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. The difference should be obvious, and these differences all come down to one thing in the end: web design. Check out the ideas here to raise your awareness of the possibilities you can incorporate into your web design.
Fixed navigation panels are a good way to allow your visitors to easily navigate your site. What occurs when the navigation is fixed is the panel follows the users scrolling. In other words, it moves down the page as the user moves down the page. This is ideal for both visitors and marketers alike, as desired actions are executed much more quickly.
Take some time to learn about shortcuts that can be used to save time. When it comes to web design, there are many shortcuts; as you become more familiar with the field, you are sure to find fast ways of doing just about everything. You can even find HTML codes that help you make quick changes.
People don’t like to wait when they browse the Internet, so your pages need to load fast even on slow connections. If Internet users have to wait a long time for your website to load, they will probably leave your site before it loads and vow never to return.
Don’t have an abundance of graphics on your site. Even though graphics might give you a professional looking website, too many may result in a crowded site. Your graphics should not only be decorative; they must also be true improvements. Having the right mix of graphics will improve your site’s usability, too.
Minimize the use of JavaScript. JavaScript does open many doors when it comes to website design, but it can also close the door to your website for some visitors. Every web browsers is different and they are constantly updating. You can’t expect that your website visitors are going to have the most updated versions of their browsers. Also, some visitors will not have JavaScript enabled. Your website may not have any functionality to offer these types of users as a result.
Make sure all topics are clearly divided. Each topic should be put on separate pages. This helps your visitors navigate your site more seamlessly, and it helps search engines understand what you have to offer better. This translates to higher rankings.
Make sure you test your site early and often. Usability and interaction testing needs to start not long after you start the preliminary design phase of any website. That will allow you to make necessary design changes during the build process.
When designing your website, create independent CSS pages for the web browsers and use conditional loading. The application of these two techniques make website testing and maintenance both less time-consuming in the future. Every website needs some maintenance eventually, so you need things to be as easy as possible to make the necessary changes.
Make your fonts professional and readable. 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. Unique fonts tend to default on most user’s computers if it’s not available to them. This can make your website look a lot worse.
Ensure that you’re including a method of receiving feedback from your site’s visitors. You will learn what is missing or misunderstood, and be able to make changes as needed. If your site visitors feel actively involved in the process, they will be return viewers.
Do not clutter your website by using every square pixel of space that you have available. When you use all available pixels, the result can be an overwhelmingly cluttered website. When you space things out in an appropriate way and have a sense of organization, this will make users feel like they are in control. Sometimes, empty space is just as vital as actual content.
Hosting your own site is not a good idea. You should do the design all by yourself (or as much of it as you possibly can), but allowing another person to be the keeper of your site will let you be free and will allow you to have your mind on different things and not just the site’s security and safety.
Graphics help to keep the site visually stimulating and entertaining. Wrapping text around the pictures helps improve the look and feel of your site. It makes the pages look more professionals, which gives visitors a good vibe.
The file types will affect the load time of your website. You should use GIFs or JPEGs for graphics. Other files such as PNGs and BMPs use more disk space. You can convert the larger graphics into a more manageable size to help your viewers have a better user experience.
It is unlikely that you will be able to make a site like Facebook or Twitter. Unless you come up with the best idea ever, aim lower. Having good web designing skills means that you can make websites which are on par with those done by professional companies. Use the tips here to get started!