Do you hope to one day have a successful career as web designer? Should your answer be yes, then you will need to learn about web page design and this article is designed to do just that.
Frames have been uncool to use since the 90’s. Back then, they were the height of technology, but technology has moved on. Frame designs are difficult for people to bookmark and scroll through. You have much better options with which to help visitors go through the site.
Always look for broken links prior to publishing pages on the web. People will become frustrated if they a link leads them to a broken page. Feel free to manually check them or use some programs to scan and report the broken links.
Publish a newsletter, to increase your likelihood of having repeat visitors. If your clientele are able to register at your website for information about product news or highlighted happenings in the near future, they’re more likely to keep visiting. It is good practice to place the newsletter signup form in your website’s side bar. Furthermore, you should always keep track of everyone who signs up. Make sure you only send off the newsletter to people that want it, or you’re sure to find yourself in some trouble.
When you design your website, avoid using a variety of different fonts. Also, think about how fonts look on a screen. For instance, tiny serif fonts, like Times New Roman, are difficult to read. Vedrdana is a great font that you can use to make your content easier to read.
Alt Tags
It is important to make use of ALT tags for your images in your site design. There are a few core reasons why ALT tags should be used, including helping the visually impaired, providing indexing possibilities for the search engines and also for description and translation purposes. If you use your images as links, the ALT text will also give you an easy way to describe how the link behaves. Lastly, ALT tags offer search engines a target that will help in boosting your rankings in searches.
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. Most people have a love-hate relationship with IE; however, many people are still using it, including older versions. Workarounds are often necessary when standard elements can’t be rendered. Make sure you look at the very vexing “box model bug” that IE experienced.
Continue to improve your site’s load time whenever possible. If visitors have to wait too long, they will likely leave. Reduce the graphics on your page and limit the script and use of Flash on your page.
Test your site early and test it frequently. You have to be sure you’re working on how users interact and use your site while you’re designing the basic layout of it. As your website grows test it.
When you are facing a block in your design process, you have the Internet at your fingertips for help. You can find millions of different websites where there is so much information to help you design your own site. 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 a successful website needs more creativity, not just the stuff you have borrowed from others. It is important to transform the idea to make it better.
Website counters are pretty unattractive, so stay away from them. You might care about how much traffic your site is getting, but visitors to your site don’t. This is something that is not necessary.
There are many good books which can help you learn more about website design. You don’t want to pick books about specific software versions as they’ll become outdated quickly, but style guides and even SEO information will last you a long time.
If you would like to be a successful web designer, it is pertinent for you to know HTML5. If you aren’t familiar with html5 then you’re going to have a lot of work to accomplish in the future so get your mind ready and start learning,
Remember, just because your site is launched, doesn’t mean you are done with designing. You should strive to stay involved with your website’s design. While you don’t need to do something all the time, it will need to be updated on a regular basis. This is a must especially if you host videos or work with current events. Maintaining a website is different from updating your blog. There is a lot of work involved.
Search Box
Put the search box up high on the page and give it no fewer than 27 characters. Pay attention to the wording on your search box and keep it simple, with a command that simply states that your customers can “search” from that location. Those perusing your site, maybe even for the first time, will want a simple way to gain access to information via a search button.
Design error pages that are informative. Some visitors may be confused by an error page. Take the time to design informative error pages that let the readers know what went wrong and how they can return to your homepage.
Validate your code before uploading each web page to the server. There a lot of WYSIWYG editors that will add meaningless code to your website design. Therefore, if you have used one of these programs, take the time for the extra step of validating the code through a specialized validation service. W3C has a complimentary page validation service.
You have to understand, and believe it or not many don’t, that the logo you place on your site is actually an important tool and affects return traffic to the site. You need to make sure it truly reflects your entity and helps you stand out from the crowd. If you’re not able to think of a great professional logo that relates, a professional can always help you.
You should now have a great start on the basics of website design and feel a little less confused by it. No longer do you have to let web design scare you. The information located above has give you the tools you need to develop and build a profitable website.