When trying to run a successful site, it’s crucial that you have a good understanding of good practices in web design. A good design makes your website easier to use and makes you look like a real professional. Your site will get more traffic and more repeat visitors. Read on to find hints to help you draft a website you can be proud of.
In general, users are more interested in the content of your website than its design. Keep your site simple and easy to navigate, and only include positive, relevant content and information. The more simple the page, the quicker it will load.
Be sure to factor in ample time to work on web design. You will have to dedicate a couple of hours during the day so you can get work done, instead of trying to accomplish little bits and pieces at a time. As you progress in your design efforts, you will be solidifying the knowledge you have gained.
You should update your content and get rid of expired content regularly. Failing to update your page with current information and upcoming events will cost you in terms of site visitors. The average online user values fresh content and attention to detail. Create a regular schedule for updating the content of your page, and weed out anything that has become irrelevant.
When looking for a professional to help you with your web design needs, you should hire someone that is of no relation to you. Don’t give in to the temptation to hire family or friends. If they do not do a good enough job, firing them can prove more difficult than firing someone you do not know as well.
Be sure to have your site’s logo link to your homepage from anywhere on the site. These days, people expect to be able to click on a logo to go to a site’s main page. It can cause frustration for the visitors to your site if the logo is static. They will then have to waste their time searching for a link to your home page. This will make your site more seamless to navigate.
Use your friends or colleagues as a source for refreshing your information from the various design elements you use. It’s a good thing to know that you actually remember all that you were taught, because something you don’t want is to be halfway through designing your site and then suddenly stumble over a lost fact or point.
Come up with a design concept for your website, and sketch it out on paper ahead of time. Ask friends and family for honest critiques of your drafts so that you get an idea on what direction to take.
Use key phrases throughout your site as you design it. It is vital to bear in mind that your web design isn’t great because it is artsy, but because it persuades the visitor. It is a must to know who your development clientele are. What language will your target audience respond to? There should be three or five keywords that the audience is looking for that you can embed throughout the website.
If you design websites, think of yourself as an artist. Be open-minded and, when you have an idea, record it so you won’t forget it. If something inspires you to have a design idea while you are out and about, make sure that you write down a quick note of your idea on whatever you have access to, for example, a napkin. Even if you’re busy with something else, at your job, for example, you can preserve a new idea by calling yourself and leaving a reminder on your voice mail.
Don’t have pop-ups. Customers are turned off by the constant advertising pop-up ads represent. The majority of people will leave a site if it contains pop-ups, even if these sites are very large ones. Keep your customers happy, by steering clear of these annoying ads. Any host which requires you to have pop-up ads is a host you don’t want to use!
Keep your early site building efforts small, so you can more easily identify what is working, and what is not. Start out by making a few pages that just have basic information and some easy text, then asses how it works for you.
Even though development platforms provide you with code, some are not nearly as trustworthy as classic text editors. 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. Use a text editor to reduce mistakes, and additionally help to learn the process for yourself.
A successful website needs to work for visitors using any browser, so it is important to test your web pages to make sure they display properly in different browsers. What works in Chrome may not present properly in Safari, Internet Explorer or Firefox. Visually test your website in every browser you can prior to launch.
If you include a search box on your site, it should be positioned in the top, right-hand site of each page. The search field should accommodate 27 or more characters. Label the button next to the search box “search.” Don’t use other labels, such as “go,” as these will cause visitors to miss seeing the box when they are looking for it. Making the search box properly ensures that it is seen easily, used easily, and helps visitors to your site locate the information they want.
When you are making a number of pages that require the same template, the simplest way to do this is to use copy/paste. When you can re-use pre-existing code with only a few minor tweaks in each different page, generating all-new HTML code over and over is a waste of time. This method allows you to make countless copies of the master code.
There are plenty of benefits to having an attractive website design. Your site will look more professional and people will enjoy using it, trust your company and pay attention to your content. Your success or lack of it rests on the web design. You have hopefully gathered some excellent web design advice in the course of reading this article. Put them to work for the success of your website today!
