Posts

Great Web Design For The Beginning Webmaster

/in /by

Design can make or break a website. Making use of techniques that add to the appeal and functionality of your site will make visitors want to come back because they find it simple to use and visually appealing. If your website is poorly designed and difficult to navigate, internet users will probably leave your website without reading any of its content. Here are some suggestions that will help you make smart decisions about the design of your site.

Make sure that all of your colors match one another. Make text visible against the background hues. Using a dark text color on a lighter background is generally easier to read than the opposite. If you have doubts about your color scheme, run it by a few people and see what they think of it.

On the Internet, few things are more important to users than speed and efficiency, especially where page loading times are concerned. If Internet users have to wait a long time for your website to load, they will probably leave your site before it loads and vow never to return.

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 are careful with their time and if they can tell that your site is not updated often, they will leave. Put removing outdated content on your to-do list, to do every 2-4 weeks.

Do your best to store any personal information of your users so that they don’t have to enter it over and over again on 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.

Do not use JavaScript too much. It provides many ways to develop an interactive experience for your audience, but it can also stop some visitors from accessing your content at all. Every web browsers is different and they are constantly updating. Some people accessing your website are going to do so with a browser that is not fully updated and compatible with your JavaScript. Also, consider that JavaScript isn’t regularly enabled in everyone’s browser. If you choose to use JavaScript every time, you will prevent some users from being able to effectively use your site.

Publish a newsletter, to increase your likelihood of having repeat visitors. This is great for captivating someone whom may have viewed your site, but then gone on to forget about it entirely. Your website’s sidebar is an ideal location for the signup form, and you should make certain to stay on top of who has registered. Avoid trouble by only sending the newsletter to people who have signed up for it.

Consider a free software package when you are setting up your website. Costly software is also available, but you can get good results with free tools since you are the main factor in the success of your site. Just do some research and see what you can find that can help you along the way of your web design efforts.

If you want to attract visitors to your website, you need to make the site user friendly and attractive. Sound web design will definitely help grow your traffic volumes. If your site is poorly designed, potential customers will not see it as serious and won’t read your content. Use the tips you’ve read here to create a site your customers will appreciate.

Here’s a look at how to mock up a website design in Photoshop.

Fantastic Tips And Techniques For Compelling And Successful Web Design

/in /by

It can be very costly to hire a web designer or company to create your site. The money you pay might not even ensure you get the site you want. It can be very difficult to communicate your vision to another person. You are the only person who knows exactly what you want. When you finally start designing your site, use the tips in this article to create a website you can be truly proud of.

Color combinations are key in branding your website. Your text should remain the main focus of attention and should be easy to read. Using dark colored text on a light colored background generally ensures that the text is easy for visitors to read. If you can’t decide if the colors are right, ask someone you know for feedback.

Speed is vital when it comes to the Internet; therefore, you should ensure that your pages load really fast. If Internet users have to wait a long time for your website to load, they will probably leave your site before it loads and vow never to return.

Keep your site fresh and up-to-date, and promptly remove any outdated content. For example, if your webpage is filled with advertising for something that happened months ago, viewers will turn away. People want the most accurate information available, and by leaving outdated information online you’re showing you don’t really care what they want. Set a schedule to review the site, to ensure that outdated information is removed, and fresh new content is added in its place.

Try the common “newsletter” technique to keep your readers reminded of your services. If your clientele are able to register at your website for information about product news or highlighted happenings in the near future, they’re more likely to keep visiting. Place the signup form in a sidebar on your site, and keep track of the people that sign up. Make sure you only send out the letter to those that have explicitly requested to view it.

When designing a large site, always incorporate a search feature. 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. Search functions for websites are available from FreeFind and Google.

When you are choosing your background color, white is an effective choice. Viewers will feel confident in the professional look afforded by a solid white background. Complex backgrounds can make pages unreadable and give your site an amateurish look. Simple instead of complex is always better where backgrounds are concerned.

