If you’re someone who thinks all sites are exactly the same, you just have to go to a social networking site, such as Facebook, and then view hosted sites, including Yahoo or Google. The difference between these sites illustrates the importance of web design. If you are interested in educating yourself on web design, check out the information below.
Look at your site in many different browsers. Different browsers show websites in different ways. Research the most popular browsers and fix your site accordingly. You may also want to view your site using a different computer operating system to make sure that everything is compatible whether they are using Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Avoid pop-ups. Nothing is worse that going to a website and being bombarded with pop-up ads. It is not unusual for some people to refuse to stay on a website, and not return either, if it contains pop-up ads. Avoid annoying your customers, by staying away from these irritating advertisements. Some website hosting services require you to use pop-up ads; you should view such policies as strong arguments against using such a service.
Do not go overboard in using lots of fonts when creating your website. Also, think about how fonts look on a screen. For instance, tiny serif fonts, like Times New Roman, are difficult to read. Verdana is one of those popular fonts that is readable in all sizes and colors.
Make compelling and fascinating web content. Though the look is highly important, content is the key to return visitors. Visitors will return again and again when they find valuable, useful information.
Resist any temptation to use pop-up windows when you design your website. You’ll only annoy your visitors with this type of content, regardless of how important the information in the pop-up windows is. In fact, you may drive them to leave your site out of irritation and frustration with your pop-ups. You could lose a visitor for life.
Make sure you site is optimized for previous versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, especially IE 7 and 8. Many people are still using the older versions of Internet Explorer. They don’t offer a lot of elements that comply with basic web standard, so customizations may be in order. Make sure you look at the very vexing “box model bug” that IE experienced.
Good meta tags are a quick way to ensure your website makes it to a good rank on search engines. Having some meta tags that offer quality will be able to help show different search engines what your site is all about. If you use meta tags that do not correspond to your content or to your target audience, do not expect to get a lot of visitors.
Chances are you are not designing the next Twitter or Facebook site. There is quite a bit of amazing competition out there already! However, with solid web design skill, you can create attractive sites that function even better than those owned by major companies. Use what you’ve learned here and get started today!