A subject like web design scares a lot of people from time to time. This is because they’re unfamiliar with the subject, but just like anything else the more you learn about web design the more confident you become.
So use this article and the advice within it so that you can feel confident about web design.
Avoid using so-called “mystery meat navigation”. This involves using unlabeled images or other elements for the site’s navigation. In many cases, the visitor has to mouse over the buttons to even see what they do. Navigation is best kept simple. Use text links across the top or along the left side of the page.
Use images wisely. Bitmap images do not tend to fare well for internet use, and some GIFs do not work well with lots of color. Image size is important as well, as larger images may make your viewers have to wait for them to download. Choose smaller images, and use them sparingly to make your site more manageable.
When designing your website, you should utilize cascading style sheets, or CSS. These style sheets can be applied to every webpage on your website, and will ensure that the user experience is consistent throughout the website. They are also effective for making quick design changes to your website due to the fact that you only need to change the style sheet as opposed to making alterations on every webpage.
Make sure your website uses a consistent font throughout. Some websites change fonts willy-nilly without any design reason to do so. This makes the content difficult to process for visitors. Most websites, especially business websites, will do just fine sticking to basic fonts like Arial, Veranda, or even Times New Roman.
Forums are going to be your best friend in the next few weeks, this is because there’s a lot of information to be gained from various forums where you have the ability to gain endless amounts of knowledge from people all over the world. So check out what websites and forums can help you along your way with web design.
Selecting a good domain name is a very important aspect of website design. When you type an address in the web browser, do you use the famous www sub domain? Most people like to just type the address without using this, meaning you must design your site to be able to accept both.
Create a usability test to see how effective your site is. Generally, the purpose of each task is to find information and/or functionality buried deep within your site. A well-designed site will make it easy for the user to complete the task at hand. If a website isn’t designed well, then the testers can point you towards what to improve.
If you expect many people to contribute to the content of the website, incorporating a content management system (CMS) into the design of the website might be a good idea. A CMS will make it easier for everyone to add to and update the content without needing a high level of technical knowledge. These systems are easy to use, and can make publishing content on the website much more efficient.
Keep your taglines visible, and include them on every page in your domain and sub-domains. These tags should immediately draw the visitors’ eyes when the page loads. Good taglines are high on the page and formatted in large, clear text. Taglines are an easy way for visitors to determine if a page is relevant to their needs.
Launching your website doesn’t signal the end of the design process. It’s important to actively monitor, adjust and update your site. While there is no need to change things around every day, you must, nonetheless, update it regularly. You will find this to be particularly important if your business revolves around current happenings or if you utilize video on your site. Remember, website updating is much different than blog updating. You need to put a lot of work into it.
Always be sure to make a visual sitemap. This is useful in planning ahead with accuracy. It gives you an overview of exactly what your site’s structure is. Then, you will have the ability to isolate areas that need more work. There isn’t anything like a crystal clear visual of your project.
Make sure you have a good idea about what types of pages you want to add to your website. Site design is only easy if you plan ahead thoroughly. If you need a contact page, a sales page, various landing pages, etc, make sure you add them all early on. You can always edit as needed as the site starts to take shape.
If you ever run into a problem don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Go ahead and consult with a friend or someone through a forum or email who you think might be willing to help you. You aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t get any help, we all need it from time to time so don’t feel any shame.
Go ahead and seek some advice from people who are pros in programs like photoshop and dreamweaver. You want to make sure that you’re at least seeking advice from another individual so that you don’t miss pieces of crucial information that could be vital towards you creating a website one day.
Tackling something like web design really isn’t that hard, at least when you know what you’re doing. Hopefully with what you learned from this article you’re feeling a little more confident in the subject and you’re able to apply all the knowledge you gained to reach any of your endeavors.
