You can find all kinds of designs online. Other sites may go for a more complex layout to please visitors. Whatever look you would like to achieve, it can be accomplished by understanding web design basics. Take a look at this piece for helpful web design tips.
It is important to choose great graphics for your web page design. Keep in mind that bitmap images are quit large. For this reason, they don’t work well; however, PNG images work very well indeed. Try using PNGs for images that are not photos or text buttons or if an image has over 256 colors. Use GIFs for something with less than 256 colors. JPEG is a good choice for photographic images.
Make sure that your website has a tagline incorporated into the design. The tagline includes a motto or clever phrase that speaks to the purpose of your business. Having a tagline is important; most users know if they will stay on a page after about eight seconds, so you need to do whatever it takes to keep their attention.
Make sure you put your website through the NoScript test. Download and activate the NoScript extension for Firefox and see if your site is still readable. Some things, like purchase orders, will not work unless your site contains the proper scripts.
Keep your website fresh and free of dated content. If your home page features an event that already took place, people will not be interested in reading more of your content. Visitors want to visit sites that have the most up-to-date information, and leaving up outdated information shows that you are not committed to that. Create a timeline for your updates, and clean up any old promotions or information that is not current.
Ensure that you save personal information that the user might need to enter again into your site. When visitors may be filling out multiple forms or information pieces, have the data fields retain their information, and auto-fill subsequent forms that are filled out. Your clients will thank you for saving them the time it takes to fill in information that they have previously done on your site.
Do not use JavaScript too much. Despite the advantages of increased responsiveness and transparency, it may be problematic for many users. Each of the many popular web browsers out there are frequently updated, leading to many different versions being in use at the same time. Every single visitor isn’t going to be using a more recent version of their browser. Also, not everybody has JavaScript enabled on their browser. These things prevent users from making use of your website.
Always implement powerful site-searching capabilities when designing a large website. The upper right of the main page should have a search box for users to search your whole site. FreeFind and Google both have these capabilities for a website.
Try pulling images into your post to maximize engagement. Your own pictures will make your website more friendly and inviting. People will take more time browsing your site and looking at pictures.
Make sure your navigation is easy. The placement of your navigation links on a website plays an important part in determining how long a visitor will remain on your site. Your navigation structure should be easy to navigate for the best user experience.
Be sure your website’s load times are quick and efficient. Visitors will leave your site quickly if they have to wait on something to load. Therefore, cut back on things like Flash, how many graphics you have, and expire headings.
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 browser program handles sites in a different way, and these variations can alter the user’s interface significantly. There are many resources available where you can find out which browsers are currently popular. Test the website on all browsers, even the popular mobile ones.
Broken Links
Be sure there are no broken links on your website. Do this each time you upload new content to your site. It is incredibly important to keep broken links to a minimum. If visitors encounter them often, they will disappointed and no longer come to your site. Ensure everything works before making your website public.
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. A plethora of websites are available that can help spark your inspiration. There is nothing wrong with using a feature or design idea that you like from another website and making it your own. Keep in mind that in order for your website to be truly successful, it is not enough to simply borrow ideas. You need to improve on them as well.
As you are designing your website, keep in mind that you are not required to utilize all of the space available. By insisting on utilizing all the available tips and tricks, you can make a site that is not friendly to your users. When you space things out in an appropriate way and have a sense of organization, this will make users feel like they are in control. Empty space plays an important part in a good design.
If you’ve got ideas for more than one site, you should go ahead and get the domain names now. Choose something that is creative, but reserve it quickly so that you will have it in the future. There may be others thinking along the same line. Great minds often think alike.
It does not matter if your website is simple or fancy, this article will help you design a good site. Use these tips to create a great website and enjoy your creation.