It’s important for new web designer to learn the basics of proper web design, so they can create some good-looking and functional websites. There are a variety of information sources that provide useful strategies for designing websites. This article is one of them. Read on for some basic web design tips to help you improve your skills.
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. When your site is just a blank page, you have a problem.
Visitors will enjoy your website, if they can navigate it easily. Important links should be highly visible on every page. Another way to provide easy navigation is to incorporate menus. Have links to the main pages available on every page of your site so visitors can always find their way around.
Don’t make your page sizes any larger than necessary. Not every person using Internet has a high-speed connection, so if a site takes longer to load, they won’t be as interested in it. If a user has to wait for each page to download, they may leave your site altogether.
You should never go live before previewing the site and ensuring images load properly and all links work. The worst experience for a visitor is to have interest in learning more only to click the dreaded dead end link. You can do this manually or run a software program if you like.
Be sure your introductory page is clean and simple. People will quickly decide whether or not they want to do business with you by how your homepage looks. Spend time describing your business and what it offers, but keep the rest to a minimum so that people do not get distracted.
File Types
The file types that you utilize for your website’s graphics directly affect file sizes which in turn affect how quickly your website loads. In general, it is best to use JPEGs and GIFs for your graphics. While BMP and PNG files might be better for creating web graphics, these file types tend to use significantly more disk space. To ensure your site is user friendly, these types of graphics should be converted to file types of manageable size.
Optimize your website’s load times. Visitors to your site may be more likely to navigate away from your page if it takes too long to load pages. Reduce graphics, scripts and Flash consoles on your web page, optimize HTML and utilize SSI files.
When creating your website, make separate CSS sets for different browsers and consider using conditional loading. Using these techniques makes it much easier for testing and ensuing maintenance later on. You want to have an easy time making changes and doing the inevitable maintenance you’ll need on your site in the future.
An excellent web design program is Adobe Dreamweaver. Even beginners can easily understand how to use this program. It offers many layouts, templates and features to help with web design.
HTML5 is what you’re going to need to learn about if you’re trying to do well with web design. If you don’t already know about html5, then you need to brush up and get acquainted with it.
Use a basic, simple layout for your website so it’s easy to change and expand. As you continue to learn about web design, you can update and change your site to reflect your new knowledge.
Keep the reading level of your potential visitors in mind when writing website content. There are going to be people with all different levels of education viewing your site. To grow your audience, create easy-to-understand content.
Avoid wasting time by programming your domain and user name into your file server. This will allow you to quickly choose your settings from the menu when you log into your server. This will save you plenty of time.
Check with your host to make sure video hosting is allowed if you have the intent of hosting videos on your site. Many hosts forbid hosting video using their servers. This is because the FLV files can take up a lot of server space, so it is prudent that you ask first before you waste your time.
When building multiple web pages in the subcategory of your site, your best helper will be the copy/paste attribute on your computer. Rather than rewriting new code for each page, simply copy a main section of your code from the first page. You can then use this as the foundation for your next pages, making minor changes where needed. Reusing the master copy of your web page’s HTML code will make the design simpler.
If you design websites, think like an artist. This means you should open your mind to new ideas. If an idea for your website strikes you while you are out eating dinner, make a note on a napkin. You can jot down notes on a notepad, carry a small recorder, send yourself a text message or email or call your answering machine or voicemail and leave yourself a message.
Do not make your ads too large. You want to make people feel comfortable when they come to your site, not the opposite. Too many elements and ads on a page make it overly busy. This can make it difficult for visitors to find the content they are looking for.
Create informative error pages. Often a person will click on a moved or broken link, and receive a error message that is generic and confusing. Create an error page that shows the visitor there was a problem you are aware, but also include a link on the page that takes them back to your homepage.
As you have seen, it is important to know the principles of web design if you want to make an attractive web site that works properly. Since a vast amount of information is available on the subject, it can be hard for beginners to identify the best place to start. The advice from this article should provide you with enough information to get started in the process of web design.