Ensure that your website is unique and is not too similar to other websites that share your niche. Look at competitors’ websites to ensure that you haven’t accidentally made a similar design for your site. It is obvious that if your website looks like the others, it will not separate you from those you are competing with. You don’t want people to think of you as a generic version of one of your competitors, and that’s exactly what’ll happen if you make similar websites to your competitors.
Good websites must function with all browsers, and therefore you need to test each page so you know they work correctly under all circumstances. Your content may show up fine in Internet Explorer, but it may be unreadable or badly displayed in Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Therefore, check to see that all pages display correctly in all the large browsers prior to your site going live.
If you keep educating yourself as you go along, your website design process will benefit. After getting the hang of a design concept, find another one to learn. While this might take longer initially, the knowledge you gain will have multiple benefits in the future.
While it might free up some funds to use elsewhere on your site, hosting your own website is a bad idea. Your design should reflect your idea of your business but paying for a hosting service is the best way to keep your site safe and secure while avoiding you the stress of maintaining a server.
Use sound judiciously when designing your website. Don’t aggravate your website’s visitors with a barrage of noise that they can’t get rid of when they get to your site. It’s perfectly fine to add an audio link and video links that include sound, but be sure to allow the user to control if there is sound when they land on your site.
Error check, or validate, your web pages to avoid problems. A lot of WYSIWYG editors will put a bunch of junk code on the design of your site. If you use a WYSIWYG editor, go the extra mile and validate your site code through a service. For example, you can get free validation services through W3C.
A great strategy for planning your website accurately is to utilize a visual sitemap. With the visual sitemap, you are going to see exactly how your site structure is coming along. This will help you locate any area on your website that needs to be improved, as well as areas of neglect. Nothing can fully replace a clear, easily interpreted visual.
Skip the pop-up windows. Even though you may find a reason to have them, your visitors will find them annoying. If your visitors become frustrated enough with pop-ups, they may permanently leave your website.
Always use fonts which are legible and professional. Many times you can tell a site is not professional because of the fonts they have chosen. Don’t use fancy or non-standard fonts. Some people may not have these fonts installed on their computers. Fonts on your website can be set to match the default font used by the computer of your visitors. When the font defaults it can tend to make your webpage look much worse than it really is.
Just because the site has launched doesn’t mean you’re finished designing it. Keep as active as possible with your website. Updating doesn’t need to be daily, but you must find a regular schedule and follow through consistently. This is especially important if you will be hosting videos or dealing with current events. Updating a site isn’t like updating a blog. There is a lot of work involved.
Set aside some time every day where you can focus on your web design work. Set longer time periods aside in order to use your time more productively. When you put the effort into doing this, your hard work will pay off as your site is built. In addition, working for longer periods of time makes the retention of what you are learning and doing much easier.
Though this next piece of advice may seem obvious, it is important. Never upload your pages to your server before checking over each word for grammar and spelling errors. Badly written content will not make your site look professional. Nothing will send a potential customer running more quickly than a website that looks unprofessional.
Your website should have a favicon. Your site can be recognized so much more when you add these graphics on it. When they look through their bookmark list, a memorable favicon can stand out from the rest. When designing a favicon, ensure it’s consistent with the logo and theme of your site.
Producing concept sketches to flesh out the general intention you have for your website’s appearance, is a great place to start. Those around you can give valuable input if they see the proposed design before you implement it online.
Always give your readers the ability to stop whatever it is they’re doing. This includes completing forms, enrolling in email newsletters and searching the site to find certain information. If your visitors feel forced into completing something they no longer want, it may leave a bad taste. They will probably avoid visiting your site in the future.
Throughout the content of your site, you should include relevant keywords and phrases. Remember, great web design isn’t just about art, it’s about persuasion. You need to understand who you are developing this website for. Try to determine what your target audience responds to the best, and then use that phrasing throughout your site. You should focus on five keywords that correspond to your products and use them throughout your site.
The advice of this article is a great place to start building your knowledge of web design. Keep finding news ways to improve the quality of the websites you create, and you will not only match the corporate giants, but actually beat them.
