Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Secrets of Great Web Design

By Hannah J Steelton


Having a solid understanding of good web design practices is essential for running a successful website. Making use of these principles will make your site more attractive, easier to use, and more successful overall. It will not only help you get more visitors, but also convince them to come back. This article contains a selection of tips and ideas that will help you to become an excellent web designer.

Functional websites work out for all visitors, regardless of their browser, so it's essential that your website is tested across all the major platforms. A webpage that displays properly using Internet Explorer, could appear incorrectly or poorly on a different browser such as Firefox or Chrome. Before you website is launched, test the display of each page in all major browsers.

A great place to get a domain name for the website you want to design is through domain auctions. Sites such as SEDO have many domain names which have been set up already and are available to be purchased. Consider a great domain name as an investment necessary to help visitors remember your site.

Even more important than a good looking website is one that loads fast, and that means all of your files should be small. The reason for this is that your file sizes directly affect how quickly your website loads. It is always better to have your website load as fast as possible. You must also be aware that everyone doesn't have a high speed connection to the Internet. Take the time to test your site, and make sure that various connections speeds receive quick load times.

If you want your site to be a professional one, do not use free hosting services. You do not need to have lots of additional advertisements taking the focus away from your site's products or services. Using a host you pay for is a much better idea.

Be sure to have your site's logo link to your homepage from anywhere on the site. Just about everyone expects to be able to click on the company logo to be redirected to the home page. With only a static logo, your users could become frustrated as they search for a home link and decide to stop wasting their time on your site. Having a logo that is clickable will make site navigation easier.

It's hard to go wrong with a simple color like white for the background of your website. Using white helps visitors be able to read your website, and gives your site a more professional look. However, intricate designs on your background can distract users and give your site more of an amateurish look. Make your background as simple as possible.

You should have a visible tagline included on not only every webpage that is in the domain, but also the sub-domains. Use large text in bold that will grab attention, as this is the first thing seen by visitors when following links. If you use the tagline appropriate, it will let the reader's know what your page's true goal is. It can even help to determine if they will remain on the page or use their "back" button.

Discuss things with your friends to gather if you missed anything while learning about Photoshop, HTML, or Dreamweaver. It is difficult to keep all of the details of web design in mind, and it is common to become confused while designing and miss a thing or two. That's why it's good to have knowledgeable friends "proof" your site for you.

Make sure all HTML and CSS you write is valid. A lot of WYSIWYG editors will put a bunch of junk code on the design of your site. You'll need to go ahead and have your code validated by a service if you're going to use these applications. The W3C website has a tool you can use for free, so make sure to bookmark it.

You should not only place your search box close to the top of the page, but should allow visitors to type 27 or more characters into the box. Make sure the button that engages the search says "search" and not "submit" or "go". Doing this makes sure the search box can be easily seen, used and helps visitors to your site find exactly what they were looking for.

Sketch out some ideas of your site. Show your drawings to family, friends or potential customers to get their opinions. Use their feedback to make changes to your sketches or eliminate some ideas.

Web design, done correctly, is quite rewarding. Your website design will look professional, the site itself will be simpler to use and your visitors will trust your content. Whether or not your website succeeds or fails is based on your design. The above article has given you some excellent advice about how to design your pages effectively. Utilize them to ensure the success of your website!




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