Many site building tools are available in today’s market; however, most will pale in comparison to your own creativity. Bringing your personal vision to life is the key to creating a great site. You can do this with the right set of web page design tools. It is in your best interest to continue reading for some tips that will lead to a successful design.
Use fixed-position navigation so your users can navigate your site with ease. This means you need to lock the site’s panel for navigation in a place that scrolls while the visitor does. This is ideal for both visitors and marketers alike, as desired actions are executed much more quickly.
Unless your website can be viewed on a variety of browsers, it is unlikely to produce the desired results. Ensure that the site can be easily navigated on the most popular browsers. What works in Internet Explorer may not necessarily show up correctly in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. Test every page in each browser before you let your site go live.
Graphics are important for any designer but beginners should focus only on the standard graphics on their first several builds. Keep in mind that bitmap files are quite large and typically do not work well, but PNGs work okay. For text buttons, screenshots, and other images that are not photographs, use PNG for images with over 256 colors and GIF for images with less. Photos require JPEG to ensure high quality.
Always give viewers the option to cancel a current action. This could mean ordering products, opting in to an email newsletter, or returning to the homepage from deep within your site. If your visitors can’t easily change their mind and back out of registering for a site feature, they may feel forced to complete a transaction. This isn’t good for your web traffic or your reputation.
Creating a newsletter can help you get repeat visitors. If you provide customers with an opportunity to keep abreast of upcoming promotions or events, they will be more likely to return. Put the sign-up box near the top of your site so they can easily find it, and check how many sign up when you move it around your page. Your newsletter should only go out to those who specifically request to receive it, or you run the risk of turning off your customers.
Use free alternatives to pay website creation software whenever possible. Many people falsely believe that they need to purchase expensive software in order to create a good website, however, there are currently numerous excellent free tools on the market that help you to develop a very professional looking website. Hit your favorite search engine and do research to find a piece of software that suits your needs.
Have a search element included so visitors can search your website content. Many people are coming to your site for a reason, and they want a quick and easy way to obtain the information they need. When there isn’t one available, they may just decide to try another site where they can find that information. Put the search box near the top right side of the page, since that tends to be common.
Search Engines
Avoid using frames for the best website optimization. Information within frames cannot be read by search engines. If certain important information on your site cannot be seen by search engines, then you will not have a high ranking. When this happens, you won;t get a lot of visitors.
Be sure to run tests early and continue to do test runs frequently. It’s imperative that you employ usability tests frequently to ensure a pleasant user experience. As your site keeps growing, make sure you keep testing and improving it.
Keep your topics separate. Put each topic on a different page. This will eliminate visitor confusion and make it easier for search engines to gain a clear and broad view of the site and help you build traffic.
Be very critical of the fonts you choose. The font type on a website is a quick indicator of how professional it is. Don’t use handwriting or comic fonts as most people won’t have them installed. If a visitor doesn’t have a font on his computer, his browser may display a default font that doesn’t look right. This can look worse.
If you want to be a professional web designer, you need to set up a nice office. By doing this, you get rid of any distractions you may encounter, and allow yourself to focus on your work. Make sure your tools are within easy access, and that you have enough space for your website development needs.
Target Audience
Know your niche. If you want to have a blog or website, you need to research anything you plan on posting. Publishing inaccuracies and falsehoods will glean you a bad reputation, causing you to lose readers. To create a blog that draws visitors and keeps them interested, knowing what you are talking about is key.
Research is essential to website creation. You need to understand your target audience. Think of how you can create your site to reach your target audience. It will improve your site design.
Use a layout for your site that you can work with and that is basic so that you understand the fundamentals of web design first. You want to start out basic and then get advanced later on when you become better and more familiar with the whole web page design process.
Don’t push annoying things on your visitors. This means not pushing surveys or offers into their window that they must complete before they continue. If you reduce their options, they’ll choose the choice they still have and leave.
Don’t add any pop-ups to your site. They may seem helpful, but they are seen as more annoying by visitors than not. A user who is constantly closing pop-up ads is more likely to look for information on a different site without endless nuisances.
CAPTCHAs are only useful when people are registering for your website, otherwise skip them. Captchas can trigger a negative response from a viewer when it makes them perform the task just so they can view a basic webpage. Unless they have already registered, they will probably leave your site and browse somewhere else.
If you intend to design and create more websites in the future, it will be beneficial to learn how to work with multiple platforms. There are many technologies, including Java, PHP and MySQL, that can help you down the road. Whether you are building a website for yourself, a client or a friend, your talents will permit you to do so quickly and effectively.
Once you are knowledgeable about building a site, you can create a website using Java, Flash, or any technology you desire. Your site can be fancy or it can be just a plain and simple one. It is up to you to choose its appearance. The thing you want to remember is that you are in control of your design when you use the tips from above.
When you are choosing your background color, white is an effective choice. A bright, white background makes it easier to read text; it also appears more professional. When there is a more complicated design in the background, it can be very distracting, and make your website look less professional. It’s usually better to keep your background simple.
