Most people think flashy sites are going to gain more visitors; this is only the case for those with speedy Internet connections. Simplicity is often the key to success. Keep reading to check out solid advice on how you can design a clean, simple and effective website.
Always look over your website in many types of browsers, as you are designing it. It is always possible that what you are looking at on your preferred browser is not what others are looking at in a different browser of choice. Do research on the various browsers in use, and design your website accordingly. In addition, ask friends and family to check out the site, too. You never know if another operating system makes a difference.
Allow users to cancel an action if they so choose. This could be anything from filling out forms to registering for email newsletters. Not allowing customers to cancel actions that they do not want to follow through with is unfair, and it is forceful, which may prevent those visitors from returning to your site or making purchases from you in the future.
Ensure people can easily scan your information. Studies have shown that people usually quickly scan a website rather than thoroughly read it over, as they try to find the stuff that might be interesting to them. Break text into small, easy to scan sections to help readers quickly find the information they are looking for. Put your most vital information near the top. This gives your visitors a better experience.
It’s a good idea to set up your site so that it can retain a copy of user information that must be entered repeatedly. When a user needs to enter their information multiple times to sign up for various options you give them, make it so that they don’t have to enter duplicate info from beginning to end on their own repeatedly. You streamline the process when you create “sticky” information, and your visitors will appreciate you not wasting their time.
Publish a newsletter, to increase your likelihood of having repeat visitors. When you allow people to receive notifications about special events, discounts or updates, they are more likely to visit your site multiple times. Your website’s sidebar is an ideal location for the signup form, and you should make certain to stay on top of who has registered. Make sure the newsletter only goes to those who actually asked for it, or you’re going to get some serious blowback.
When designing a large website, include the ability to search throughout the site. Perhaps in the upper corner, a search box will ensure that your visitors can search for anything within your site. FreeFind and Google both offer search plugins that can easily be added to your website.
Make your content compelling. Though the look is highly important, content is the key to return visitors. Visitors will return again and again when they find valuable, useful information.
Web Browsers
Test your website on all the different web browsers. Each web browser interprets websites slightly differently, and in some cases these differences can have drastic effects on the user experience. You can do a little online research to discover which web browsers are most popular at the moment. Double check that your site works on every browser, and don’t forget about the mobile software as well.
In order to learn about creating your first site, you need to gain information online. This means you should do everything you can to learn as much as you can about web page design. You need expert advice if you want to learn how to do a good job.
You can learn from other web designers, but you should always remain creative and look for new ideas as you take your turn at design. Create original features that can’t be found elsewhere and are better than those your competition provides. Doing this will boost your website quality.
Usability tests that are task based are a great way of figuring out your website’s effectiveness. The purpose of these is to find functionality or information buried within your website. If the design is right, this should be easy. If it’s not, you can get insight on how to fix it.
As stated above, it is better to stick with simple designs in a website. Knowing how to design a site simply, yet effective, is key to your online success. Use the knowledge you learned from the above article to build an appealing website.