Even experienced web designers are stumped when designing mobile sites. If you are in this predicament, read this advice. The advice is up-to-date and helpful.
Use graphics that are right for your website. Bitmap images require a lot of disk space and are unwieldy. Use a GIF instead if the image contains over 256 colors and PNG for test buttons and screen shots. Photos require JPEG to ensure high quality.
Make sure that a tagline is prominently displayed on your website. These are statements or mottos that express the purpose of your business. Use a clear line to keep the visitors on your website.
Display a tagline in a prominent area on your page. Taglines are catchy mottos that explain your business. Having a tagline is important; most users know if they will stay on a page after about eight seconds, so you need to do whatever it takes to keep their attention.
Make sure that there is a site feature that will allow users to seek for specific content. If visitors to your website are searching for something in particular, they will immediately look for the search box. If your site is not equipped with one, visitors may go to an alternate site. The ideal placement is the upper right hand corner of your page.
Make your website easy to scan. Usability tests have determined that the majority of online visitors aren’t going to read all content but instead scan for something interesting. Emphasized text broken into easily scannable sections can help your viewers want to return to your site. Keep the most pertinent information near the top of the page. This can help you make sure your visitors have a better experience since they can easily find what they’re looking for.
Use JavaScript only when necessary to avoid losing some potential viewers. While Java opens many doors towards an interactive website experience, a lot of Internet surfers are going to have difficulty with it. Not all web browsers are alike, and they are updated pretty frequently. Every single visitor isn’t going to be using a more recent version of their browser. Also, people sometimes don’t have JavaScript enabled in their browsers. These both could keep users from getting to your website.
Make sure that all of your colors match one another. Your content should be read easily without assistance or adjustment. It is typically easier to see darker lettering that is set upon light backgrounds than the reverse. If you have doubts about your color scheme, run it by a few people and see what they think of it.
Always keep your load times under 10 seconds. Efficient sites that are well-designed need to show up in the browser for your readers in just moments. Many users crave instant gratification, so you should give it to them.
Free Software
When designing a site, use free software. Investing in powerful software packages like Photoshop is only worth it if you think they’ll pay off in the end. Finding good free software does require a bit more legwork, however.
If you want your site to bring in more visitors, you should ensure it’s simple to navigate. It should always be easy to get from one page of the site to another. A navigation menu will also help visitors locate exactly what they’re looking for. To enable easy browsing, be sure that each page includes a link back to the home page.
It does not matter how you have designed your website; you have to make sure that every file has a small file size. File sizes are directly responsible for how quickly a website loads. You want your website to load as quickly as possible. Bear in mind that some site visitors are still using dial-up. Perform tests on your website to make sure that it loads fast, even when a dial-up connection is used.
White is an effective and visually attractive background color for a website. White backgrounds cause your content to be easily seen, and it gives your site a trustworthy feel and a more professional look. Complicated, artsy background designs look cool, but they can often be distracting to the reader. Simple backgrounds are usually a better choice.
Do not forget to test your site on several major browsers. Each web browser has a slightly different way of how they illustrate the website, and in a couple of cases these little differences could have major effects on the experience for the user. A little bit of research will help you decide which browsers are used most often, at that time. Make sure your website works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and the major mobile browsers.
Purchase a web design program to help you along the way. Professional website design programs are not difficult to use, and before you know it, you will be able to develop an attractive website. Otherwise, people will not be interested in visiting your site.
If you want to create a new website, consider using Adobe Dreamweaver. Even amateur users go through a fast learning curve in this program. There are step by step guides on how to make layouts and templates in the program. You can also test the website before you go live.
The Internet is a constantly evolving place. These design tactics you’ve probably read may not be as relevant today as they were years ago. That’s why keeping abreast of the latest information is important. The tips you’ve read above are current and can help you design a great site in today’s market.