Many people are interested in how to design websites. That said, there’s a ton of competition between sites these days. Read this article and try to absorb all the information that it contains so you will be a step ahead of your competition.
256 Colors
When doing web page design, use the appropriate graphics. PNGs work much better than bitmap images, which are huge. For images that are not photographs, use PNG format for over 256 colors. If under 256 colors, use GIF format. Photos require JPEG to ensure high quality.
Always be aware of the size of your webpages and keep them as small as possible. Not everyone who uses the Internet enjoys speedy connections, so they are likely to lose interest if your site takes a long time to load. If your viewers are sitting waiting for the site to load, they may just go elsewhere to find what they need.
Check your webpages for broken links before publishing them. People will become frustrated if they a link leads them to a broken page. Use a program to scan your site to get the job done automatically.
Do not use pop-ups on your site. Many consumers are bothered when they visit a site and are suddenly bombarded by pop-ups. Many people leave any website immediately if pop-ups occur, even if they’re interested in the website. Avoid using these irritating ads to keep your visitors happy. If you have a host that requires the use of pop-ups, then look for a new one.
Internet Explorer
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. Most people do not like Internet Explorer, but others still use it. You will have to use workarounds when dealing with this issue, so keep that in mind. Specifically, read about the “box model bug” that plagued IE for years.
Navigation should be easy, clear and maintainable. Where you locate your website’s navigation links can make a huge difference in the amount of time a visitor will spend on your site. You need a neat navigation structure that is consistent and easy to use for viewers to better use and enjoy your site.
Throughout the design process, it is essential to make sure your site’s designs looks and works the way you want it to on every web browser, so always check it across all common web browsers. Each web browser has a slightly different way of how they illustrate the website, and in a couple of cases these little differences could have major effects on the experience for the user. Utilize the Internet by researching which browsers are the most commonly used. Try your website out on various popular browsers. Since lots of people surf the Internet on their smartphones, look at your site through a mobile browser or two, also.
A great “About Us” page will help your readers understand who you are and what you do. A lot of websites offer nothing of substance in this area, and some even leave this page empty. This is an opportunity to make your website stand out. Let people know a bit about you and what inspired you to get into website development and other things like that.
Try using readable and professional-appearing fonts. People judge your sites professionalism by the fonts you use. Don’t use fancy or non-standard fonts. Some people may not have these fonts installed on their computers. If they don’t have that font on their computer, it might be subset to their default font. This could cause it to look bad.
Whenever you get creatively stuck in web page design, remember that the whole Internet is out there to help in terms of example and inspiration. There are tons and tons of sites you can glean inspiration from. Find a site you admire, figure out why you like it, and determine whether or not you can improve upon its premise. Expand on those appealing aspects to help you build your own website. You need to improve on them as well.
Do not clutter your website by using every square pixel of space that you have available. If you are using every single available pixel, the website may feel extremely cluttered. The layout of your site will appear clearer and easier to deal with, if the elements that make it up are separated by plenty of space. Sometimes, empty space can contribute to the look of a page as nicely as content does.
Research is essential to a great website design. Be sure to research your particular niche in order to reach the audience you want. A well designed website will reach the right target audience. It makes your efforts more efficient.
Use headlines throughout your website. They should be bold and large so that the viewer can see them. Visitors can rapidly grasp the main point of the page from the tagline and determine whether or not they want to invest their time in reading it completely.
Learning about website creation allows you to create online. Take what you learned from the above article and always remember to educate yourself further about website development, so you can create a successful website.