is all about. There are about eight crucial seconds to grab and keep a visitor’s attention, so having an easy-to-understand tagline is crucial.
Don’t overdo it with graphics. While they help to keep a visitor’s interest, they can also make a site look cluttered and push visitors away. Graphics should always be used to enhance the website, and not for decoration. Using an adequate amount of graphics keeps clutter away and helps you focus on site usability.
If your site is larger than a few pages, it should be searchable. The best place to put your search text box is in the top right hand corner as that is where the bulk of websites put theirs. FreeFind and Google both offer these search functions to use on your site.
Never allow dated or irrelevant content to remain on your website. If the page a viewer clicks on is promoting something that happened a year ago, you just lost a reader. Users are going to want to spend time on websites that have been cared for, and when old information is kept up it shows that the site is not being paid attention to. Review, update and delete content as a matter of course.
Do not put pop-up windows on your site. The average user finds pop-up windows to be an annoying distraction, rather than something useful. As a result, your users may just go away from your site, too angry to come back.
Do not use pop-ups. Many consumers are bothered when they visit a site and are suddenly bombarded by pop-ups. Many people will leave a site that has pop-ups, even the big sites. Stay away from those irritating ads and your visitors will be pleased. If your host tries forcing pop-ups on you, look for another one.
Do not underestimate the value of using a plain white for the background on your web presence. When you have a white background, your content will be easy to read, and it will also make your site appear more professional and trustworthy. Complex backgrounds can make pages unreadable and give your site an amateurish look. It is usually preferable to have a simple background.
Internet Connection
Continue to improve your site’s load time whenever possible. Visitors won’t wait around forever for pages to load. Speed your website up by having less scripts running, few graphics, minimal amount of flash, use SSI files, tweak the HTML, use server side caching, and lessen the amount of CSS and JS coding.
Even more important than a good looking website is one that loads fast, and that means all of your files should be small. File sizes are directly responsible for how quickly a website loads. You want your site to load instantly. Remember, some of your website’s visitors will not be using a fast Internet connection. Perform tests on your website to confirm that it can be quickly loaded, even on the slowest internet connection.
Test early and test often to maintain accuracy. This will give your site great usability. As your site keeps growing, make sure you keep testing and improving it.
Make an effort to create a high quality “About Us” webpage. Most websites don’t have very interesting copy in this area. Make it a little more exciting! Let people see who you are by sharing your educational background, career moves and future goals.
Choose fonts that are legible, and look professional. The quality of a professional website is measured by it’s fonts. Do not use Comic Sans, overly ornate fonts, or fonts that many computers might not have. If they don’t have that font on their computer, it might be subset to their default font. This often looks terrible.
Adobe Dreamweaver is website software that works well. Even beginners can easily understand how to use this program. It has lots of features, templates, and layouts to choose from. You can also test how the site will look before it goes live.
Dreamweaver is a site design software of choice when you’re looking to create your own website. It is ideal for beginner builders and easy to learn. It allows you to create your own templates, save your favorite layouts, add the features you want and preview your site before it is permanent.
Use a basic layout for your website so that you can understand the basic fundamentals of designing a website first. By starting with the basics and slowly increasing the complexity, you ensure that you develop solid fundamentals, which will give you a solid grasp of the fundamentals.
You should always be practicing with the techniques you learn in order to become more effective and creative in your build endeavors. This is necessary as we often fall into a rut by doing what has become standard to us. You don’t need to think that you’ve leaned something only to find out that you didn’t fully grasp it.
Using task-based usability tests is great for figuring out how effective your web page design is. The tasks search for functionality and information hidden within your site. Should the site be designed well, the task is easy for the user to complete. On the other hand, if it is not, the task can give you some insight as to which areas of your website could use improvement.
Remember that web designing doesn’t need to be pricey. For all widely used web design tools that are costly, an equally effective tool can be found which doesn’t cost as much. You can get the same jobs done with open-source no-cost software, for instance, that you can do with corporate-funded for-profit programs. You can realize significant savings by seeking out such open source alternatives for your software needs.
