Often people find the idea of website development intriguing, yet shy away from pursuing it once they have given thought to a plan. If you’re someone who believes they should consider web design but you’re frightened about this subject, you should make use of the below article so that you can have a clearer idea on what exactly is website creation.
When designing webpages it is important that you use the correct graphics. Do not use bitmap for your images as they take up too much space. For non-photographic images, text buttons, and screen shots, use PNG or GIF. For photographs, opt for JPEGs.
Have your website prominently feature a tagline. Taglines are catchy mottos that explain your business. Use clear taglines to help people that visit your page. You only have a few second to get their attention and get them them to look through the whole website.
Put in an element to search so you can have visitors search what’s on your website. If visitors want something specific, they will immediately scan for a search function. If you don’t get one of these, they may move to a site that has something like that. Put the search box near the top right side of the page, since that tends to be common.
Do not overdo the graphics on your site. Having graphics are good for anyone who wants an attractive and professional site, but an abundance of them makes your page look cluttered. Do not use graphics simply for decorating; utilize them for true improvement. Your site will be easier to navigate too if you keep the graphic clutter to a minimum.
Avoid use of too many different fonts in any one web page design. You have to consider how the fonts you choose display on computer screens. Some are simply too hard to read. Many sites prefer Verdana, which is readable in many sizes and colors.
Put your user’s needs in first priority. User needs must be your main focus. Examples of this would be user interaction, accessibility, usability and the users overall experience. These are some important considerations to make. Keep in mind that it is not your view that is most important, but the visitor’s view.
Don’t overload a website with more graphics and photos than necessary. Graphics are indeed important to make your website look well-designed and professional, but if you use too many, it just looks cluttered. Graphics should improve your site, not just pretty it up. Having the right amount of graphics will improve your site’s usability and reduce the clutter.
Meta Tags
If you want your website to get more visitors, take care to use relevant, up-to-date meta tags on every page of your site. Quality meta tags describe your site for search engines. If you use meta tags that do not correspond to your content or to your target audience, do not expect to get a lot of visitors.
It’s not always a good idea to host your website yourself, even when you have a great deal of money sunk in the venture. You should do the design all by yourself (or as much of it as you possibly can), but allowing another person to be the keeper of your site will let you be free and will allow you to have your mind on different things and not just the site’s security and safety.
When designing a large website, include the ability to search throughout the site. At the top right of every page in your site, incorporate a search box which will let visitors search for a term that appears on your site. FreeFind and Google both offer search plugins that can easily be added to your website.
Start out with building small websites so that you can determine what areas you worked on that were good, and what areas you worked on that were not so good. You want to start off with maybe a couple of pages that are basic with just information and text, and see how you feel from there.
Always proofread for content error. You want your site to flow well, so that visitors can read it quickly without getting caught up in content mistakes. When you have errors on your site it really looks unprofessional and people won’t take you or your site seriously which can hurt it’s reputation.
A basic layout should be used for your site in the beginning, this way you can get an understanding of the basics of website development. As you continue to learn about web design, you can update and change your site to reflect your new knowledge.
Be sure your site can handle Internet Explorer, both new and old versions. People may say they dislike Internet Explorer, but a majority of them still use it. They often don’t render elements to web standards, so you will have to work around them. Specifically, you’ll want to know about IE’s “box model bug.”
Running multiple test checks are vital to ensuring that your website runs optimally. Generally, the purpose of each task is to find information and/or functionality buried deep within your site. Should the site be designed well, the task is easy for the user to complete. If there is a flaw in the design, the task can show what parts of the website need to be improved.
What you’ve read here should have given you an idea of what you need to know to build a proper website, so feel confident that you’re ready to go! Keep in mind you can always expand your knowledge with a subject like website development so always look for new information. If you abide by what you have learned here, then there is no reason why you cannot succeed in designing a great website.