Have you been wanting a website that will really showcase your brand? Do you have any idea how to make it happen? It is known as web design. If you do not design your website properly, it will not perform well. No need to worry though as this article will give you the help you need. The following information can show you how great web design is achieved.
The graphics you use are important. Keep in mind that bitmap files are quite large and typically do not work well, but PNGs work okay. For simple images, GIF is fine, though. JPEGs are ideal for photographs.
Your front page should be simple and inviting. A lot of people will only look at the front page. That's where they are making the decision whether to spend more time on your site. Describe your business in detail and what it does, but keep other distractions and details to a minimum.
Speed is vital online, so be sure your pages load quickly. If a visitor needs to wait while the page loads, they may click off your site and not return.
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.
Retain user information so that people don't have to waste valuable time re-typing information into forms. When a visitor fills out a registration form on your website, for instance, your site should hang onto that information, and use it to fill out data fields for the visitor on subsequent interactive pages ahead of time. You streamline the process when you create "sticky" information, and your visitors will appreciate you not wasting their time.
For the best layout, make sure that the colors you choose for the background and font are restful to the eyes. Choosing moving backgrounds or neon colors can make it hard for people to read, and they may navigate to another web site. However, include pictures to break up your content and make the site complete.
Organize your links and avoid putting too many links in one area of your site. Doing this can confuse visitors and make them leave your site. If you do have many low- to mid-importance links, emulate the "blogrolls" seen in many blogs and tuck them away in a column on the right side of the page.
Be sure the websites you're designing are cross-browser compatible. You must check your site in the most popular versions of every top browser. Some examples include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Many users use these browsers for surfing online, so you need to be sure your designs are being seen correctly on whatever they use.
Try to code using only CSS. We're moving away from table-based sites to only CSS sites because they are reusable, accessible, and they can greatly reduce your file sizes. This allows you greater control of the appearance of your site. There are various CSS resources you can use, therefore, knowing CSS is invaluable to web design.
Practice as much as you can each step of web design until you hone your skills. When you practice, it helps you learn more about web design. You don't need to think that you've leaned something only to find out that you didn't fully grasp it.
When you do progress through your stages of web design and have a site that is up and running you want to make sure that it isn't cluttered with ads. People don't mind ads but they hate it when there are a lot that make it difficult to navigate through your site, and you don't want people mad.
A visual sitemap should be made so that you are able organize your next steps in an effective manner. A visual sitemap gives you an open view of the progress being made with your structure. From there, you'll be able to identify any areas that need improvement, or have been neglected. You can't really make substitutions for this kind of visual.
Once your site is published online, you don't get to stop working on it's design! Always update your site and remain active to maximize your results. You won't need more info to update it constantly, but regular updates are a must. That is particularly the case if you host videos or deal with current events. Luckily, keeping website current isn't as overwhelming as tending to a blog. There is a lot of work involved.
Focusing on your target audience is important even for website design. For instance, if you're designing a site in order to sell winter coats, you're not exactly going to have a beach themed background with Joe Strummer tunes playing upon entry. Keep your site closely related to its targeted audience.
You're now prepared with all of the right information, but now it's time to get your hands on the right tools for the job. Use what you learned here and you will be a web designing pro before you know it.