You can create many different uses for a website. Some sites are meant for social networking, others for entertainment purposes. It doesn’t matter what type of site it is, a talented web designer is working behind the scenes. The following design tips will assist you in setting up a website.
On the Internet, few things are more important to users than speed and efficiency, especially where page loading times are concerned. If your visitors are waiting forever while something is loading on your site, there is a good chance they will quickly leave and never return.
Don’t make your page sizes any larger than necessary. Not all website visitors have blazing connection speeds and will get frustrated and lose interest if your site takes a while to load. You will want your users to have a great overall experience.
Allow users to cancel an action if they so choose. Actions include registering for any e-mail notifications, browsing the site, or filling out forms. 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.
Your site should be able to be scanned easily. Various tests on usability demonstrate that most online readers do not actually read all the content; instead, they scan it for something that interests them. Make sure your text is placed in sections, so readers can look over it quickly. Also, make sure to keep the most important information at the top. In this way, your visitors will have a good experience and get the information they need.
Do not utilize pop-ups. Customers are turned off by the constant advertising pop-up ads represent. It does not matter who or what the website represents, most visitors will not hang around if they are bombarded with pop-ups. Therefore, you should keep annoying ads off your website, in order to avoid irritating your visitors. Is your host making you use pop-ups? Time for a new host.
Make sure that you include efficient search capabilities when you’re designing a large website. The best place to put your search text box is in the top right hand corner as that is where the bulk of websites put theirs. Search functions for websites are available from FreeFind and Google.
Make use of free software in your site setup. Investing in powerful software packages like Photoshop is only worth it if you think they’ll pay off in the end. You just have to search a little to locate the free tools that best suit you.
Always make sure navigation is clear and easy. Navigation link placement is essential in how long visitors will stay on a website. The navigational structure needs to be consistent, neat, and user friendly.
Text Content
You need to make sure the links on your site actually show content. When a link uses text content, it is easy for the visitor to see and understand where they are going. Make sure your visitors do not click links accidentally by adding useful text content.
Test your site on multiple browsers, platforms (Windows 7, Windows XP, Linux, etc.) and devices (Mac, PC, tablets, cell phones, etc.) A given web browser will interpret a website differently than another one will, and sometimes the differences are quite drastic. You can do a little online research to discover which web browsers are most popular at the moment. It is very crucial that you test your website with all of the browsers, and that will include all of the main mobile web browsers.
The more work you put into learning web design, the easier it will get. The best way to learn is by starting up your own page and begin with simple scripts in HTML or PHP and upgrading as you become comfortable. You have to begin practicing at some point, so it’s best to begin now rather than waiting until later.
Avoid pop-up advertisements at all costs. Certainly it is important to include PPC ads on your site to earn some money, but pop-up ads that get in the way of what your visitors want to see is counterproductive. It will discourage people from visiting your website. Use simple ads and skip the wild and intrusive pop-ups.
Signing up for an online newsletter about web design is a great way to receive a periodic reminder to stay on top of new trends and revive your desire to learn as much as possible. Web designers can derive great benefits from newsletters, whether they are self-taught amateurs or experienced pros.
As stated before in the introduction above, websites can be used for many things, such as providing information, communication, and entertainment. Creating a website for any purpose requires design knowledge. Apply the tips here, and you can design a website for any purpose you want.