Use basic fonts which every user will be able to see. The font is one of the first items people notice when coming to a site. Do not use Comic Sans, overly ornate fonts, or fonts that many computers might not have. In case your user’s browser cannot display the font your website uses, a secondary font can be set. This will inevitably come off looking bad.

Hosting your own website might not be a good choice. Design as much of the site as you are comfortable with, then allow someone with more experience to handle the rest. This maintains the overall quality of your site, but also gives you the opportunity to focus your attention elsewhere.

Use web design as a way of bringing your ideas to life and promoting your business. What you’ve learned about above are various design methods that you can implement to have a great website. Make sure you use these tips and look for more useful resources.

Thought I’d record myself designing in Photoshop and then speed it up so you see the action take place in 5 minutes!

Tips For Successfully Optimizing Your New Website

/in /by

You want an outstanding website. Does that mean you need to invest in pricey software packages, and use complex templates? That depends on what you will learn. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can use a software program to speed up the process, or employ the help of a web design company to do all the work. Use these tips to create a great site yourself.

Be very careful to remove outdated content from your site. If you have a page that is promoting some type of special event that already went on six months ago, then you have lost readers. Internet users want to have access to the latest information and read websites with regular updates. Make it a point to regularly update your content, and replace dated information with current things.

Set up your site so that visitors can cancel actions they initiate if they change their minds. Actions may involve searching the website for archives or a variety of topics, signing up for newsletters and notifications, or simply filling out forms. You can deter people from coming back to your site if you don’t allow them the option of cancelling things they are in the middle of completing.

Regular newsletters attract repeat website visitors. Giving your customers a reminder that you’re still online and have some great deals or new content that will bring them back to your site for more. Add a signup bar on your site and use it to track the number of visitors who do so. Do not distribute the newsletter to people who have not specifically requested it; otherwise, recipients might become irritated.

Add a link where your visitors can send you feedback. This will give you a mechanism where your visitors can let you know if something is broken, doesn’t work as well as it should or is confusing. Letting your visitors get involved helps to ensure they will come to your site again.

Good meta tagging practices will help your website draw in larger numbers of visitors. Using relevant meta tags on each page of your site will help search engines categorize the page and show it to people who want to know about your page’s topic. Meta tags that don’t accurately reflect the content of your website will negatively impact your traffic.

Do not forget to test your site on several major browsers. A given web browser will interpret a website differently than another one will, and sometimes the differences are quite drastic. It is easy to discover the most popular browsers. Test your website on all of these browsers, including the popular mobile web browsers.

Step up your creativity when you write your site’s “About Us” page. A lot of websites contain ugly, uninformative, generic “About Us” pages. Try to make yours interesting! Provide some insight about your own story. How did you get inspiration? What are your goals? What led you to web design?

Hosting your own website might not be a good choice. Designing the site yourself is a good idea, but when it comes to hosting, it’s usually better to use a third party. This will free up your time to concentrate on more important things.

To properly design and maintain your website, it is important to have your own office space. Ideally, you should remove any distractions and strive to create an efficient and motivating workspace. Your tools should be easy to access, and you should organize your work space to concentrate on your design.

Designing a website is easier than most things in life. You don’t need school, and somebody else’s life isn’t dependent upon it. Follow these tips to start creating great websites.

In Episode 1, we take a look at what web design really is, and go over the necessities. In this series, we cover many aspects of creating content for the web…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Learn The Ins And Outs Of Web Design

/in /by

It can be very expensive to hire a professional web design firm to design your website. Plus, you may end up spending money on a site you do not end up liking. In all honesty, it is nearly impossible for someone other than yourself to completely visualize what you have in mind for your website. Only you are able to know what you going to want. So if you are serious about designing your very own web site, check out the following tips on how to create something that suits your needs and you can be proud you created.

If you want your website to attract many visitors, it must be simple to navigate. You should have links that are easy to find, as well as displayed well. Menus are another way to make site navigation easier on your site. Make sure that you have links posted to every page of the website. This will allow visitors to easily navigate the site.

