If you are doubtful about the value of good website creation, all you need to do is compare a site such as Facebook with the sort of personal pages hosted through portals such as Google or Yahoo. The easily notable differences between these sites should tell you that website design is important. If you are interested in educating yourself on web page design, check out the information below.
Avoid using clashing, loud colors when designing your website. Your text must be easily readable and not disappear into your background. Dark text on a light background is the easiest for your visitor to read. When in doubt about the effectiveness of your color choices, solicit the opinions of friends.
One of the biggest mistakes a newbie designer makes is not verifying how a site looks in several different browsers. What you get on your browser isn’t always what your visitors see on their browser. So keep up with the latest browsers an test them out and check out your website on them. Make sure to also send the site to someone running a different OS to make sure those browsers are compatible.
Search Box
Have some search element which lets visitors search your site’s content. If people visit your site for something specific, they will be on the lookout for a search box. If your site doesn’t have one, they will probably go to a website that does. Put the search box in the upper right hand corner of the page because this is usually the first place people look for one.
Don’t overuse graphics. Although graphics are necessary make your site project a professional, well-designed and cohesive look, having too many can make it look cluttered. Don’t use graphics just to decorate; use them to improve the site. Using an adequate amount of graphics keeps clutter away and helps you focus on site usability.
Large sites should always have search capabilities. At the top right of every page in your site, incorporate a search box which will let visitors search for a term that appears on your site. FreeFind and Google both offer these search functions to use on your site.
Choose a good background. While some websites utilize moving GIF backgrounds, opt for simple background since these moving backgrounds can make text hard to read. Choose a background which complements your website, and your visitors will find it much easier to read your message.
Ensure that you’re including a method of receiving feedback from your site’s visitors. This makes it easier to identify problem areas and to create a more user-friendly site. Negative and positive feedback are useful in improving your website.
Don’t allow pop-ups on 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. Internet users will be more likely to leave your site and not find it trustworthy if you use pop-ups.
Be sure that your users priorities are your priorities. Do you know what the user’s needs are? How easy information can be accessed and the website use are critical. These are really important to think about when working on a website. Try looking at the websites from your audience’s perspective when designing.
Leave off frames if you want to design a well optimized site. Many users like frames, but when search engines crawl your website, they will not see what is contained within them. You will not get a good search engine ranking if your information cannot be ranked. This will lead to a reduction in visitors.
Chances are you are not designing the next Twitter or Facebook site. Sadly, the odds are not in your favor. Yet don’t be discouraged by this because you can create sites with high quality that millions of users can come to appreciate. Use the tips you just read to get started designing a website right now!