Some people want to learn everything they can in the world of technology in order to have a solid career in these modern times. You can choose a strong career path like website development, but you must know that it has lots of competition. Look over these website design tips to help you not be like others.
Use fixed-position navigation so that users can navigate easily. What occurs when the navigation is fixed is the panel follows the users scrolling. In other words, it moves down the page as the user moves down the page. This offers convenience for visitors and can help marketers as well when it allows visitors to take action easily, such as signing up for promotions.
If you’re creating a website, make sure you look at it in different browsers. If you just check it from you personal computer, what you see may be vastly different from what others see. Do research on the various browsers in use, and design your website accordingly. Make sure to also send the site to someone running a different OS to make sure those browsers are compatible.
Be mindful of your background. If you have a GIF background that moves, your text may be too hard to read. Make sure your background doesn’t detract from your content, or make it hard for your viewers to read your font.
Speed is critical online, so you have to be certain that your website pages load very quickly. 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.
A great way to get repeat visitors to your site, is by having them subscribe to your newsletter. Having customers subscribe to your newsletter allows you to send them important updates about special events, which in turn can get them to keep visiting your site. Place a signup form on your site in a sidebar, while maintaining a list of everyone who signs up. Send your newsletter only to those who have signed up; doing otherwise is considered spam.
Use free alternatives to pay web design software whenever possible. A lot of users think they have to buy pricey applications, but many free programs are out there to give you a hand. With a little search effort on your part, the kinds of tools you need can be found, and for free.
You want to ensure that your site is easily able to be scanned. Usability testing has shown that visitors are interested in scanning the content for items of value, rather than reading every word. Text that is easy to read will ensure you have visitors that come back. Also, the more important info should be kept towards the top. In this way, your visitors will have a good experience and get the information they need.
Your site should be optimized to handle older editions of Internet Explorer, such as IE7 and IE8. The Internet community loves to hate on IE, but in truth, a large portion of Internet traffic still happens through IE. Workarounds are needed because the browser is not 100% compliant with standards. Read up on the so-called “box model bug” which has bothered IE users for a long time.
Use basic fonts which every user will be able to see. Check out a site’s fonts to rate it’s professional quality. Avoid fancy fonts that are hard to read or unprofessional fonts such as Comic Sans. Your style should specify a default font in case a user doesn’t have your preferred font. This can make your website look a lot worse.
You don’t want to utilize any type of pop-up ads with your site. Generally people who use the Internet find pop-up ads annoying, so it is best to stick to more traditional ads on your website. People will most likely never want to return to this type of website again. Keep the ads you do use simple; you don’t need crazy pop-ups.
Make sure you research the keywords that do well. You do need to create great content, but it should be focused on bringing in new visitors. Keywords are what search engines use to guide people to your website.
With millions of similar and bland sites out there, everyone is looking for the next big thing in website design. Individuality will benefit you. When you are ready to begin a web design career, the tips from the above article are a great start.