It’s vital a web designer learn all the basics of web design, so they create websites that are both good looking and functional. Fortunately, there are hundreds of valuable resources–this article included–that can contribute to your knowledge of basic design principles. Here are some smart tips to design better websites.
256 Colors
When designing webpages it is important that you use the correct graphics. Bitmap images usually are big and don’t work as well as PNGs. Use PNGs for images over 256 colors for text buttons and the like or use GIF files for images smaller than 256 colors. JPEG images are good for pictures.
Graphics are important for any designer but beginners should focus only on the standard graphics on their first several builds. Remember, bitmap images are huge and usually don’t work well, PNGs work fine. Consider PNG files for non-photographic images, text buttons or screenshots that require over 256 colors. If not, use a GIF. JPEG works best for photo images.
Peruse web design forums for more in depth ideas, as well as new information. Performing a simple web search can provide you with the information you are interested in at no cost to you.
Have the data that users enter into fields preserved so that it can be transferred over to other portions of the site where the same information has to be filled out. For instance, if someone fills out a form using personal information, he or she should have to enter that same information in again when he or she goes to fill out an additional form. This kind of “sticky” information saves your users time and effort, and they will likely appreciate the streamlining this kind of good design provides.
Don’t rely on JavaScript too much. Although it provides many methods of building a site that is more responsive, this can cause some problems for some visitors. Everyone uses a different web browser, and all of them have new versions released fairly regularly. Many visitors use outdated versions of various web browsers, which means your code might not be supported. Also, consider that JavaScript isn’t regularly enabled in everyone’s browser. These two factors can prevent many users from accessing your site.
If you are creating a website, make sure you view your site in different browsers. What you’re seeing on your end may not be what others are seeing on theirs. So keep up with the latest browsers an test them out and check out your website on them. You will want to have a person using a different computer operating system check on your site as well.
Keep your topics separated. Separate topic of discussion throughout your site by putting them on separate pages. This will keep things clear and simple for readers, and also help you rank with search engines.
When designing a large website, include the ability to search throughout the site. People have become accustomed to search boxes being in the upper-right corner of the page, so put it there. These should let you at least search for one term, but it’s better if it allows multiple terms. FreeFind and Google can help you install a search function on your website.
The harder you are willing to work at learning about site design skills, the easier it will be to master them. Start with simple pages of HTML until you have a handle on the fundamentals. Practice, as they say, makes perfect!
Check your webpages for broken links before publishing them. Nothing is more frustrating to a visitor than clicking on a link and being taken to an error page. You could check for broken links yourself, or get a program that scans and reports broken links for you.
Development platforms build the code for you, however, they really are not as dependable as a regular text editor. What a platform does is help you paste the code onto features that you have made. In order to minimize platform-created errors and really learn the nuts and bolts of web design, you may want to consider editing your code directly using a simple text editor.
When you are choosing a website hosting service, you want to see exactly what is included in their offer. The things that are important to know are bandwidth, CPU usage, disk space and any other areas that they highlight in their package. Make sure you get what you expect.
If you are planning to design and run your own website, you’ll need an office space from which to work. Remove the distractions, and create a clutter-free, efficient space. Have your office tools and everything else located where you have easy access, and make sure you have an optimized space for your website design needs.
Forget about pop-up advertisements. Everyone hates getting pop-up after pop-up on a website. This often causes people to leave a site, meaning they never take the time to get to know your product. So make sure you have happy customers, by not including these aggravating pop-ups ads. If you have a host that requires the use of pop-ups, then look for a new one.
If you want to know the effectiveness of your site’s design, consider utilizing task-based usability tests. The general use for these tasks is to be able to locate a function or some information within your site. If the website is designed well, users should be able to easily find what they want. They can give you valuable feedback if they encounter an issues.
Never be forceful in the direction a viewer wants to take. For instance, offers and surveys should be avoided. If you do this, your visitor will feel coerced and will probably leave your page. He or she may also give you a bad review.
Keep in mind the fact that you don’t need to design your entire website by yourself. Website creation incorporates many areas like user interface design, SEO, content creation, graphic design, and web programming. There is no shame in getting help when you need it. You can hire a professional to help you with any areas that you do not know well.
Regardless of your client or website purpose, you need to strive for loading times of less than ten seconds. Efficient sites that are well-designed need to show up in the browser for your readers in just moments. Most visitors want things to happen quickly and easily. If you don’t offer that to them, you will lose those visitors.
Learning through practice helps you in designing your website to the best of your ability. Once you have gained an understanding of a specific part of the website design process, you should proceed to learn the next component. While this can make building your current website more time consuming, it can be a very rewarding experience in that your newly gained knowledge will enable you to create dozens of websites quickly.
Like we’ve said, designers who are just starting out need to learn the basics of design to make enticing sites that work properly. The number of available resources can make it difficult to know what your starting point should be. The article you’ve just read should be a good starting point for understanding the general rules of good website creation.