Be sure that you don’t have a design for your website that is too similar to that of your competitors’ sites. It’s easy to see what others are doing by visiting their site. Having the same boring website as everyone else won’t differentiate your brand from others. You’ll just look like a generic version of these previous ones.
Although having captchas are excellent for registering visitors, they should otherwise not be used. While captchas may be useful in some cases, forcing them to do so for mundane tasks, will make them leave your site quickly. Unless they really greatly desire the content you provide, most visitors will just head for your competition instead.
When you include videos on your site, you need to be aware that not everyone has a high Internet bandwidth. For example, converting your videos at 5,000 kb/s may be too fast for a user’s connection to handle. This means your user will be faced with a video that buffers frequently and loads very slowly.
Ask another person to test your site out to make sure it works well as you go along. Every time you add a new feature, make sure someone stops by and judges it impartially. A slow-loading video may not bother you, but someone else may think otherwise. Remember to always solicit outside feedback.
Error Pages
When you post something on your website, remember “high and far-left.” People read from the left side to the right. This means things that you do not want your visitors to miss should be placed on left and high enough that they will notice before moving on.
When creating a website, don’t forget to create error pages that are easy to understand. Sometimes visitors click a link that is broken and receive an error page. Design error pages that show the reason the visitor has received it, including a link back to your homepage so they stay on your site.
Be certain to make the logo that is appearing on the site, link to the home page. Most websites with a logo have that logo linked to the home page, and your visitors will expect this. This, of course, causes frustration for them if it does not occur as they must then spend time searching for a home page link. Having a logo that is clickable will make site navigation easier.
If you want to save some money, use stock images available for free when you design your site. You can find these on many different sites, and the images are often just as high-quality as the images you would be purchasing from another site. When you save money on images, you can use that money to forward other parts of your design.
Have a logo? If so, put on the top of every page of your site. This leads to a coherent recognition of your website. Additionally, this is an opportunity to establish brand recognition among your visitors. Make sure that your logo truly represents what your business is about.
Most websites do well with a neutral background color. Backgrounds that are textured can overwhelm visitor’s vision and, when not used correctly, can even make your site look amateurish. Use a plain background of a neutral color such as white. Neutral colors have been shown to make reading easier when used as a background.
A great way to save some cash is to use free stock images on your site. A simple search will help you locate these images and they are usually high-quality. Use the money you save on other parts of your website’s design.
Let the work of others inspire you. This not only helps you be more aware of what you can do, but also what not to do.
You might think hosting your site sounds like a plan, but there is much to doing this. Know how much it is going to cost before you decide to start hosting your own site. It may be more than you expect.
Domain Names
Look at any web design team or person’s portfolio before you have them build you a site. Find out which companies they have worked for and how good they are. You can get an idea of their web design knowledge and experience by taking a look at their portfolio.
Since many of the great domain names are already taken and in use by other companies, it might be in your interest to check out auction sites for used domain names like Sedo. These sites offer access to dozens of domain names, including those that were abandoned or sold.
Resolution is important to any good website. Computer users have different resolutions in their monitors, so you need to make sure that everyone can read your content. You can find stuff online that will help you figure all of this stuff out.
Use contrasting colors while designing a website. Avoid using dark text on a dark background. This makes reading difficult and can cause eye strain. Complex patterns also make poor backgrounds. Text can easily blend in with an unusual pattern. Instead, keep things simple and go with a white background and black text.
One bit of advice in regards to website design is to take advantage of the multiple resources available. There are a wide variety of different books and magazines on the subject that provide advice for newbies and experienced web designers alike. It is a great way to learn your craft and become a better designer.
The Internet and websites are always evolving. Old-school designs may not work these days. Make sure that you are knowledgeable about what is popular. The updated tips mentioned here will help you create a great website.
While overall design of your site is important, people come to your site primarily for the content. Stay true to your original purpose and use imagery to help you achieve that; in other words, keep design simple and make sure it communicates your message. A page that is simple and effective will load more quickly.