A successful and profitable website all begins with effective website design. You don’t have to go to school, you just have to learn a few simple ideas. Continue the information offered here to develop your web page design skills even further.
When designing webpages it is important that you use the correct graphics. Keep in mind that bitmap files are quite large and typically do not work well, but PNGs work okay. 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. JPEGs are ideal for photographs.
Incorporate fixed-position navigation so the users can easily use your site. Websites that employ this technique have a navigation panel locked in place even when visitors scroll down. This is not only convenient for the visitor, but can also be useful for internet marketers, as this makes it easier for visitors to take some desired action (e.g. buy a product, sign up for a newsletter).
One of the biggest mistakes a newbie designer makes is not verifying how a site looks in several different browsers. What you see on one browser is not necessarily what others see on other browsers. Research all the commonly used browsers and design accordingly. It’s also a good idea to test out your website on different operating systems.
On the Internet, few things are more important to users than speed and efficiency, especially where page loading times are concerned. No visitor is going to wait more than a few seconds for your page to load, so ensure they get what they want quickly so they don’t go to your competition’s website instead.
In order for your site to bring in visitors, its navigation must be intuitive. Ensure that links are visible and displayed in prominent locations. A navigation menu will also help visitors locate exactly what they’re looking for. Make sure you have links back to your main pages accessible on every single page of your website; that way, visitors are able to always get around.
If you want your website to be more attractive, consider adding your own pictures. Putting pictures on a website adds a more personal touch and helps the user relate better to your information. People always like to look at interesting pictures that they have never seen before, and many times will spend hours on your site looking at them.
Internet Explorer
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. People usually say they hate Internet Explorer, but many people still use it. Since many elements are not up-to-date you will have to work around it. An example would be the vexing “box model bug” which troubled IE for quite some time.
Which file formats you use for graphics is key to user satisfaction. Ideally, graphics should be made from GIFs and JPEGs. Web graphics look better when they are made from PNG and BMP files, but they take up much more disk space. By converting your file types to more manageable sizes, you will provide your visitors with a better experience.
One thing you want to think twice about is a website counter located on your page, as they have more negatives than positives. Though you may think it adds to the appeal, your visitors will not agree. Find another way to track your traffic.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is not reserving domain names immediately when they are considering owning several sites. Come up with a creative name, but once you do so it is vital that you reserve it as quickly as possible. Other people may be thinking about the same thing you are thinking. You cannot count on being unique all the time.
Many hosts have website tools available. While you can use these tools for basic design, it’s not a great idea to completely rely upon them. You want to integrate your own personality into this site, and this means tweaking and adding some things on your own without the drag-and-drop site-builder the host offers.
When you know about website design, get down to practicing what you know. This is necessary as we often fall into a rut by doing what has become standard to us. You want to avoid believing that you have learned something only to find out at some future date that you really did not fully understand the information that was presented.
Always limit your content early on in your web page design. Visitors want simple, informative content they can use.
When designing a website, seek out your target audience, and poll or ask people what they would like to see in a site. This will help your design and help you tailor some of the features you have available on your website. Any advice from the audience is important for your website.
When you implement the ideas found above, you can find a number of ways to create a website that works for you. When you have proper information, you can do anything. Follow the tips presented here to create an attractive web page for your business.