Many people want to design a website of their own, but do not know where to start. It’s something you must learn about on your own. This article will show you some helpful tips on the basics of web design.
Do not use frames; that is old school. While they worked well for the time, they caused many issues for website visitors. A website that uses frames can cause trouble for visitors when they try to bookmark a site, and no one wants to spend their time scrolling on a website needlessly. There are better ways to allow your users to browse your pages easily.
Make sure that every page on your website loads as quickly as possible. If your pages take a long time to load, visitors with slow connection speeds will lose interest. If the wait is too long, your visitors may give up and leave.
It’s a good idea to set up your site so that it can retain a copy of user information that must be entered repeatedly. For instance, if a person registers on your site and a portion of the same exact information is required for filling another form out, ensure that the information they’ve already put in is saved so that he or she doesn’t have to put in this information again. “Sticky” data will ensure that the user fills out all the forms they need to instead of leaving when it becomes too difficult.
Make sure your first page is simple. Those who are shopping the web will make snap decisions about a site based off its front page. While you should describe the purpose of your business and what it offers, reduce distractions be keeping all else to a bare minimum.
Don’t use frames. Although users like pages that include frames, the information inside does not show up in search engines. The search engine will give your website a lower ranking if it can’t see the great content you are providing. If this does happen, your visitation may sink.
Make sure you optimize your website for older Internet Explorer versions like IE7 and IE8. Most people have a love-hate relationship with IE; however, many people are still using it, including older versions. Many elements are not in compliance with web standards, so finding a workaround will be required. Read up on the so-called “box model bug” which has bothered IE users for a long time.
Be sure that your users priorities are your priorities. As a web designer, you should always focus on the viewer’s needs. These needs include user interaction, accessibility, and user experience. These are essential elements you must keep in mind. Try to make sure you look at your site from the perspective of your visitors as you design it.
Meta Tags
Good meta tagging practices will help your website draw in larger numbers of visitors. Good meta tags help search engines understand and categorize your website’s content properly. Meta tags that don’t accurately reflect the content of your website will negatively impact your traffic.
Try using easy, maintainable and clear navigation. Where all navigation links are placed will have an impact on how long any of your visitors stay on your site. The navigational part of your website should allow users a great experience.
It is vital that you are aware of the fact of your need to design your website so that it displays properly on a range of different Internet browsers. Each web browser has a slightly different way of how they illustrate the website, and in a couple of cases these little differences could have major effects on the experience for the user. Learn which browsers are used the most. Use different browsers to test your website, even mobile web browsers.
A visitor counter on the page is unattractive. While you might think that it’s adding something to your site, it’s really something that your visitors don’t want to see. Use a different way to monitor your traffic.
When you are choosing your hosting service for the site, you have to be sure you understand everything that comes in the package. What you are going to need to know is CPU usage, bandwidth, disk space, and some other areas that come with the package. Never buy a hosting package without understanding everything that’s included.
As the you saw at the start of this piece, information is the most important start to any website build. When you have some knowledge up your sleeve, you should have no problem getting started on the perfect site for your needs. Use the tips you found here to improve an existing website or build a new one from scratch.