Do you wish to become a great web designer? Do you have many goals in mind that you would like to accomplish, but are being held back because you need more information on how to design a website? If you answered “yes,” then this article is for you. It will help you learn the fundamentals of website creation.
Visitors will enjoy your website, if they can navigate it easily. Links should be easy to find and prominently displayed. Another way to provide easy navigation is to incorporate menus. Make sure that you have links posted to every page of the website. This will allow visitors to easily navigate the site.
A search box should be included on your website that allows visitors to look up information on your site. If visitors to your website are searching for something in particular, they will immediately look for the search box. When one is not available, chances are they will move to a site that is searchable. The ideal placement is the upper right hand corner of your page.
Whoever your target audience may be, loading time ought to be under ten seconds. A site that is designed well will only take a few seconds to load. Most visitors want instant gratification, so give it to them.
Publish a newsletter, to increase your likelihood of having repeat visitors. When you allow people to receive notifications about special events, discounts or updates, they are more likely to visit your site multiple times. Put the form for signing up in a prominent location, such as a sidebar, and use it to compile a list of visitors who opt in to your newsletter. Make sure the newsletter only goes to those who actually asked for it, or you’re going to get some serious blowback.
Don’t include pop-up windows when designing your website. Pop-ups can disturb your clients and will distract them when they are navigating. A user who is constantly closing pop-up ads is more likely to look for information on a different site without endless nuisances.
Search Engines
Leave out the frames if you want the website you create to be optimized for the major search engines. People like frames, but search engines will not see your info if it is inside a frame. If search engines can’t reach some information on your website, your rankings will be lower. Your visitors will be few if this happens.
Optimize your website for older IE versions. Many people detest Internet Explorer, but some still use these older versions today. Workarounds are needed for many elements to be visible in IE. You should read up on the frustrating “box model bug” that has plagued IE for a long time.
Do your best to optimize the loading times on every page of your website. Visitors would rather leave than wait. Reduce the graphics on your page and limit the script and use of Flash on your page.
If you have ideas for multiple websites, it’s a good move to go ahead and reserve a domain name now. It should be creative and cover the area you wish to dive into. It is surprising how many other people may have come up with similar ideas. Great minds do think alike, after all!
It does not matter how much money you have invested into the website, being a site host is not a great idea. As much as is practical, the web design should be your responsibility. But arrange for it to be hosted elsewhere so that you are not tied down into focusing on the website’s security.
When you are choosing your hosting service for the site, you have to be sure you understand everything that comes in the package. Make sure that you understand the bandwidth, storage space, CPU usage, and any extras that come with the offer. Ensure that you understand what you’ll be receiving.
Remember that the process of designing your website continues even after your site goes live. Be prepared to keep active on your website. Perhaps daily changes are not necessary, but you should still post updates regularly. If you advertise events or limited offers, make sure this type of content is up to date. Updating a site isn’t like updating a blog. There is a lot of work involved.
If you’re planning to design multiple sites, it would serve you well to learn to work with multiple platforms. You need to learn MySQL skills, PHP, Java, and more platforms so that you have more assistance in the future. Whether your interest in site design is recreational or exclusively professional, you must always be motivated to take it to the next level.
Because you now have more knowledge about web page design, are you more confident about your design abilities? If you don’t, peruse the article again, until you comprehend design principles firmly enough to feel confident.