Beginning Web Designer Tips On Designing On The Web
If you are a newcomer to the topic, web design can appear to be an elusive, alien art form. But it is not as difficult as you may think, and this will become more obvious the more that you educate yourself. With the ideas provided further in the reading, you will have a basic understanding of how you can design a site that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Be careful with your color schemes while designing your site. You want to make sure that your text is easily visible against your background colors. Using a dark text color on a lighter background is generally easier to read than the opposite. Ask someone to look at your color schemes to ensure you are making the right choice.
You should update your content and get rid of expired content regularly. If you’re talking about events that happened a year ago, you are behind the times. Users will spend time on websites that are well-maintained, and the presence of your outdated information will tell them that your site it not being properly cared for. Create a schedule that will help you manage information and specials, and remind you to take down useless items.
Ensure that you save personal information that the user might need to enter again into your site. If users register on your site, some of their data should be saved. This makes it easier to fill out forms, and is considered to be very convenient. This “sticky” information can make the process easier and smoother for visitors and they’ll appreciate it.
Have you considered writing a newsletter? This is great for captivating someone whom may have viewed your site, but then gone on to forget about it entirely. Put the form in a convenient sidebar, and track the users who subscribe. Just send your newsletter to those that ask for it, or you may get in trouble.
If you’re creating a large site, include search functions for your visitors. People have become accustomed to search boxes being in the upper-right corner of the page, so put it there. These should let you at least search for one term, but it’s better if it allows multiple terms. You can find search functions to use for your site on sites like Google.
Free software exists that can help you set up your site. Oftentimes, people erroneously believe that shareware is inefficient for certain tasks. However, there are many free programs designed to help you keep your website neat and current. A simple search is easy to do, and it produces a way for you to determine which free software and tools are best suited to your needs.
Be sure that your website has small files, no matter how aesthetically designed your site is. The smaller the size of each of your files, the quicker your pages will load. You want your site to load instantly. Remember that not all visitors will have a high speed connection to the Internet. Perform tests on your website to confirm that it can be quickly loaded, even on the slowest internet connection.
It is a good idea to have an “About Us” page on your site. Too many websites use boring, generic biographies. Try to give it a bit of personality. Give people an introduction to your own background, how you became interested in web design, your inspirations, and what your business goals are.
At this point, it should be clear that there is no secret mystery when it comes to good web design. It is simpler to design your website when you are knowledgeable about doing so. Using what you’ve read here is a great first step towards creating your website!
