Do you aspire to become excellent at web design? Is not knowing where to start holding you back? You can cultivate better web design skills and boost your knowledge of the subject by taking a look at the handy suggestions that this article will provide.
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.
Avoid trying to add every new gadget to your website. It can be tempting to make your site look cutting edge by including every new web design option out there but it can end up turning people off. Simple will generally get the job done even better than a flashy layout.
Frames have not been used on websites since the 90’s. These flawed systems were popular in the past. Frame designs are harder to bookmark, and they make scrolling a chore. You can employ easier techniques for better site usability.
It is essential to test the pages in your website to be certain they look as they should on every different browser; a successful site needs to display correctly in all browsers. Your content may show up fine in Internet Explorer, but it may be unreadable or badly displayed in Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Prior to going live with your website, see how your pages look on every popular browser.
To help your web pages load quickly, you should compress all the images on the website page. If you have images that are compressed then pages will load much faster. Nothing is more frustrating to viewers than waiting for a 250k graphic to load when it should really only be 20k.
Make your links obvious. Customers do not like spending time wading through your site searching for something they are interested in. Having a site map, as well as providing big, prominent links will help your viewer find what they are looking for without wasting time in a hunt. Lead them to your information.
Keep each different topic separated. Have an individual page for each different point. This helps your visitors navigate your site more seamlessly, and it helps search engines understand what you have to offer better. This translates to higher rankings.
If you plan on having a commercial site, you should seriously consider buying your own web hosting. Most free host sites force you to display their advertisements, which is counter-intuitive if you are attempting to sell something as well. Purchase your own hosting to avoid this advertising hassle, so that you can choose your own ads.
When designing your site, try to come up with three or four keywords that you expect users to input into search engines as they try to find your page. These keywords should then be repeated frequently throughout the title, page body and description meta tag. This will make it easier for users to locate your site on the web.
Remember to use ALT tags on any images you use in your website. These tags are important because they describe the images people see when they don’t have their graphics turned on or they’re for people that can’t see and need help with getting a website read to them. If the images are links, the tags let you describe the link as well. ALT tags are also used by crawlers for search engines, so they can even boost your search ranking.
Now that you’ve learned some basic web design tips, are you a bit more confident in your skills? If you do, great. If not, review this article and others like it, then go out and put what you’ve read to use.