It is easy to experience frustration and discouragement when you first delve into website development. If you want to learn more about web design, but are overwhelmed by this subject’s complexities, this article should help you to better understand the topic of website development.
The graphics you use are important. Do not use bitmap for your images as they take up too much space. A PNG image should be used when it has less than 256 colors, so try to stay with that when designing text buttons, screenshots and images that are photographic quality. JPEG images are good for pictures.
Good websites must function with all browsers, and therefore you need to test each page so you know they work correctly under all circumstances. What works in Internet Explorer may not necessarily show up correctly in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. Prior to formally launching your site, verify that it displays correctly in each of these popular browsers.
Your visitors should be able to see your content regardless of the browser they are using. Test your pages with different browsers to make sure it is displayed properly. While a certain element may look wonderful in Firefox, it may appear incorrectly on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari. Check how each page displays in the major browsers before your site goes live.
Don’t rely on JavaScript too much. Even if JavaScript opens up interesting possibilities for your designs, not all your visitors will be able to see your content properly. Each web browser is different, and each has a new version on a regular basis. Not everyone will upgrade to the latest version of his browser. Also, not everybody has JavaScript enabled on their browser. In either case, you are preventing your visitors from using all or some of the features of your website.
Make sure that your page loads in less than 10 seconds. A well-designed, efficient site should pop up in visitors’ browsers in a matter of moments. Most visitors want instant gratification, so give it to them.
Offer your site visitors a way to provide you with feedback. This will clue you in to ways that your website falls short of their expectations or doesn’t work properly, enabling you to make the necessary changes. Negative and positive feedback are useful in improving your website.
A good website will never require that a visitor provide the same information more than once. Ensure that personal data for each of your website’s visitors is preserved. For example, if a person has to enter their information to register for an account, and then is filling out a form on your website that requires the same information, you want to have their data saved, so that they do not have to take the time to fill everything out again. Creating “sticky”‘ information in this manner makes the whole process much more simple and smooth, and your visitors are sure to appreciate the time you save them as well.
Apart from the aesthetics of your website, remember that all files included must be small. Keeping your files small will directly affect how fast your website loads. You want your site to load as quickly as it can. Remember, too, that some visitors may be using dial-up or other low-speed connections. Test your website to ensure that it loads quickly even on a dial-up modem connection.
Search Engines
To create a site that is well optimized for most search engines, don’t use frames. Some users enjoy pages with frames, but search engines don’t find the info they contain. When information isn’t seen, your ranking with the search engines goes lower. You will lose out on visitors, if this happens.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t overuse JavaScript. Even though it can give your website a more transparent and responsive look, it can give some users problems. Each web browser is different, and each has a new version on a regular basis. Keep in mind that not every single person who visits your site has the most up to date browser version. Also, not every person will keep JavaScript set up in their browsers. This means that a portion of your visitors won’t be able to use your website.
Make sure you are prioritizing your user’s needs. You as a web designer have to think about the needs of the end user all the time. Things such as interactivity, accessibility, user experience and usability are all very important. These are some important considerations to make. Keep in mind that it is not your view that is most important, but the visitor’s view.
Test your site early and often. It’s imperative that you employ usability tests frequently to ensure a pleasant user experience. Continue to make improvements and test the site as you expand it.
Always use fonts which are legible and professional. You can make a pretty good judgment of a website’s professionalism simply by looking at its font selections. Don’t use silly fonts, especially Comic Sans, or rare fonts that most people won’t have installed. If you use a font that not everyone has, a default font will appear on their computer. This often looks terrible.
If your site is larger than a few pages, it should be searchable. Put a search box in the uppermost right-hand corner of your homepage so that users can seek specific topics on your site. FreeFind and Google both offer these search functions to use on your site.
Look for, and remove, broken links regularly. Check on this multiple times before uploading to the server. If links are broken, visitors will assume that the info they are seeking is not available, and they will leave your site. Save yourself some headaches by making sure that everything is working as it should.
Adobe Dreamweaver is website software that works well. This program is easy for even the least skilled amateur. You can do a lot of editing and testing on your local computer before uploading them to be live on your site.
Web Design
Use easy to maintain navigation throughout your site. Placing your navigation links in easy to find locations will help you keep visitors on your website. The navigational part of your website should allow users a great experience.
Hopefully, this article has bolstered your confidence, and made you feel capable of tackling the field of web design. Just be mindful of the fact that more knowledge is out there that you can study and absorb on the subject of web design, so keep your eyes and mind open to learning more. Staying up to date with your website development knowledge will bring you success.
