Website design can be overwhelming before you know much about it. Creating an eye-catching design requires some practice. Where do you begin in the coding process? In this article, you will find information to help you develop an attractive site that promotes your content.
When designing webpages it is important that you use the correct graphics. Keep in mind that bitmaps don’t usually work well, while PNGs do. Use a GIF instead if the image contains over 256 colors and PNG for test buttons and screen shots. Use JPEG format for all photos on your website.
You always want to have a maximum page load time of ten seconds. Sites that are well-made and efficient will open in a browser in moments. Many users crave instant gratification, so you should give it to them.
Keep your topics separate. Each different topic should have a separate page on your website. This will lessen the confusion some customers may experience, while it gives search engines a much broader view of your website, which could raise your rankings.
Be sure your introductory page is clean and simple. This will cause people to want to jump ship early. Spend time describing your business and what it offers, but keep the rest to a minimum so that people do not get distracted.
Free software exists that can help you set up your site. A lot of people think that they need to use costly software, but the truth is that there are a number of free, quality tools that can help you begin and keep your website running. Do some research and try different software to find the tools you need the most.
It’s very important that you do all that you can to get load times for your website down to a minimum. Visitors won’t wait around forever for pages to load. Some effective ideas include using SSI files, making the most of your HTML, making expire headings, getting rid of excess script, Flash, and graphics and keeping CSS and JS coding to a minimum.
Try writing a good “About Us” page. Too many websites do not spend enough time creating an original ‘About Us’ page. Get your visitors engaged! Let people see who you are by sharing your educational background, career moves and future goals.
Even if you invest a bunch into your site, hosting yourself isn’t wise. Design as much of the site as you are comfortable with, then allow someone with more experience to handle the rest. This maintains the overall quality of your site, but also gives you the opportunity to focus your attention elsewhere.
Web Design
Photoshop is software which is important to learn if you wish to get into web design. However, the companion program of Dreamweaver will take your web design to a whole new level, so do not neglect incorporating it into your portfolio of skills.
Limit the amount of content you start out with on a given page to small amounts when you first start out. Don’t give in to the temptation to fill your site up with dross just to make it look full. You’ll only have to remove non-valuable content later.
When coming up with content, remember that you users are bound to have different literacy levels. There are differing levels at which people read and you will not want to approach all visitors as if they have had a college education. Create content that is easy to comprehend yet provides valuable information.
Throughout the design process, you should perform useability tests periodically. Each time a new feature is created, have someone check it out and let you know their thoughts. As the site designer, you may not be concerned by a video or graphic that loads slowly. However, your users may feel differently. Make sure you get impartial opinions regularly.
Try to manage your time wisely when you are designing your website. There are all kinds of small tasks when building a site that can be tempting to put off. The problem is how fast those small tasks build into an overwhelming day of work. Handle each job as it appears, however large or small it may be.
Website Design
Use the advice you have been provided with in this article to begin the website design process. To stay on top of the competition, you must continue learning about new ideas, technology, advancements and techniques in website design.