Do you have to rely on pre-made templates and software like FrontPage to design websites? The answer to this question varies according to what you are prepared to learn about the process. If you do not want to work hard, you may end up paying thousands of dollars to have another company build your site. On the other hand, you can cultivate your web design expertise and figure out how to build effective, economical websites for yourself by making use of tips like the ones below.
Make sure your text and background have the proper contrast. There’s evidence showing that white text on a black background is easiest for most people to read, but other colors are fine so long as they’re readable. Also, keep in mind that people with visual impairments may not be able to read your site if the contrast is poor. Check to see if your site complies with various contrast standards using the tool at snook.
Give your visitors the ability to search your site so that they can more easily find what they are looking for. If someone cannot find what they are looking for right away, their next thought will be to look for a search field. Put this somewhere obvious and include a search button.
While you might be inclined to add a lot of bells and whistles to your website, flashing graphics, loud music, and neon colors will just distract from the purpose of your website. Visitors who are bombarded by too many sights and sounds might be inclined to leave your website before they even start browsing. Keep the colors simple and the content relevant and your website design will be a winner.
To help your website visitors find their way home on your site, always include a link to your homepage on each page of your site. Having a home page link that is visible allows your reader to easily make their way back to the starting point. If you do not have a home page link then your visitors might get frustrated and leave your site altogether.
Apart from the aesthetics of your website, remember that all files included must be small. This is because the speed of your website loading is directly influenced by the file sizes. Of course, having your website load quickly is the best scenario for visitors. The other factor to bear in mind is not all visitors access through high-speed connections. Run tests to ensure that even dial-up users report a smooth user experience.
Your navigation methods should be clear and easy to maintain. Where all navigation links are placed will have an impact on how long any of your visitors stay on your site. You must provide the user with easy navigation to create the right experience.
Try having a clear and consistent layout in the design of your sites. Clean layouts that make use of a lot of white space tend to enhance the site’s readability and overall look. The layout must be focused on the content. Try using fonts that are on every computer to avoid having your site appear incorrectly.
Create a scalable and reliable website. As technology advances and monitors keep changing, you can’t test your site across all platforms and screen sizes. Make sure the design, hosting, and code are scalable. Do this by making sure it’s error-free and making the loading smooth. This helps you create a good design that works for many circumstances.
Have clear navigation. When a visitor comes to your site, make sure they can go through your site. You must have clear navigation to do this. Have all important links in prominent places. Try linking many pages on your site. Allow information to be found on every part of the site.
Make sure you have checked for links that could be broken. Do this each time you upload new content to your site. Visitors who encounter broken links and errors will not stay on your site long enough to view your product. To prevent this from happening, do a quick check to ensure everything is working properly.
If you are designing a commercial website, you do not want to use free web hosting. This brings annoying ads onto your site, and it detracts from a professional look to your commerce site. Instead, pay for some basic or professional web hosting, in which you do not have to put up with this.
When beginning your site, don’t put too much content on each page. Don’t confuse, fluster or overwhelm your early visitors.
Avoid every instance of spammy “sell language” that you possibly can. Studies show that users are likely to jump off of a webpage the instant they pick up the “salesman” vibe. This is because it is said to trigger a predatory response in human brain function! So next time you want to sell a product, remember that the potential consumer may view you as a predator and run!
Before you begin creating your website, it can be beneficial to have your design laid out as a wire-frame image on your computer, or drawn out on a piece of paper. This will provide you with a reference that you can look back to as you begin implementing your ideas. It can be an effective organization tool, and additionally, can serve as a prototype to identify potential problems early on.
When you’re creating similar pages, use the copy-and-paste feature to speed up the process. Instead of writing your HTML from scratch every time, use the shared section of code as a template and make the necessary changes, then use “save as” to save the file under a new name. Reusing the master copy of your web page’s HTML code will make the design simpler.
While it is a specialized skill set, learning to do decent web design is not so tough as becoming a doctor, or even a paramedic. A formal education is not required, and you do not have the pressure of being responsible for someone’s life. If you can listen to advice, you can put together an amazing website.
