While some people think flashy websites are attractive, this is only the case when those who visit your page have fast web connections. Successful sites make sure that site design and navigation is kept simple. Continue on for a number of great tips so you can keep your site clean and simple.
Look at different forums for new information. Everything is right there on the world wide web. You simply have to take the time to look.
A business website should always be one that is easy to navigate. Ensure that links are visible and displayed in prominent locations. Menus can also help with site navigation. Make sure that you have links posted to every page of the website. This will allow visitors to easily navigate the site.
The faster a web page loads, the more it will be appreciated. You should minimize the loading time of your site’s pages. If visitors have to wait and sit for a long time as your website load, there is a big chance that they will click away from you website and go elsewhere. They will probably not come back as well.
It’s a good idea to set up your site so that it can retain a copy of user information that must be entered repeatedly. When visitors may be filling out multiple forms or information pieces, have the data fields retain their information, and auto-fill subsequent forms that are filled out. This kind of “sticky” information saves your users time and effort, and they will likely appreciate the streamlining this kind of good design provides.
Let visitors search throughout your website. A simple tool such as a search box lets the visitor easily a specific piece of information on your site. If you lack one, they may just move on to another website immediately. Put the search box in the upper right hand corner of the page because this is usually the first place people look for one.
When you design your website, avoid using a variety of different fonts. Also consider how the fonts look on a regular screen. Small serif fonts are harder to read. Many sites make use of Verdana, as it can be read in many sizes and colors.
Search Engines
Minimize your page sizes. Not all website visitors have blazing connection speeds and will get frustrated and lose interest if your site takes a while to load. If your viewers are sitting waiting for the site to load, they may just go elsewhere to find what they need.
Don’t use frames. Some users enjoy pages with frames, but search engines don’t find the info they contain. If the search engines can’t view this important information, then you’re not going to fare well in the search engine rankings. When you don’t have a high ranking, then your visitor count will be lower.
Before you start promoting your site, test it on several different 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 many resources available where you can find out which browsers are currently popular. Make sure your website works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and the major mobile browsers.
Do not publish any site pages without verifying all the links are working. When a visitor clicks on one, they’ll be frustrated. You can also check the links yourself or use a program to look.
You shouldn’t host your site on your own server, even if you’re using your own money to set up a dedicated server and want to invest a large amount of money in your site. You should do the design all by yourself (or as much of it as you possibly can), but allowing another person to be the keeper of your site will let you be free and will allow you to have your mind on different things and not just the site’s security and safety.
To familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of designing a website, work with a basic layout first. Begin with the basics and evolve your site as time goes on and you become more advanced in your capabilities and understanding of web page design.
Do not use pop-ups on your site. It’s annoying to visit a website and get ambushed with a lot 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. Show some appreciation and respect for your customers, by avoiding annoying pop-ups. Some website hosting services require you to use pop-up ads; you should view such policies as strong arguments against using such a service.
Task based usability tests are a great way to determine how effective the design of your website is. In general, the purpose of the tasks is to locate some information or functionality that is buried in your website. When a site is designed well, the user is not going to run into problems trying to complete the task. If it’s not, you can get insight on how to fix it.
Flash is great, but takes ages to load. Your site is more likely to be successful if it looks good, but not flashy. Use the knowledge you learned from the above article to build an appealing website.
You always want to make the user’s needs your top priority. The focus of the end user should always be at the forefront of the designer’s mind. This can include user experience, accessibility, usability, and user interaction. It is important to keep your focus attentive to all those different aspects. You need to look through the eyes of the visitors when you make a website.