Creating a website from scratch is both exciting and frightening! You are probably wondering how much designing your website will cost and where to find a designer. The tips in this article should help you figure out your basic planning so you can get started on the right foot.
Be sure to select the correct graphics when designing your website. Keep in mind that bitmap files are quite large and typically do not work well, but PNGs work okay. PNG should be used for buttons with text and screenshots that have 256 colors or more. For pictures, use JPEG images.
On the Internet today, speed is where it’s at. So you must make sure everything on your site loads fast. A visitor who has to wait for pages to load is likely to seek information and help elsewhere. If your site has a reputation for loading slowly, it will be difficult to attract repeat visitors.
Have a visible tagline. A tagline is seen as a statement that tells people what a business’s site is about. There are about eight crucial seconds to grab and keep a visitor’s attention, so having an easy-to-understand tagline is crucial.
Do not underestimate the value of a website that loads fast, with no slowdowns. No visitor is going to wait more than a few seconds for your page to load, so ensure they get what they want quickly so they don’t go to your competition’s website instead.
Use shortcuts when designing your website. In the world of web design, shortcuts are common place. Look into them and you will discover that they can help with most things. You could even opt for editing the HTML first hand to make super-fast changes.
Forget about pop-up advertisements. Nothing is worse that going to a website and being bombarded with pop-up ads. Most people will immediately leave a website that has pop-ups, even if they are on big websites. Stay away from these types of annoying ads, and your customers will be happier. Any host which requires you to have pop-up ads is a host you don’t want to use!
Create an opt-in newsletter to entice your visitors to return often. This is great for captivating someone whom may have viewed your site, but then gone on to forget about it entirely. Place the signup form in a sidebar on your site, and keep track of the people that sign up. Do not distribute the newsletter to people who have not specifically requested it; otherwise, recipients might become irritated.
A website that appeals to many is within your reach using the different types of programs available. Professional website design programs are not difficult to use, and before you know it, you will be able to develop an attractive website. You are going to be missing out on a lot of website traffic if your site is not appealing.
Each topic needs its own page. Separate topics to give each one its own page. This will lessen the confusion some customers may experience, while it gives search engines a much broader view of your website, which could raise your rankings.
If you’re creating a large site, include search functions for your visitors. The best place to put your search text box is in the top right hand corner as that is where the bulk of websites put theirs. FreeFind and Google both offer search plugins that can easily be added to your website.
Try pulling images into your post to maximize engagement. Pictures can give your site a friendly feel. Folks will be more apt to stay on your site when they look forward to viewing all of your photos.
Internet Explorer
Make sure you design your website with older Internet Explorer versions in mind. Internet Explorer is not well regarded, but many still use it, and some even have outdated versions. Workarounds are needed because the browser is not 100% compliant with standards. Make sure you look at the very vexing “box model bug” that IE experienced.
There are free applications that will help you create your site. 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.
With the information from above in hand, you are prepared to take the beginning steps to create your website. You are ready to set a budget, look for more good advice, and start making notes on what you want out of your site. Beginning today will lead to a great site in the future!