Your visitors should be able to see your content regardless of the browser they are using. Test your pages with different browsers to make sure it is displayed properly. What may work great in Firefox, may not work well in Internet Explorer or Chrome. Therefore, you should check how all the pages of your website display in all the major browsers on the market, before turning your site live.

Forget about pop-up advertisements. There is nothing worse than visiting a website and getting assaulted by tons of pop-up ads. It does not matter who or what the website represents, most visitors will not hang around if they are bombarded with pop-ups. It’s best to stay away from this type of ad to keep your visitors happy. If your host gives you no choice about using pop-ups, you probably ought to choose a new one.

Try the common “newsletter” technique to keep your readers reminded of your services. This is great for captivating someone whom may have viewed your site, but then gone on to forget about it entirely. Place the form for signup in a sidebar or at the top of the pages in your site, and track those who sign up. Only send out a newsletter to people who have subscribed to it, otherwise you will have angry customers.

Use free software to set up your own site. There is a pervasive myth that expensive programs do the job of web design better than the alternatives, but there is plenty of free software that does a great job. You simply must be willing to find these helpful design resources.

To help beginning web designers create good-looking site you should use Photoshop. Using a program that has great reviews behind it can help speed up the time it takes to create a website. 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.

Make sure that all the files on your website are small in size. You need these small file sizes regardless of the overall design of your site. File sizes are directly responsible for how quickly a website loads. You want your website to load quickly so visitors won’t lose patience with it. You need to remember that not every person who visits the website will have a fast Internet connection. You want to perform a test to make sure your site performs well, even with dial-up modem connections.

Web design is simple and something that can translate what you desire with just some code lines and clicks. The advice in this article are suggestions that can help you create the wonderful website that you want. Follow these suggestions closely.

http://www.mlwebco.com – In this video I talk about the potential career outlook of a web designer in what I call “The Web Designer’s Journey”. The purpose i…

Web Design Tips That Can Improve Your Web Site

/in /by

Do your sites need expensive templates in their designs? This depends on the extent to which you want to learn about web design. If your goal is to get credit for doing next to nothing, then you might as well continue to use programs and templates to do your work. However, if you have the time and energy to put in to the project, then keep reading and be willing to take the plunge.

If you want your website to cater to the needs of visitors, it must be user-friendly and simple to navigate. Make all links prominent and easily located. Having a menu bar on your site can also make navigation easier. Make sure that you have links posted to every page of the website. This will allow visitors to easily navigate the site.

Ensure that you save personal information that the user might need to enter again into your site. Saving data from one form to another, like username or email address, is imperative. “Sticky” data will ensure that the user fills out all the forms they need to instead of leaving when it becomes too difficult.

JavaScript is a great tool, but don’t overuse it. While Java opens many doors towards an interactive website experience, a lot of Internet surfers are going to have difficulty with it. Each of the many popular web browsers out there are frequently updated, leading to many different versions being in use at the same time. Everyone who visits your site will not always have an up to date browser. Many people turn off Javascript, or disallow it on a site they don’t visit regularly. This means that a portion of your visitors won’t be able to use your website.

Do not use pop-ups. Many consumers are bothered when they visit a site and are suddenly bombarded by pop-ups. The majority of people will leave a site if it contains pop-ups, even if these sites are very large ones. Stay away from these types of annoying ads, and your customers will be happier. If you have a host where pop-ups are mandatory, then perhaps you should be out looking for a new one.

Make use of free software in your site setup. Don’t be fooled into believing that pricey software is what you have to use; there are many free tools that can get your site up and running. All that is required from you is a little bit of effort in finding and choosing the free tools that will give you just what you’re looking for.

Sign up for forums, newsletters and podcasts that discuss web design to help you keep up with the trends. Regardless of the experience level, newsletters are valuable for all web designers.

Web hosting is a package deal and you need to take the time to understand what the host is providing you for the price. You should understand the issues relating to bandwidth, CPU usage, disk space and other aspects. Make sure you get what you expect.

Website design, and running your own website, calls for your own personal office space. By doing this, you get rid of any distractions you may encounter, and allow yourself to focus on your work. Put your office supplies where you can reach them easily, and set aside enough space to allow you to design your site.

