Learning the basics is the only way you’ll become successful in web design. Fortunately, many resources exist to assist a novice web designer in getting started. This article contains everything a new web designer should know, and learn more about.
Color combinations are key in branding your website. Choose a font and color that will help your words stand out from the background. Dark text colors on lighter backgrounds tend to be easier on the eyes than light colors on dark backgrounds. If you’re unsure about the color combo you’ve used, solicit feedback from a trusted friend before the site goes live.
Search Box
Have some search element which lets visitors search your site’s content. If people visit your site for something specific, they will be on the lookout for a search box. If your site doesn’t have one, they will probably go to a website that does. Make sure your search box is visible. The right hand side of the page, at the top, is the best location.
Pay close attention to the background of your pages. Remove obstacles to easy text reading by avoiding things like GIF backgrounds that move. Choose a background that is not too distracting for your readers, and that goes well with the rest of your design.
Ensure that the site can be scanned with ease. Many usability tests show that most online visitors do not read everything. They usually only scan for things that interest them. Emphasized text broken into easily scannable sections can help your viewers want to return to your site. Also, the more important info should be kept towards the top. These techniques assure that the visitor to your page will find what they want fast and this results in higher satisfaction for your readers.
Avoid use of too many different fonts in any one web page design. You have to consider how the fonts you choose display on computer screens. Some are simply too hard to read. Verdana is used by most sites. It is easy to read in various sizes and colors.
Solicit feedback from visitors to your website. You will learn what is missing or misunderstood, and be able to make changes as needed. Involving your visitors in your website can help to bond them to your brand and bring them back time and time again.
Apart from the aesthetics of your website, remember that all files included must be small. The sizes of the files affect the loading time of your site. It is always better to have your website load as fast as possible. Remember that not all visitors will have a high speed connection to the Internet. Test each section of your site to ensure it loads rapidly for every visitor.
Alt Tags
Use ALT tags for your images when designing your site. ALT tags are used to provide a description of the images on your site, which will help any visually impaired visitors. Even if you use links for your images, the ALT tags will help to explain what the link does. Finally, ALT tags are used by search engine crawlers; therefore, using them can help boost your search rank.
If you find yourself stuck in the design process, remember that you have the entire Internet at your disposal to look for examples. When you need inspiration, you can browse through the almost limitless websites online. Check out websites that appeal to you, and see the things you like on them, then determine if that is what you would like to have on your own website. Remember that if you want your website to succeed, you will need to do more than just borrow an idea. It is important to transform the idea to make it better.
As you read earlier, inexperienced web designers must be willing to learn about the fundamentals before they can produce high-quality work. With so much information available, it’s hard to understand how to get started. This article was designed to help you begin with the basics of web page design, and then you can continue to build from there.