Take a look at a high-level professional site, then compare that to a personal site on a free host, and you’ll quickly see that not all websites are created equal. You can easily see how different they are and that the design of the website tends to kind of set the mood and purpose of the website. To discover more about designing an effective website, read on.
Your website should have a favicon. This means a recognizable icon will show up next the link to your site if a visitor bookmarks it. When they are looking at the bookmarks they have created, your little favicon will make an impression. Besides being memorable, your favicon should be consistent with your business name and logo.
Avoid using Flash on your website. Flash may seem high-tech and splashy, but it might cause a visitor’s computer to load slowly and lag. Also, many computers, especially tablet computers like the iPad, do not even have Flash capabilities. Not being able to see elements of your site might cause visitors to leave and never return.
Always give viewers the option to cancel a current action. These actions involve signing up for newsletters or email notifications, filling out forms, or searching the site for different topics or archives. If you don’t give visitors the opportunity to cancel their actions, you are depriving them of control, and that can prove fatal to your website.
You need to check your website’s performance across a wide array of different web browsers. Every browser is different; as a result, each can interpret your design in a slightly different way. While sometimes these differences do not make a difference, there are times when it can transform the look dramatically, or create an entirely different experience for your site visitors. There are various resources to find which browsers are more popular. Do not neglect mobile browsers, as they are increasingly used by people of all ages; test to see that your new site works across a full spectrum of browsers.
You can create a site using free software. You can use a lot of free tools to assist your building of your website, so check into the software that is available to you. Finding good free software does require a bit more legwork, however.
Steer clear of captchas. Visitors dislike captchas, and dislike the feeling that they must solve a complicated problem just to see a web page. The only way they will stay on this page is if they’re already a member that’s devoted to the site.
Perhaps you have heard about software like Photoshop and how you can create amazing designs with them. Dreamweaver is less popular but is easier to master and is filled with useful tools designed for webmasters.
You will design better websites if you keep learning about web design. By diving into another area each time you master one, you’ll never stop improving. 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.
Keep your early site building efforts small, so you can more easily identify what is working, and what is not. Try starting with a couple basic pages that just have text in order to see how you do.
Start investing in books and resources that help you learn to be successful with your web design. Start with books around your skill level, so that you don’t skip any necessary information.
Though this next piece of advice may seem obvious, it is important. Never upload your pages to your server before checking over each word for grammar and spelling errors. You’ll find it extremely difficult to cultivate a professional reputation if your content is riddled with simple errors. Nothing will drive customers away more quickly.
When you’re creating similar pages, use the copy and paste feature to speed up the process. Instead of writing your HTML from scratch every time, use the shared section of code as a template and make the necessary changes, then use “save as” to save the file under a new name. By doing this, you can continue to use the master copy over and over again.
Ask somebody to test the functions of your website at every step of your design process. Whenever you include a new feature or make a change, give an impartial third party the chance to assess it. Your readers will not appreciate it if they find something is slow, broken or crashes their browser. Ask someone who has no interest in flattering you to give you an honest opinion.
While you may wish to play a large role in the design of your site, it is not necessary to undertake the entire project on your own. Web design requires knowledge of many different areas including graphic design, user interface design, web programming, search engine optimization and content creation. Get some help if one area is too difficult for you. You can hire a professional to help you with any areas that you do not know well.
Use consistent color schemes, themes, and fonts across all of the pages on your site. Too many colors and fonts across too many pages can confuse people, and they may even think that they are no longer on your website. You don’t want to confuse your visitors. To be cohesive throughout your business, use the same fonts and color themes in all of your business literature.
If you design websites, think of yourself as an artist. By that, we mean you should be open to inspiration all the time. If you’re eating out and an idea comes to you, be sure to jot that idea on your napkin. Or, if you think of something at work, call home and leave yourself a message to remind you.
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll create the next hit social network site. Sadly, the odds are not in your favor. The great reality though, is that solid design skills will help you design sites that are very attractive and work well. Your sites will be able to function just as perfectly as sites of those with much higher budgets. Apply the information found here and you will be on your way to designing like a pro!