Web design has become a popular topic. That said, there’s a ton of competition between sites these days. So read on to learn more about how you can get ahead of your competition.

We are no longer in the 20th century, so try to avoid frames. Frames worked well in the earlier days, but there are too many flaws in the design. Frame-based designs cause readers to have trouble bookmarking your site, and scrolling can also prove burdensome. There are better ways to allow your users to browse your pages easily.

Do not underestimate the value of a website that loads fast, with no slowdowns. Visitors can quickly become impatient and leave your site if it loads too slowly. They will often move on to another site and usually never return to yours.

Your site must be simple to navigate if you want to attract visitors. Links should be easy to find and prominently displayed. Good menus make navigating your site much easier. Link back to the homepage from every other page on your site; this makes it far easier for users to get around.

Make sure to preserve personal information that may need to be entered again by the same user of your website. For instance, if a visitor registers for your newsletter and they are going to use the same information to make a purchase, be sure the data they’ve already entered is kept, so they do not have to re-enter the same information. Keeping information “sticky” like this will make it simple to sign up for things on your site, and visitors will appreciate that you have saved them time.

Free software exists that can help you set up your site. A lot of users think they have to buy pricey applications, but many free programs are out there to give you a hand. With a little search effort on your part, the kinds of tools you need can be found, and for free.

When you build a website you need to quit using a lot of fonts that confuse people. You definitely want to consider what the fonts are actually going to look like on different screens and whether they are too small to read easily. Verdana is a font commonly used because it’s easy to read in an array of colors and sizes.

Understand what your purpose is. If you will be offering informational content, you need to have a firm grasp of your subject matter. Otherwise, you may find your readership diminishing. Knowing your subject inside and out is essential for a good blog or website.

Alt Tags

Images need ALT tags so do this while you are setting up your website. These tags help you describe the images for people with visual impairment or people that disable images. When links are used for images, having an ALT tag lets you describe the link’s behavior. Lastly, search engine crawlers make use of ALT tags, so employing them can help improve your search rank.

Make sure that your user’s needs are a priority. As a web designer, you should always focus on the viewer’s needs. They should include interaction, usability, accessibility and the overall users experience. It is essential that you don’t drop the ball on this. Look at things the way your readers would see things when you go to design a page.

Make sure your webpages are designed in a way that is easy for people to navigate through. Navigation links help ensure a visitor can successfully navigate the website. Never forget that your design as far as ease of navigation is the most important thing you can do to retain and build traffic.

Make your fonts professional and readable. Check out a site’s fonts to rate it’s professional quality. Avoid silly, bubbly or hard to read fonts and especially avoid obscure fonts that may not be supported by all browsers. In case your user’s browser cannot display the font your website uses, a secondary font can be set. Many times, the result is very unappealing.

Check links carefully before you include them on your site. Make sure the links all lead to valid web addresses. All links should be double checked before you upload them. You want to avoid broken links, because they make your visitors especially frustrated by promising certain content and then failing to deliver it. To prevent this from happening, do a quick check to ensure everything is working properly.

Target Audience

As you design a site, look to your target audience. Ask them what is important in the sites they like. You can use this to help with your site’s design and to put features on it. It is also important to get advice from people in your target audience.

If you use the file server FileZilla, you should ensure that the quick menu options have been programmed with your site’s information. This makes it simple whenever you log back into the server, because all you do is click on the menu and select personal settings. This can save you a large amount of time.

Construct a visual sitemap as a means of planning your site accurately. When you make a visual sitemap you get an idea of how you’re coming along in your development process. This way you can see whether or not you’re on the right track. From there, you’ll be able to identify any areas that need improvement, or have been neglected. When you have a clear visual, anything is possible.

When you are updating your site, always check your statistics and gauge your site’s appeal. You can see who all is visiting your website and which pages they are spending time on. This will give you an idea on what to update to keep them coming back for more.

Learning as much as possible about web design gives designers the upper-hand when it comes to succeeding in a highly-competitive market. While this article has plenty of information to help along the way, you should continue learning whatever possible to stay sharp and ahead of the competitors.