Saturday, September 29, 2012

Web Design Tips That Will Make Your Site Stand Out

By Derek V Lamington


It can be scary to create your website if you don't use a template. However, it can also be very exciting. It's difficult to know where and how to start, who to speak to for advice and how much of a budget you'll need. You will gain valuable insights and methods for proceeding by reading this article.

It is important that any logo contained within your site, links back to the home page. It is common these days for sites to have a logo or image that visitors can click on to return to the home page. Imagine your reader's frustration as they click away with nothing happening! They might think it's broken, and that your site isn't as good as they thought. Having a logo that is clickable will make site navigation easier.

If your website is for commercial purposes, you should avoid using a free web host. Free web hosts often require you to include their ads on your site, which looks cluttered and detracts the focus of your site, which should be your own products and services. Pay a host for their service, and you will be much better off in the long run.

Use free alternatives to pay web design software whenever possible. Investing in powerful software packages like Photoshop is only worth it if you think they'll pay off in the end. Do some searching and you'll find some excellent free tools to use.

Be careful when introducing new colors into the design of your website. Your text must be easily readable and not disappear into your background. Reading dark text on lighter backgrounds is simpler than the opposite. If you're unsure about the color combo you've used, solicit feedback from a trusted friend before the site goes live.

If your site users will be registering to use your site, you should use their personal information to auto-fill forms. For instance, if a person registers on your site and a portion of the same exact information is required for filling another form out, ensure that the information they've already put in is saved so that he or she doesn't have to put in this information again. It's annoying for visitors to have to re-register for different site functions, so work to make the site experience positive for your users.

Most web designers find it handy to keep a file of checklists and cheat sheets for easy reference, when solving website problems. This will also provide you with inspiration on how to make your site better.

Buying books on web design is money well spent. Choose books adapted to your current level of skills and very comprehensive. Read reviews before buying anything.

Your content should be globally user-friendly. You want all material ranging from dates, times to currencies to be understood by everyone. Not everybody going to your site will be from a specific country, so make it great for foreigners and locals alike.

Use keywords in the tagline for you domain and sub-domain names. The taglines should be in larger, bolder text so that visitors can identify them immediately. The tagline informs of the goal of each page, and can retain or repel your readers.

Even though development platforms provide you with code, some are not nearly as trustworthy as classic text editors. When you use a platform, in theory it will provide workable code to produce the website features and appearance that you want. To minimize errors and work with the code in a more hands-on way, choose a standard text editor.

Even if you invest large amounts of money in your website, it's not a good idea to host a site yourself. You should do as much of the web design work yourself as you can while allowing a reputable company to host the site. This means you can worry about your website design while the host worries about uptime and security.

From the suggestions outlined in the above article, you should now be all set to tackle the design of your web site. Establish a budget, ask for help from professionals if you need to, and start drawing sketches. You can create sites that fill your needs without a lot of money by starting now!




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