Learning website design is not a skill that requires a professional degree or brain surgery. You don’t need to attend school, and someone’s life isn’t being held in the palm of your hands. If you are able to use the tips provided above, you should be able to design an amazing website today.

More and more is expected from today’s web designers. Visual design is just one small part of the job. Those designs also need interaction. They need to work…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Growing As A Web Designer To Be Better

/in /by

You can always learn more about web design, despite your level of experience. The problem can be knowing where to find more information. You can get the help you need by reading this article. You’ll find a listing of tips below to facilitate the development of quality websites.

On the Internet today, speed is where it’s at. So you must make sure everything on your site loads fast. If a visitor needs to wait while the page loads, they may click off your site and not return.

Don’t let content that is out of date linger on your website. If there is content on your page highlighting an event that is already part of past history, your readers are going to abandon you quickly. People want the most accurate information available, and by leaving outdated information online you’re showing you don’t really care what they want. Review your website often, to remove anything which isn’t updated with the latest content.

Try using a newsletter for getting repeat visitors. This is great for captivating someone whom may have viewed your site, but then gone on to forget about it entirely. Add a signup bar on your site and use it to track the number of visitors who do so. Make sure to only deliver the newsletter to people who have requested it!

A search function should always be included when you develop a site that is very large. Make sure you add a search box allowing your viewers to search for terms in your site. FreeFind and Google both offer these search functions to use on your site.

Consider using free software to design you website. While many will say it is the expensive software that makes a difference in your site, however there are some free options that can offer nearly as much. Hit your favorite search engine and do research to find a piece of software that suits your needs.

Allow your visitors to contact you through email, a contact form, comments or social media. This way, if something is missing or they don’t understand how to use your page, you can fix it accordingly. Getting visitors to your site to feel they are involved is a smart way to be certain they are going to go to your site again.

Bearing aesthetics in mind, you should remember to keep file sizes small. There is a direct correlation between file sizes and page load times. A website that loads more quickly is always a top priority in web design. Bear in mind that some site visitors are still using dial-up. Continue to test your site to make sure it will load quickly, even with a dial-up connection.

Do not allow pop-up windows on your site. Most people will be turned off by a site that pop’s windows up in their face. It’s likely that many of your visitors can’t even see them due to browser settings, so keep them happy and stick to one window at a time.

Be sure to always look at the links on your site, and make sure none are broken. Do this frequently, before you upload it to your server. This is necessary because when you have visitors come to your site they will find that the information they want to see is not available anymore and if this is to happen a lot on your site, they will leave. The prevent this from happening to your site, check links frequently.

Regardless of how skilled you are in web design, it is important to always cover the basics. You can find the basics anywhere though, so at times is can be difficult to find exactly what you need. This article above should have given you some advice on how to create great websites.

Ideas To Consider For Your Web Design Business

/in /by

Anyone who is hoping to learn more about web design would do well to read this article. Learn what it will take, and gain the general information you need to know concerning web design in the following article. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are a novice or a professional web designer, there is always more for you to learn.

If you want to have a successful website, you need to design it in a way that works for all browsers. It is crucial you test out your site that and see that all pages show up properly in each browser. A site that works on Internet Explorer might not display right in Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. Monitor how the pages look in major browsers before taking your website live.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t overuse JavaScript. Despite the advantages of increased responsiveness and transparency, it may be problematic for many users. Every web browsers is different and they are constantly updating. Some of your readers are not going to have the most recently updated version of their browser. Also, everyone doesn’t enable JavaScript on their browsers. In either case, you are preventing your visitors from using all or some of the features of your website.

Always implement powerful site-searching capabilities when designing a large website. Put in a search box in the right-hand corner up on top of the homepage, as this allows the site visitors to type in a single keyword that shows up anywhere on your site. FreeFind and Google both offer search plugins that can easily be added to your website.

There are many free programs available to help you develop your website. You can use a lot of free tools to assist your building of your website, so check into the software that is available to you. Just look around a bit to locate the ones that will work best for what you need.

