Have you ever wanted to know what makes a website so appealing? From the initial layout to the customized graphic design, you should know just what elements can give your website that special appeal. The tips here will teach you a few tricks about designing websites. Keep reading to learn a few insider secrets.
Watch your color scheme on your site. Your text should remain the main focus of attention and should be easy to read. The better choice is using darker fonts against backgrounds that are lighter. If you’re not sure what will work, show it to a someone for feedback.
256 Colors
Choosing the right graphics can either make or break a website. PNGs work much better than bitmap images, which are huge. Try using PNGs for images that are not photos or text buttons or if an image has over 256 colors. Use GIFs for something with less than 256 colors. For pictures, use JPEG images.
Do not use pop-ups. There is not a person out there who will want to visit a website and get overwhelmed with pop-up ads. It is not unusual for some people to refuse to stay on a website, and not return either, if it contains pop-up ads. Keep your customers happy, by steering clear of these annoying ads. If you are required by your hosting service to have pop-up ads, you may want to consider obtaining a new web host.
Do not underestimate the value of a website that loads fast, with no slowdowns. If a visitor to your site has to wait minutes for pages to laod, they’ll get bored and go elsewhere.
Incorporate a search function that lets visitors find what they need. People who are seeking something in particular are bound to be interested in finding a search box upon reaching your site. If your site doesn’t have one, they will probably go to a website that does. Put the box on the right-hand top of the page.
White is generally a safe background color to use when designing a professional website. Few visitors take issue with a white background, which looks professional or, at worst, neutral. Text content is also more clear on a white background. Complex backgrounds can make pages unreadable and give your site an amateurish look. With backgrounds the simpler, the better.
Avoid using too may font types. Consider how the ones you choose appear on standard screens since serifs like Times New Roman can be tough to read. Many sites make use of Verdana, as it can be read in many sizes and colors.
Consider investing the time and cost to use Adobe Photoshop software to enhance your website. Photoshop or other similar programs, can advance you into a professional arena quickly. If you don’t use such a program, it can be difficult and take a lot of time to learn how to design a high-quality site in a hurry.
It takes a great deal of practice to learn how to apply great web design techniques. You must do this so that you’re able to know if you can actually apply what you’ve learned. Continue practicing different elements of design and you’ll soon be a master.
File Sizes
No matter how aesthetically designed your site is, make sure all files have smaller file sizes. The reason for this is that your file sizes directly affect how quickly your website loads. You want your site to load as quickly as it can. Remember that there are still lots of people who do not have high speed Internet. Test your website to ensure that it loads quickly even on a dial-up modem connection.
Proofread all of your site’s content. People should respect your company. A site with errors is not very professional and it will make people want to stay away from your site.
Good meta tagging practices will help your website draw in larger numbers of visitors. Quality and relevant meta tags will provide search engines with information regarding your site. Non descriptive or inaccurate meta tags will result in low visibility for your website.
Your links should always contain content in text form on every page you insert them. That will help the reader know what they’re clicking on. If you have hidden links, users may mistakenly navigate away from the page they were on.
You want to ensure that each webpage within the domain, and it’s sub-domains, has a tagline that can be clearly seen. The taglines should be in larger, bolder text so that visitors can identify them immediately. The tagline should sum up the reason for the page’s existence. Visitors should know whether they have any business at the site just by looking at the tagline.
You need to check your website’s performance across a wide array of different web browsers. Because different browsers render websites differently, the visitor may not have the experience you intended. There are a ton of resources you could use, so you are able to find out the browsers that currently have the most popularity. Try your website out on various popular browsers. Since lots of people surf the Internet on their smartphones, look at your site through a mobile browser or two, also.
You know some insider tips that will get you on the right path. Start your rough draft and make a list of all the elements that you loved on those other awesome websites so you can work them into your own. Be creative and make sure you have fun!
Create a favicon for your website. These little images show up next to the link to your website if your visitors choose to bookmark it. A good favicon should make your site stand out in a list of bookmarks. Choose an icon that corresponds to the theme of your site.