The first thing people notice about a website is its overall design. Because first impressions are so important, you should get your design right on the first attempt, so that people won’t leave your site as soon as they enter it. The article below is here to guide you through the process of designing a good website.
Unless your website can be viewed on a variety of browsers, it is unlikely to produce the desired results. Ensure that the site can be easily navigated on the most popular browsers. Different browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Chrome may not display content the same way; what works in one might not work in another. Monitor how the pages look in major browsers before taking your website live.
Don’t make your page sizes any larger than necessary. Every Internet user does not have lighting fast speeds. If your site takes too long to load, you may lose visitors. If a user has to wait for each page to download, they may leave your site altogether.
Successful websites work well with any browser, so you’ll need to do some testing of your paging using various browsers. Some things that work in Internet Explorer might not work correctly in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Check how each page displays in the major browsers before your site goes live.
Understand what you want your site to do. For example, if you are creating a blog, don’t post without doing your research. The last thing you want to do is distribute incorrect information. Knowing your subject is important when making a good blog.
Don’t allow pop-ups on your website. The average user finds pop-up windows to be an annoying distraction, rather than something useful. In fact, you may drive them to leave your site out of irritation and frustration with your pop-ups. You could lose a visitor for life.
Don’t forget about Internet Explorer 7 and 8. Most people have a love-hate relationship with IE; however, many people are still using it, including older versions. They don’t render pages that have to do with regular standards on the web so you have to figure out a work around. You should read up on the frustrating “box model bug” that has plagued IE for a long time.
Do not publish any site pages without verifying all the links are working. Visitors can get frustrated when they click a link and come across an error page. You can manually check links or use a program that will find broken links for you.
While utilizing the design tools of a host to get your website started is a fine idea, never rely on these tools completely. Try to integrate your personality into the site by adding and tweaking things without just relying on dragging and dropping things your web host provides.
In order to learn about creating your first site, you need to gain information online. When you learn all you can about webdesign from experts, you will be able to quickly build a site of your own. Without learning tips and tricks from the experts, your web page could end up being poorly designed and won’t garner any attention.
Everyone has heard about Photoshop, and they know that they have to learn it in order to become successful with web page design. Yet a lot of people aren’t familiar with Dreamweaver, and all that it has to offer for web designers, check into this program and see how it can help you.
Be vigilant in policing your website for content that has become obsolete or outdated. You will come across as undependable or an amateur if you have information on events that have long passed. Users are going to want to spend time on websites that have been cared for, and when old information is kept up it shows that the site is not being paid attention to. Create a schedule that will help you manage information and specials, and remind you to take down useless items.
Website design requires proper research. Research your chosen niche so you can better reach your targeted audience. Your goal is to incorporate the content that will bring in the most customers. This will help you approach site design more efficiently.
Entertain with graphics. Add interest to your site by wrapping text around the images. If your site looks professional, people will come back.
If you need to design more than one website, then you should check into multiple platforms. Skills in Java, PHP, MySQL and others will enable you to build many different kinds of websites. Whether you are building a brand-new site or revamping an old one, diversifying your skill set.
Pay close attention to the backgrounds of your site design. Some sites have moving GIF backgrounds, which can be great at times, but can make your text difficult to read at other times. Use a light colored background which fits into your site’s color palette.
The security of your site is important. Any personal information given on your site, such as PayPal accounts and credit card numbers, will be more secure if you give your site an SSL certificate. Your host may have additional security features.
The design of your site not only should please the eye, but it must also present your content in a way in which your reader will be able to find it. It is important to make a good first impression. The tips found here should give you some ways to attract visitors. After that, you have give them a reason to stay.