A lot of aspiring web designers think flashy sites are eye-catching, but visitors with slower internet connections don’t like them. Sites with success keep their pages simple in order to allow visitors to find what they are looking for. The tips below will make your site the best it can be.
You will need to pass the NoScript test. Download NoScript and activate the Firefox extension. This will tell you if your website can be read. Some content, like ordering systems, will not work properly without scripts, but when your site is completely blank when scripts are turned off, then that’s not a good sign.
Keep your topics separated. If you have many topics on your site, try keeping them on separate pages. This helps alleviate any confusion that your customers may experience, as well as giving search engines a broader and more clear view of your site, potentially bumping you up higher in their rankings.
Incorporate fixed-position navigation so the users can easily use your site. This keeps the site menus in place as visitors scroll through your site. You can use this both to allow your visitor to navigate more easily, and to keep your call to action in view.
If you are agonizing over what color your website’s background should be, don’t be afraid to go with plain, effective white. White backgrounds cause your content to be easily seen, and it gives your site a trustworthy feel and a more professional look. However, intricate designs on your background can distract users and give your site more of an amateurish look. A simple background is usually better than a crazy one.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are key to your site if you want to attract people to your site for short and long periods of time. Make sure you include them. Using relevant meta tags on each page of your site will help search engines categorize the page and show it to people who want to know about your page’s topic. Poorly designed meta tags will not reflect the content of your website and will not help attract visitors.
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.
Build small sites at first, analyze what worked and what didn’t. Begin with a few basic pages, (just text for the most part) and see how it goes.
Start building the first page of your site with a template to keep the process simple and straightforward. Beginning with a no-frills site allows you to constantly innovate and change things as you learn new techniques.
Keep in mind that everyone visiting your site has different needs. Not all users will be well educated, and some may actually be beginning readers. When expanding your audience, you want to develop content they understand.
Frames are a holdover from 90’s design elements. They used to be great in the early web design days, but they had many flaws. Frame-based designs cause readers to have trouble bookmarking your site, and scrolling can also prove burdensome. You have much better options with which to help visitors go through the site.
If you are using FileZilla for your file server, you must manually program the quick start menu settings within your domain, username and the right port. That way, you only need to select your settings from the personalized menu whenever you need to log back into the server. You will find this to be a time saver.
Even after you have your web page launched and operation, you will need to tweak it occasionally. Be prepared to keep active on your website. You don’t have to constantly update it, but you must do regular updates. This is especially true if you’re hosting videos or working with current events. The necessary alterations to a website are different from a blog. It takes quite a bit of work.
This helps with your design process, since you learn as you work. When you figure out a certain portion of web design, you need to explore another one. This could slow down your site-building process, but what you learn during this whole process is invaluable, and soon you will be able to create websites without blinking an eye.
Go through all links on any page on your website carefully to make sure there are no links that are broken before you upload the page. An error page after clicking a link is very frustrating for visitors to your page. Check out your links manually on your own, or use a program for the scan.
If you want to find out how to develop a website, there is no need to pay for information. While a book can be a good investment, it may not be necessary. A number of magazines and books are available that provide helpful information. However, you can get the same information for free. It’s not just the books that you pay for that can give you good advice.
Make sure all the interface tools you use are consistent and easy for users to understand. Clickable text should be underlined. Once it has been clicked, it should change colors. If your website is easy to use and consistent, visitors will come back in the future.
Make sure you pay attention to how other sites you browse can influence your own. This helps you stay away from pitfalls and lets you use good ideas that you wouldn’t otherwise have thought of doing.
Don’t overdo it with JavaScript. While it can provide a large variety of ways to build a more responsive and transparent website, it can cause problems for some of your visitors. Not all web browsers are alike, and they are updated pretty frequently. You can’t expect that your website visitors are going to have the most updated versions of their browsers. Many people turn off Javascript, or disallow it on a site they don’t visit regularly. Your website may not have any functionality to offer these types of users as a result.
Each web page that is designed should be validated. There are quite a few WYSIWYG editors that are guilty of putting a great deal of junk code on sites that they design. Use a validation service to check your code if you use this type of editor. For example, you can get free validation services through W3C.
Keeping all of your site’s links updated and working is essential. A well-designed website should always be user-friendly. Broken links are not part of a user-friendly interface. Make a regular schedule to check every link on your site to make sure they are functioning properly.
Check out a design company’s portfolio, before engaging them for your business. You want to make sure that they can be trusted, and that they offer the quality of work that you’re looking for in a site. By viewing the firm’s portfolio, you will gain a clear understanding of their capabilities and accomplishments.
Photoshop is a great tool that novice designers should invest in to help make better looking web designs. When amateurs use Photoshop, they often create very professional grade sites based off the capabilities of the software. Without a useful photo-editing program, you may have difficulty creating attractive, crisp content.
As you read earlier, a flash based website may look nice, however they often take too long to load. Find an even balance between flashy and simple. Try these tips out seriously, and you can go far.