Many people are doing web design, but many of them don’t know of the many different techniques involved in the process. Are you trying to become a professional or do you just want to do a good job with your site? Follow the advice outlined in the following paragraphs to help you learn about site design.
Frames have not been used in web design since the 90’s. Frames were terrific in the burgeoning web design days, but they had their problems too. Using frames makes it hard for viewers to bookmark your website and can make scrolling a chore. It is simple to design your page so visitors can navigate through it.
A search box should be included on your website that allows visitors to look up information on your site. Visitors may look for something specific, and that box will be the one of the first things they look for. If you don’t have one, they may go to another site which does. Most people look for search forms in the top right so that’s where you should put it.
Make sure all links on your website are working properly before you publish your site. The worst experience for a visitor is to have interest in learning more only to click the dreaded dead end link. Use a program to scan your site to get the job done automatically.
Design web pages to not take up too much space. Not all Internet users have fast connection speeds, and the longer your site takes to load, the less interest they will have. You don’t want your visitors to wait for a page to load.
Keep the front page of your website simple. Those who are shopping the web will make snap decisions about a site based off its front page. Explain exactly what your business specializes in.
Keyword research is important. Although content is important, you must develop a customer base using keywords. If you want your site to be successful, you must understand how to use keywords properly.
Educate yourself with regard to shortcuts, and make ample use of them. In web design, there are lots of shortcuts that will decrease the amount of time it takes to do things. You can even use HTML codes that let you make quick changes to pages without the need to upload them again.
Avoid using too may font types. You must also consider how different fonts appear on the standard computer screen; smaller serif fonts (Times New Roman, for example) are somewhat hard to read. Verdana is one of those popular fonts that is readable in all sizes and colors.
The beginning web designer can use Photoshop to make their website look great. Using a program like Photoshop can help amateur web designers create professional looking sites really fast. If Photoshop is not something you have access to, then being able to create a good site could take some time.
Resist any temptation to use pop-up windows when you design your website. You’ll only annoy your visitors with this type of content, regardless of how important the information in the pop-up windows is. When you annoy your visitors with these popup adverts, they will more than likely leave your website and vow never to return.
There are numerous programs available for purchase to aid you in creating an attractive website. A professional website is within your reach when you use these tools. If your website is unattractive, it won’t gain many visitors.
Be sure your website’s load times are quick and efficient. Visitors to your site may be more likely to navigate away from your page if it takes too long to load pages. You can make your page load faster by reducing the amount of content, such as Flash objects and graphics, which both increase the page’s loading time.
Choose some reference books on design principles in general, and website creation in particular. Make sure that you start out with books that are around your web page design level. You want to progress, but not skip any information along the way, so you can be great at designing websites.
Website Design Process
Make sure your first page is simple. People scanning websites glance quickly at each site they see, so of you front page is simple enough and shows them what they desire, then they are likely to stay. Explain exactly what your business specializes in.
If you keep educating yourself as you go along, your website design process will benefit. Once you have gained an understanding of a specific part of the website design process, you should proceed to learn the next component. Although this can slow the process of building your site, you’ll receive the information that is needed to spit out dozens of sites as you learn.
Learn many server-side languages if you want to diversify your web page design portfolio. Learn as many technologies as you can, including SQL, PHP, and even the humble JavaScript. Whether you’re a hobbyist designer or a grizzled professional, knowing a lot of different web technologies is sure to make you more in-demand.
You need to be looking at the stats for your website when you are making updates. You can see who all is visiting your website and which pages they are spending time on. This will help you make better design decisions moving forward.
When designing a large website, include the ability to search throughout the site. Make sure you add a search box allowing your viewers to search for terms in your site. FreeFind and Google both distribute a search function which you can use on your site.
Keep accessibility in mind when you design your page. It’s helpful to have someone you know outside your home country who can check it out. Some content may not be displayed the same in other countries, so this is something you may want to check on.
Web Design
You should now basically have an understanding of how web design works. Be sure you apply all that you learned today and always seek out new information so that you can be successful with your web design goals in the future.
If you want your website to be more attractive, consider adding your own pictures. A few pictures on your site can make it more appealing to visitors. Those pictures can lead to a lot more post views per visitor.