To help beginning web designers create good-looking site you should use Photoshop. Photoshop is a program that individuals new to web design can use to quickly create professional level pages. Although a copy of Photoshop represents a significant investment, the time it will save you and the improvement it will make in your results can easily justify the program’s cost.

Let site visitors give feedback. Thus, if there is a gap in your site’s offerings or visitors are confused about using your site, it will be easy for you to remedy the situation. Involving your visitors in your website can help to bond them to your brand and bring them back time and time again.

Be very critical of the fonts you choose. A site’s look can hinge on whether or not it’s fonts are professional. Avoid using fonts like Comic Sans and various fancy fonts that might not be on many computers. If a site visitor has not installed a certain font on his or her computer, it may display as a default font. Doing this can make it look even worse.

Learning web design gets easier when you practice often. So once you have the basics, start a simple web page using HTML and C+. See if you’ve got what it takes. Practice should start sooner than later.

While development platforms generate code for you automatically, they cannot duplicate the reliability of classic text editors. Utilizing a platform allows you to focus on the design aspects of the website, while having the platform handle the technical aspect of creating the code. Use a text editor to reduce mistakes, and additionally help to learn the process for yourself.

You now should have a good base of knowledge about web design skills, and you might just be ready to try to do some designing of your own. Continue to learn more about web design, and your website will reap the benefits!

Check Out These Awesome Web Design Tips

/in /by

Website design can look like a tough job at first glance. Compared with your competitors, how can you create an appealing design? How do you teach yourself to use HTML and other forms of coding? In this article, you will find information to help you develop an attractive site that promotes your content.

The speed at which your web page loads is an important design factor. If a visitor has to sit and wait for several minutes while your pages load, they are almost certainly going to click away from your site and go somewhere else, and they probably will not come back to your site.

Good websites must function with all browsers, and therefore you need to test each page so you know they work correctly under all circumstances. What works in Internet Explorer may not necessarily show up correctly in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. Prior to formally launching your site, verify that it displays correctly in each of these popular browsers.

Be aware of the background you choose. Many sites make use of background images in the animated GIF format. Sometimes this provides an excellent effect; at other times it can make the text of your page illegible. Select a wallpaper complementary to the rest of your design, so that your users will be able to negotiate the site more easily.

Avoid using pop-up advertising. Everyone hates getting pop-up after pop-up on a website. Many people will close a site immediately if it uses pop-ups, even if it’s a site run by a well-known brand or company. Avoid using these irritating ads to keep your visitors happy. If your web hosting company requires the use of pop-ups, consider moving to a new host.

Regular newsletters attract repeat website visitors. When you allow visitors to subscribe to your website’s newsletter for updates, they will be more likely to come back to your site. Add a signup bar on your site and use it to track the number of visitors who do so. Make sure to only deliver the newsletter to people who have requested it!

Always implement powerful site-searching capabilities when designing a large website. The upper right of the main page should have a search box for users to search your whole site. You can find search functions to use for your site on sites like Google.

Make use of free software in your site setup. 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. You just have to search a little to locate the free tools that best suit you.

Adobe Photoshop is a valuable software program for any dedicated web designer. Using this type of program can assist beginning web designers in creating sites that look professional, extremely quickly. If you try to skimp on price by using a generic program that doesn’t do a good job, you may find yourself spending much more time than necessary to finish your website.

Always provide site visitors with an option to offer feedback. That will allow you to fix any problems that you may not otherwise notice. Give your visitors a sense of engagement so that they will return to your website in the future.

Check links carefully before you include them on your site. Make sure the links all lead to valid web addresses. Check links on a regular basis as you are designing, and make sure to perform a check before uploading your site to the server. Visitors who encounter broken links and errors will not stay on your site long enough to view your product. To prevent this from happening, do a quick check to ensure everything is working properly.

The tips in the article above should give you the knowledge you need to build your website and make it look great. Continue learning to find the latest techniques and advancements in website creation, and you’ll be able to beat out the Jones’!

