Lots of things go into websites than you may think. There is planning, proper aligning of text borders, and more that can make web designing seem overwhelming if you just jump into it without proper guidance. Read the following tips to glean a great understanding on how to build a great site.
Frames have not been used on websites since the 90’s. The fact is that while frames were popular in the past, they were simply one of many early techniques that were necessary then but are not today. They are the stone wheel of the Internet generation and should not be used today. Designs on frames can make it hard for people to get your site bookmarked and they won’t like scrolling either. A number of better ways exist that make it easy for users to navigate your site.
Keep page sizes down. Not all people using the Internet have a fast connection, and loading times can make visitors lose interest. If it takes too long many will just leave and visit a different website.
You should update your content and get rid of expired content regularly. When you are offering specials that are past their expiration, you will watch your visitor counts dwindle. It is an expectation from users that you maintain the site and keep your information fresh, or else they think your site is ill-kept or abandoned. Mark a calendar for when you will sit down and update your website, being careful to take off anything that is not current or relative anymore.
It does not matter how you have designed your website; you have to make sure that every file has a small file size. This is because the size of the files dictates the speed at which your website loads. It is always a good idea for your website to load as quickly as possible. There are still people who will be using your website that do not have a high-speed connection. Test your site to make sure that it loads up quickly, even when accessed on a dial up connection.
Use a sensible background for your site. You don’t want your text to be hard to read! A distracting background is…well, distracting. Choose a background which coordinates well with the message that you are trying to impart, it must blend in well with the balance of your website design.
Apart from the aesthetics of your website, remember that all files included must be small. This is because the size of your website’s files directly affects its loading time. You want your site to load as quick as possible. Remember that some of your visitors are going to be using slower Internet connections than others. Perform tests on your website to make sure that it loads fast, even when a dial-up connection is used.
Do not have pop-up windows on your site. Pop-ups are an irritating distraction, at best, for most web surfers, and the possible benefits you could reap with them are extremely modest. When these windows pop up on the screen, you are likely to frustrate your visitors to the point that they are determined never to return.
White is generally a safe background color to use when designing a professional website. Viewers will feel confident in the professional look afforded by a solid white background. Complicated, artsy background designs look cool, but they can often be distracting to the reader. It’s usually better to keep your background simple.
Internet Explorer
Don’t accidentally place links on your site that lead to nowhere. That will help the reader know what they’re clicking on. Any links on your website should contain text because links without text can be accidentally selected without the viewer’s knowing.
Make sure that your site is optimized for previous editions of Internet Explorer. Many people detest Internet Explorer, but some still use these older versions today. Many elements are not in compliance with web standards, so finding a workaround will be required. One tip of utter importance when dealing with the older Internet Explorer browsers is to educate yourself on the bug referred to as box model that haunted them for years.
Your user’s needs should be your top priority. You as a web designer have to think about the needs of the end user all the time. Usability, user experience and interaction are all important. These are important considerations to make. Putting yourself in your customers shoes can really help you to design the best page possible.
Using a development platform can make it easy to code your web page, but they are not necessarily reliable. The idea with a platform is that you design the site features, and then paste the generated code. To reduce errors, and for actual experience, try using a type of classic text editor.
Include strong meta-tags on every page of your site, if you want to get more visitors to your site. Good meta tags help search engines understand and categorize your website’s content properly. If you use irrelevant meta tags, instead of tags that describe your website’s content appropriately, search engines will classify your site incorrectly and you won’t get a lot of traffic.
Do not forget to test your site on several major browsers. Each web browser has a slightly different way of how they illustrate the website, and in a couple of cases these little differences could have major effects on the experience for the user. Utilize the Internet by researching which browsers are the most commonly used. Use different browsers to test your website, even mobile web browsers.
Look into Adobe Dreamweaver. Even new designers can use this program. It has lots of features, templates, and layouts to choose from. You can also test how the site will look before it goes live.
You want to get a basic understanding of website design, but you don’t have to become a professional. Once you start to learn about a few different tactics, you will understand the concepts behind web design and will be able to translate your knowledge into tangible design features. Remember to keep coming back here to study the tips again should you have any problems.