Many people mistakenly assume that one website is just as good as another, but this simply is not true. Check out the website of a major corporation, then look at a site that is hosted on Google or Yahoo. The difference between the two sorts of sites will be quite clear, and you should be aware that thoughtful web design is responsible for that difference. To discover more about designing an effective website, read on.
When you’re thinking about how to design a website, you need to be sure to think about the navigation. You want your navigation to be easily accessible and easy to use. Put the navigation bar on every page in a noticeable place. Also, make sure that it flows well with the rest of your page and doesn’t distract visitors.
Avoid trying to add every new gadget to your website. It can be tempting to make your site look cutting edge by including every new web design option out there but it can end up turning people off. Simple will generally get the job done even better than a flashy layout.
Do keyword research. Although you want to mainly focus on providing relevant content to your viewers, it is important to first establish a healthy customer base. Knowing the right keywords to make people find you through the search engines is key.
Use custom error pages to make your site more informative. For instance, if you want people to report dead links on your site, either put a server-side script on your 404 page or have a form or email address that visitors can use to report the error. You should have custom pages for 403, 404, and 500 errors, at the very least.
Avoid using animated GIFs on your site. These were popular in the late 1990s, but newer technologies have replaced the uses for animated GIFs that were actually useful. Animated GIFs are low in quality and large in file size. Use static icons for page elements and actual video files for complex animations.
When designing a website with a lot of text, choose your fonts wisely. While serif text will work well for a title or headline, the body of the text should be in a serif font, which is easier to read on a computer screen. Try to use common computer fonts such as Times New Roman and Ariel.
Avoid frames at all costs. Just don’t use them. While they can make it simple for your menu or header to appear all throughout your site, the address bar won’t change on each page. This can make it impossible for your visitors to link to any specific page on your site.
Always make sure that your site design works well on every browser. Your coding might look great in Firefox, but it could be askew in Internet Explorer. You need to find out exactly how things look in all browsers and then code in a way that leaves your site looking the same on every popular browser.
Hosting your own site is a bad idea, even if you’ve got the money to do it. Your design should reflect your idea of your business but paying for a hosting service is the best way to keep your site safe and secure while avoiding you the stress of maintaining a server.
No, you most likely won’t be making a site like Facebook or Twitter, but you can definitely learn the skills to make a unique site fit for your taste. The odds say otherwise. But, the good news is that the right web design skills can help you create sites that are much more attractive and that function just as easily and seamlessly as the big boys do. Apply the info from this article and get busy designing!