Starting to design a website that is going to be a success, can feel intimidating at first. Whether you are a novice or a pro, the task of creating a new website can be overwhelming. When figuring out your design, there are many things you much decide on. Information regarding web page design is forever changing. Use the following advice to get the best website design possible.
Consider having your website use fixed-position navigation. This involves locking your site’s navigation panel as visitors scroll down. What makes this an effective technique is that it keeps the panel in a position where the visitor can access it easily, but it also helps entrepreneurs by keeping your desired goal right in front of them, such as purchasing or joining a mailing list.
Post pictures on your site. Having personal pictures on your site makes your site appear more user friendly. Folks will be more apt to stay on your site when they look forward to viewing all of your photos.
Research your subject thoroughly. Research your subject before posting anything. Providing bad information will only lose you readers. The secret to a goo blog is familiarity with your subject.
Make sure you site is optimized for previous versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, especially IE 7 and 8. Many consumers still depend on IE. IE doesn’t render some modern design elements very well, so it may require a workaround. Make sure to look at the infamous “box model bug,” which has been an issue for IE for several years.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are key to your site if you want to attract people to your site for short and long periods of time. Make sure you include them. Good meta tags help search engines understand and categorize your website’s content properly. If your meta tags are poorly thought out and do not reflect your site’s content, then you will not get many visitors.
Be sure your website’s load times are quick and efficient. When a visitor must wait lengthy periods of time to see information, he or she will probably give up. Reduce graphics, scripts and Flash consoles on your web page, optimize HTML and utilize SSI files.
You constantly want to test your page to ensure it is functioning well. Usability and interaction testing needs to start not long after you start the preliminary design phase of any website. That will allow you to make necessary design changes during the build process.
Always use fonts which are legible and professional. People judge your sites professionalism by the fonts you use. Fancy fonts, such as those that look like gothic lettering or calligraphy, can often be hard to read. Other fonts, like Comic Sans, send a message that you aren’t professional. If one of your visitors does not have your chosen font on their own computer, another font is substituted. That can ruin your design!
Don’t install pop-up adverts on your website. These are annoying to your users and they are less likely to trust your site. It will discourage people from visiting your website. Simplicity is key when it comes to ads. You do not have to rely on pop-ups.
You should use a good layout for the site, one that you are able to work with and is basic so it’s easy for you to understand the foundation of the website development first. You can advance beyond the basics when you are more comfortable with the web design process.
If you plan to design more than a single site, learn to work with several different platforms. Learning Java, MySQL, PHP and other platforms is going to help you for years to come. Take the time to develop skills that can be applied across multiple platforms, regardless of whether your needs are personal or professional.
Consider site security. An SSL certificate will benefit you if financial transactions are to take place. Additionally, consult with your website host about the security features that are included with your package.
Learn from people who are knowledgeable in web page design. This allows you to get a broad range of ideas, experiences and sources for inspiration.
With all of the major advances on the web recently, it’s a must to keep up on website creation. In many instances, a well designed website is all the storefront a modern company has or needs. Because of this, it is possible for people to earn good money through website design.
Interface tools need to be simple to use, so your visitors do not get confused. For hyperlinks, make them underlined and have them turn a different color when they have been clicked. Friendly, consistent sites keep visitors coming back for more.
If your site has a logo, you want to be sure that when you click it you go right to your homepage. Over the years most people have come to associate a logo with a link, that when clicked, will take them to the homepage of a website. If your logo isn’t “clickable”, that frustrates users, because they have to look around the site for the “home” link. If your logo is clickable, people will find your site more navigable.
Layout and color scheme are just two of the many factors that are involved in website design. You may feel overwhelmed with options for your website, but the designing does not have to be hard. The information contained in this article will provide you the knowledge you need to design and publish your very own site.