There is a difference between knowing how a website works and how to actually build one. Manually coding HTML can be a tricky skill. However, you can develop a great looking website with a little know-how. Make sure to read these design tips below if you need a hand.
Make sure you put your website through the NoScript test. You want to activate NoScript after downloading the extension on Firefox so that you can read your site. Some content, such as ordering systems for products, can’t work without scripts, but if your site is simply blank with scripts turned off, that’s bad news.
On the Internet today, speed is where it’s at. So you must make sure everything on your site loads fast. No visitor is going to wait more than a few seconds for your page to load, so ensure they get what they want quickly so they don’t go to your competition’s website instead.
Successful websites work well with any browser, so you’ll need to do some testing of your paging using various browsers. A site that works on Internet Explorer might not display right in Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. Before uploading your site, give each page a look in each of the more popular web browsers.
Search Box
Put in a search box that lets visitors search through your site content. A simple tool such as a search box lets the visitor easily a specific piece of information on your site. When one is not available, chances are they will move to a site that is searchable. Put the search box near the top right side of the page, since that tends to be common.
Always, always remove old or outdated information off your website. If the page a viewer clicks on is promoting something that happened a year ago, you just lost a reader. Readers want current information and want to feel safe in dealing with a company that is on top of things. Create a regular schedule for updating the content of your page, and weed out anything that has become irrelevant.
Encourage visitors to come back to a website repeatedly, by offering them a newsletter. Giving your customers a reminder that you’re still online and have some great deals or new content that will bring them back to your site for more. It is good practice to place the newsletter signup form in your website’s side bar. Furthermore, you should always keep track of everyone who signs up. Make sure you only send out the letter to those that have explicitly requested to view it.
You want to set up some way to let visitors give you feedback. If you have forgotten something or have made an element of your site confusing to use, they will be able to tell you. If a visitor feel involved, he or she will want to see your website again.
Custom Options
Basic design tools will get you started on your website, but you will want to add some custom options. You want a site that truly reflects your personality and business image, and that requires some custom options not offered by these tools.
Build a microsite at first, as this will help you get an overall impression of your current strengths and weaknesses as a web designer. Learn from your successes and your mistakes as you expand your site.
Graphics can go a long way towards livening up a boring website. Wrapping text around the pictures helps improve the look and feel of your site. When readers see that a website took time and effort to create, they are more likely to spend time or money with that site.
Work with a professional. You can gain a great deal of knowledge from a website design master who knows how the field works. By doing this, you are helping to guarantee that one day you too will be a professional, because you are willing to take the time and gain the knowledge to do things the correct way.
Don’t write above the reading level of most of your visitors. Realize that most people aren’t as educated and sophisticated enough to understand all that fancy writing, and that might turn them off and leave your site. If you desire a greater amount of viewers to your site, create content for all different types of people.
Now that you’ve read the website creation tips in the above text, you can see that designing a site isn’t very complicated at all. It is not without its intricacies, but you can learn them all. Use the information here and you can build an effective website.