While making a website is not all that hard, there is a little bit of learning and planning that goes into it. You must carefully plan out your site, choose the right colors and borders for a great looking website. If you take note of the information given here, you will be ready to enter the electronic entrepreneur race.
Ensure your website can pass the NoScript test. Download and run the NoScript extension on Firefox and find out if the site is readable? You will need to do this to ensure the functionality of your site.
Your visitors should be able to see your content regardless of the browser they are using. Test your pages with different browsers to make sure it is displayed properly. Each browser is a little different, and a site that looks fine in Firefox may look wrong in Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Test how your pages display with all major browsers prior to launch.
Be sure to view your website designs in all the popular web browsers. Make sure it looks good on every browser. Be sure you research all of the popular browsers that people are using and then design accordingly. You will also want to send your site to someone that’s using a different operating system so you can see that their browser is compatible with yours.
Search Box
A search box should be included on your website that allows visitors to look up information on your site. When a visitor wants to find something specifically, they will immediately look for the search tool. If you do not have one, the viewer will find another site. Normally, the best place to include the search box is in the upper right hand corner, as that is where most visitors look for it.
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. When visitors may be filling out multiple forms or information pieces, have the data fields retain their information, and auto-fill subsequent forms that are filled out. If you use this data to your advantage, users will be able to save time as they navigate your site.
It is essential to test the pages in your website to be certain they look as they should on every different browser; a successful site needs to display correctly in all browsers. What works in Chrome may not present properly in Safari, Internet Explorer or Firefox. Monitor how the pages look in major browsers before taking your website live.
Consider a free software package when you are setting up your website. Many people falsely believe that they need to purchase expensive software in order to create a good website, however, there are currently numerous excellent free tools on the market that help you to develop a very professional looking website. Just perform a simple search and you’re sure to find some wonderful tools.
Alt Tags
As you go about setting up your website, make sure that you add ALT tags to all images on the site. It helps those who are surfing the web with disable graphics. It also helps those with visual impairments, as images can be translated to voice. If you use images as links, you can describe the link. The last thing is that ALT tags attract search engine crawlers, so you can get a better ranking by using them.
Let visitors search throughout your website. If visitors are searching for something specific, they should be able to use a search box. If your site doesn’t have one, they will probably go to a website that does. Normally, the best place to include the search box is in the upper right hand corner, as that is where most visitors look for it.
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. Many people detest Internet Explorer, but some still use these older versions today. These do not render the web elements to the web standard, so there must be workarounds. An example would be the vexing “box model bug” which troubled IE for quite some time.
User experience is the most important aspect of any website. This is one of the most important aspects of website development. This is going to have everything to do with accessibility and usability, as well as different types of social interaction. You need to make sure you are meeting the users needs on all levels. Try to see things from your visitor’s perspective when you design.
Optimize your website’s load times. If a visitors has to wait long periods of time for items on your site to load, then they’ll wish to exit your site. Minimize the amount of Flash, scripts and graphics on your site. Optimize the site with HTML, SSI files, caching options and minimize CSS and JS coding.
Keep your front page as simple as possible. Visitors to your site will decide quickly from your front page if they want to stay to look around or leave just as quickly. While you should describe the purpose of your business and what it offers, reduce distractions be keeping all else to a bare minimum.
Classic Text
While development platforms are great for doing the job of creating your code, they are not always able to be relied on for classic text editing. The goal of a platform is to design the features you want in a site, then you simply paste the code that was generated into your own site. But if you desire a true creator experience and want to reduce errors, stick with classic text editors.
HTML5 is something that you’re going to have to be familiar with if you want to be truly successful with website creation. If you don’t know HTML5, you will have a great deal of work ahead of you, so start learning about it now.
Don’t use many fonts as you design your page. You have to consider how the fonts you choose display on computer screens. Some are simply too hard to read. Most sites use Verdana, which is easily read in different colors and sizes.
Graphics help to keep the site visually stimulating and entertaining. Prevent a bland appearance by wrapping text around your images. When your content looks professional and well thought out, it creates more interest and encourages users to return to your site.
The information provided here is basic information to get started, and becoming an expert will take a little time and practice. As you get the hang of things, you will see your site slowly start to improve. If you get confused, or you aren’t sure what to do next, simply come back and review the tips above.