Web designers should strive for perfection all the time. Of course there is no such thing called a “perfect site”, but aiming high will help you get better and enrich what you have done already. Regardless of the kind of website you are developing, this is always a good goal to keep in mind.
Avoid using captchas beyond the initial registration procedures. Visitors dislike captchas, and dislike the feeling that they must solve a complicated problem just to see a web page. Most visitors will leave a webpage that requires too much personal information or the completion of difficult tasks.
Every page you create needs to have its code validated. Lots of WYSIWYG technicians will tack on unneeded code to what you’ve done. If those programs are used, be sure that you take the extra effort of utilizing a validation service to validate your code. W3C proves a service which is free that can be used to validate web pages.
Easy navigation is critical to keeping visitors on your site. Make all links prominent and easily located. You can also improve your website’s navigation by using simple menus. Ensure that there are links to all of your main pages, such as the home and contact pages, in a prominent location on every page.
Implement site searching abilities into your home and sub pages. This ensures that all parts of your carefully designed site are always accessible to the people that need them. These searches are easy to add — and worth the time.
Don’t let content that is out of date linger on your website. If your home page features an event that already took place, people will not be interested in reading more of your content. Users will spend time on websites that are well-maintained, and the presence of your outdated information will tell them that your site it not being properly cared for. Create a timeline for your updates, and clean up any old promotions or information that is not current.
When the site is launched, the process of design isn’t finished. Be prepared to keep busy with your site. Updating doesn’t need to be daily, but you must find a regular schedule and follow through consistently. That is certainly the case if you plan to host videos or discuss current events. Unfortunately, creating updates to a website is not quite as easy as just throwing up a fresh blog. You still have to put in some effort, though!
Minimize the use of JavaScript. Some of your website visitors may not have JavaScript, and others will not want to update it on a regular basis. Everyone uses a different web browser, and all of them have new versions released fairly regularly. Every single visitor isn’t going to be using a more recent version of their browser. On top of this, some visitors will have JavaScript disabled in their browsers. In either case, you are preventing your visitors from using all or some of the features of your website.
If you think that you will be creating multiple websites, take the time to become familiar with various platforms. Other skills to add would include Java and similar platforms, as well as MySQL and PHP. Whether you’re a hobbyist designer or a grizzled professional, knowing a lot of different web technologies is sure to make you more in-demand.
Sounds are of questionable use on a website, so be really cautious when considering them for your own site. Do not annoy your visitors with blasting sound that they have no way of turning off when they get to your site. Providing links for audio and video are fine, though you need to allow the visitor to have complete control as to whether they want to listen to something on your site.
If you use FileZilla, remember to program it on a quick menu with your username, domain, and correct port. That way, the next time you log back into your server, you just need to go to the menu and choose personalized settings. This saves a lot of time.
Add relevant keywords for your target audience throughout your site design. You need to persuade visitors to spend their money or join your cause. You don’t want them to just think your site looks nice without taking any action. You should have your intended audience firmly in mind throughout the web design process. Are there any particular words that will catch the attention of your audience? Find some and sprinkle them throughout your content.
Ensure your web designs don’t look similar to something already in your niche. Visit the competition and compare it to your site. Obviously, similar websites won’t separate you from the pack. You will be just another generic version of any competitors that had their sites up before you.
Before you design a full website, start small. Make some smaller websites so you can easily see which areas you can do well, and which areas you may need more work on. If you begin by creating only a few pages, it will be easier to gradually build your confidence.
The truth is that popups and links that try to open new browser windows are irritating to the vast majority of your website visitors. In most cases, people just turn this functionality off on their browser. Therefore, you should avoid these techniques. If you are considering using these strategies as a means of navigating your site, you may need to rethink your navigation system and find ways to make it more user-friendly.
As you’ve read, it doesn’t matter what your skill set is in website design, you must study the basics. With so much available information on web design, finding the pertinent information you want can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Consider reading this article as the starting point in your efforts toward learning web design.