Design Your Site Like A Pro With These Helpful Tips

/in /by

Many people have a casual interest in the creative field of web design, but they get discouraged and bogged down when they start learning more about it. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed while trying to learn about web design, read on to learn some basics.

Never underestimate the value of a site that is simple for visitors to navigate. You should have links that are easy to find, as well as displayed well. Menus can make navigation on your site easier. Make sure each page has a ‘home’ link.

Do your best to store any personal information of your users so that they don’t have to enter it over and over again on your site. 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. This information retention and re-use makes site transactions much easier, and many people will appreciate that.

Forget about pop-up advertisements. Your customers will hate being flooded with popup ads. Many people will leave a site that has pop-ups, even the big sites. So make sure you have happy customers, by not including these aggravating pop-ups ads. If the pop-ups are coming about because of your host, then now is the time to start shopping for a replacement.

Resist any temptation to use pop-up windows when you design your website. You’ll only annoy your visitors with this type of content, regardless of how important the information in the pop-up windows is. When you have pop-ups, the chances increase your visitors may get frustrated by them and choose to leave your website with no interest in returning.

When you are choosing your background color, white is an effective choice. A bright, white background makes it easier to read text; it also appears more professional. Complicated background designs can distract your visitors and, it can also make your site look less professional. Simple is almost always the best option for background.

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. Every browser interprets sites in their own way, and sometimes that can lead to drastic differences in the way a site appears to a user, affecting not only visual elements, but functional elements as well. There are now many websites that you can visit to find out which web browsers are most commonly used by internet users. Perform browser tests on your website, and include the mobile web browsers that are most popular.

Because you now have a clearer idea of what web design entails, you should now begin feeling more confident about it. Keep in mind that you should always be on the lookout for new tips and tricks to help improve your web design skills. If you do this and apply all that you learn then you should have no problem succeeding in your web design efforts.

Your One-Stop Shop For Helpful Web Design Advice

/in /by

It can be very costly to hire a web designer or company to create your site. And by spending all that money, it still doesn’t give the certainty that you will be happy with the end results. There’s a possibility that they might not design it the way you envisioned. You’re the only person who knows exactly what you want in your website. Keep these tips in mind to create a good design for your site.

Watch your color scheme on your site. Your text must be easily readable and not disappear into your background. There is data that shows that people have an easier time reading dark text on a light background. The opposite is still readable, but not optimal. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend or colleague for their opinion of the color scheme.

If your website is going to attract visitors, it needs to be easy to navigate. Display links prominently so that they can be easily found. Menus also make navigation more user-friendly. Have your main page links located on every page so visitors can easily go through your site.

Be aware of your background. Remove obstacles to easy text reading by avoiding things like GIF backgrounds that move. Use a light colored background which fits into your site’s color palette.

Free design software is a valuable tool for quickly setting up a website. Investing in powerful software packages like Photoshop is only worth it if you think they’ll pay off in the end. With a little search effort on your part, the kinds of tools you need can be found, and for free.

Pop-up windows are one feature you should avoid. While you may think these have some value, the majority of people will just find them annoying. When pop-up windows come up, you are quickly bringing frustration to your visitors. This may make them leave your website and not come back again.

Try writing a good “About Us” page. Often, a website will contain a boring, half thought-out page to cover this. Make yours exciting! Aim to give visitors a small glimpse of your personal background. Demonstrate how you began web design, the people who inspired you to do this, and what your business goals are.

Always check for links that are broken. You should do this before uploading something to your server. Checking links is important since visitors who click the link will become frustrated if they find unavailable content on a frequent basis. To prevent this from happening, do a quick check to ensure everything is working properly.

Don’t rely solely on the design tools provided by the host to build your site. Work your own individuality into your website by adding your own touches beyond the basics that the host provides.

One of the most appealing aspects of web design, besides its simplicity, is the fact that it is fairly easy to turn what you envision into a real and functional site. Use keywords in your content, titles and HTML code to increase your visabilty. Make sure you use these tips and look for more useful resources.