You will likely feel intimidated by starting a brand new website, but see it as an exciting new venture. You may not understand what needs to be done first, who can teach you the basics, and how much money you’ll need to spend. Check out this article and you’re sure to find some tips that will get you moving in the right direction.
Use the proper graphic tools for web page design. Do not use bitmap for your images as they take up too much space. Consider PNG files for non-photographic images, text buttons or screenshots that require over 256 colors. If not, use a GIF. For photos, JPEG images work well.
Make sure the color combinations that you use on your site don’t hinder their ability to be read. Your text should remain the main focus of attention and should be easy to read. In general, a light background with darker text is much clearer than the reverse situation. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend or colleague for their opinion of the color scheme.
Be sure you have a search tool that lets others search when on your site. Those searching for specific information will instantly scan for a search option. If you do not have one, the viewer will find another site. The ideal placement is the upper right hand corner of your page.
Always be aware of the size of your webpages and keep them as small as possible. Some people do not have speedy Internet connections, and if they have to wait a long time for your site to load, they probably won’t be interested in viewing it. A visitor who has to wait a long time to see your information will move on.
You website should be easy to scan. Most visitors do not have a lot of time to spend, so they scan to see what they want to read. Use sub-headers to break text into sections your readers will appreciate. Put important facts near the top of the page. Your visitors will enjoy their time on the website more.
Make sure that your page loads in less than 10 seconds. An efficient site that is nicely designed is going to load properly and quickly. Your viewers want instant gratification, so you need to provide it.
Keep your topics separated. If you have many topics on your site, try keeping them on separate pages. This makes your website easier to understand for both visitors and search engine crawlers.
Keep the front page of your site simple. People surfing the web will quickly decide if they are going to delve into a website based on the front page. Be descriptive about what your business does, and your unique offerings, but keep everything else to a minimum to avoid distraction.
You want the navigation to be simple and 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. Never forget that your design as far as ease of navigation is the most important thing you can do to retain and build traffic.
It is critical that you understand HTML5 in order to have an effective site. HTML5 will help to improve your chances of success.
Avoid using captchas except during user registration. You will want to give your visitors a break from persistent needs to respond in order to view your pages. Unless they really greatly desire the content you provide, most visitors will just head for your competition instead.
Tap into your creative side during your website design. In other words, always be prepared to allow inspiration to strike. If you are out having dinner, for example, and you have a flash of inspiration, then write it down. According to the circumstances, you might send yourself an email or call your own number and record an idea on your answering machine.
When you design online, you need to create a site with content that everyone can access. Have someone in another country try to access your site. Because some content may fail to display properly in foreign countries, it is best to check on this.
If you want to be successful in web design, then you need to learn from a variety of sources at every chance you get. This helps you approach site design with a very diverse perspective.
Look to make any interface tools as user friendly as possible. Be sure links that were previously clicked on changes color and that underlined text is clickable. If your website is easy to use and consistent on each page, people will likely stay on your page longer, and they may visit the site more.
Becoming an expert at cascading style sheet (CSS for short) is something to pursue. While knowledge of HTML is important, CSS is more important in creating professional websites. Style sheets format your site and create a unified appearance from one page to the other. This also makes it very easy to universally change things on your site. If you want to change your font color to red on every page, all you need to do is alter one line of code!
From the suggestions outlined in the above article, you should now be all set to tackle the design of your web site. You are ready to set a budget, look for more good advice, and start making notes on what you want out of your site. You’ll see that designing a website that you can be proud of IS possible – so get to it!