As a web designer myself, I can say that learning as much as I could from experts was how I got started. I looked at their sites, checked out their code, and even borrowed from their designs. Today there is a great deal of information available to help you get into the game, and this article is a great place to start learning.
Don't neglect cascading style sheets. Using a style sheet makes it easy to give all pages of your site the same look and feel. It also reduces the file size of your pages, as the CSS file can be accessed once on the server and then from the user's local cache thereafter.
If you're designing a website, you need to look at your website in multiple browsers. Different browsers show websites in different ways. Always go out of your way to discover what browsers are the most popular and design your site to work efficiently in all of them. Checking your website with different operating systems and browsers will help ensure that it works for everyone.
Frames have been uncool to use since the 90's. Frames were in heavy use during the beginning days of the Internet, but they were very flawed. Frame designs are difficult for people to bookmark and scroll through. You can make something that is easier for users to use.
Visitors will enjoy your website, if they can navigate it easily. Links need to be prominent and simple to find. A navigation menu will also help visitors locate exactly what they're looking for. To help visitors find their way back, be sure to have a visible link to the main page on all your pages.
Programs are available to assist you in creating an attractive website. Many of these programs are user friendly and will aid you in creating a professional website quickly. Otherwise, people will not be interested in visiting your site.
Do not use pop-up windows. Few things are worse than being overloaded with pop-ups. Many visitors to a site will just click away from a site with pop-ups, even if the site is a popular one. In addition, many people now have pop-up blockers anyway. Avoid those annoying ads to keep your customers content. If your web hosting company requires the use of pop-ups, consider moving to a new host.
To help make sure your website works as you are designing it, test it one of the browsers like Internet Explorer. When you test the website as you go along building it, you can quickly correct any problems that might show up once you live. When your website goes live you want your visitors to be able to see everything working correctly.
In order to host your own website, you must have the infrastructure and the money it requires. It could actually prove much more costly to you. You also need to know what you are doing. It is not easy as pie, and you must have the knowledge to host your own website.
Use a basic layout to get the hang of designing a website. Learn the basics first, then add to and improve your site design as you get more comfortable with the technology.
Understand that when you first start out that it's going to take time for your site to become popular. You can try your best to generate as much traffic to your site as possible but make sure that you know what to expect so that you can continuously adapt your strategies accordingly.
Graphics and various media are great for your site and help keep the attention of the viewers, but don't load every page from top-to-bottom. Pages that are extremely heavy with media will consume bandwidth on yours and the viewer's network, which often leaves both parties suffering. Include graphics when they are relevant and do your best to minimize bandwidth consumption.
Keep the literacy level of your audience in mind when writing content. There are going to be people with all different levels of education viewing your site. To build your site's popularity, create simple content.
A clean PC is a happy PC when you're building a site. Some software programs will use up a lot of disk space, so having junk files on your PC will bog you down. Besides, it's hard to remain neat and organized if you have files strewn all over the place. Keep your PC free of junk files and clutter.
Tap into your creative side during your website design. Be open-minded and, when you have an idea, record it so you won't forget it. If something inspires you to have a design idea while you are out and about, make sure that you write down a quick note of your idea on whatever you have access to, for example, a napkin. If you don't have a way to write it down, you can always call your phone and leave a text or answering machine message with details.
Now that I've been designing websites for over a decade, I feel that I can give some advice back. Use the tips in this article, continue learning as much as you can, and stay on top of trends to ensure your websites stand out in the crowd. If I can do it, anyone can!
Orignal From: Building A Better Website: Design Tips That Work
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