Do you want to become a good web designer? Perhaps you have many good ideas but do not have the skills to make them come to life. If you want to improve your web page design skills, this article is chock full of beginner-friendly tips.
If you’re creating a website, make sure you look at it in different browsers. You have to make sure that you’re seeing your site through the eyes of all customers. Research the different browsers that are popular and design your site accordingly. It’s also a good idea to test out your website on different operating systems.
Watch your use of color combinations when building your site. You want to make sure that your text is easily visible against your background colors. The better choice is using darker fonts against backgrounds that are lighter. When in doubt about the effectiveness of your color choices, solicit the opinions of friends.
Before going live, test your website against NoScript. Download NoScript and activate the Firefox extension. This will tell you if your website can be read. Some things, like purchase orders, will not work unless your site contains the proper scripts.
Search Box
Put in a search box that lets visitors search through your site content. Visitors may look for something specific, and that box will be the one of the first things they look for. If you don’t have a search box, they’ll just go to the next site. Always put the box somewhere near the right page’s top because people will look for it there.
It is imperative to replace old content with new. When you are offering specials that are past their expiration, you will watch your visitor counts dwindle. Readers want current information and want to feel safe in dealing with a company that is on top of things. Set a schedule to review the site, to ensure that outdated information is removed, and fresh new content is added in its place.
If you want your site to bring in more visitors, you should ensure it’s simple to navigate. Links should be easy to find and prominently displayed. Menus can also help with site navigation. Always post the links to your primary pages on every sub-page to keep visitors on your site.
Your website should be easy to scan. Tests have shown that the majority of online readers avoid reading everything on a page; instead, they just scan it for information that is of importance to them. That’s why it is smart to break your information into smaller, more easily comprehended chunks. Definitely keep the most timely and important items near the top. This will satisfy your visitors and have them coming back for more.
Minimize the use of JavaScript. It provides many ways to develop an interactive experience for your audience, but it can also stop some visitors from accessing your content at all. The web browsing softwares out there differ greatly, and they all release new versions with frequency. Keep in mind that not every single person who visits your site has the most up to date browser version. They may also not have enabled JavaScript in their browser. This means they’ll have difficulty viewing your site because of this.
A great way to get repeat visitors to your site, is by having them subscribe to your newsletter. When you allow visitors to subscribe to your website’s newsletter for updates, they will be more likely to come back to your site. Have a signup form in one of your sidebars, and document everyone that signs up. Only send out a newsletter to people who have subscribed to it, otherwise you will have angry customers.
You must always include the capability to search if you are working on a large website. This is commonly located in the topmost-right corner of the screen as an empty bar, which users can insert a search term or phrase. You can find viable search features through companies like FreeFind or Google.
Separate your topics. Separate topic of discussion throughout your site by putting them on separate pages. Your content will be more readable to your visitors and more visible to search engines, resulting in higher rankings.
Alt Tags
As you add images, use ALT tags. These tags are very important for the handicapped segment of your target audience. Using ALT tags also help to explain what clicking on the link will do. Search engine crawlers also heavily use ALT tags to boost the rankings for some websites.
Ensure that you’re including a method of receiving feedback from your site’s visitors. This makes it easier to identify problem areas and to create a more user-friendly site. Involving your visitors in your website can help to bond them to your brand and bring them back time and time again.
Hosting a website yourself is seldom a good idea. Do as much of the design that you are comfortable with, but allow a professional to host your website, so your time is freed up; this allows you to dedicate your time for things other than the site’s security and safety.
Adobe Dreamweaver can help you create a great site. It is ideal for beginner builders and easy to learn. You will be able to add features, use layouts and templates, and see how your website will look after it is uploaded.
Proofread all of the content on your site so that you don’t look like you rushed through it. Keeping it simple allows visitors to find what you want them to find as quickly as possible. If your site is rife with errors, it makes you look like a rank amateur. Visitors will dismiss you immediately.
It is important to have content on your site that is not only interesting, but compelling as well. Though the look is highly important, content is the key to return visitors. If visitors are able to find what they need, they will come back again at some point.
Because you now have more knowledge about website creation, are you more confident about your design abilities? You can develop the website design confidence you need to achieve your goals by reviewing information like that provided above, and by going out in search of more helpful advice. The useful knowledge available to you on the subject is practically endless!
Onaolapo Adeyemi is a travel and technology writer. If he’s not on tour, you’ll find him in New York with his wife, and pet parrot hanging out at Starbucks.
