There’s a lot more involved with web design than you think. You have to realize that you need to be concerned with everything from text boxes, border sizes, bandwidth allotment and overall data sizes of your site. Use these tips to do a better job of facing this challenge.
For multimedia presentations, take advantage of the new HTML5 standard. Although HTML5 isn’t quite as robust for animation and games as Flash, it has the advantage of working stably on mobile phone browsers, including those contained in Apple hardware. HTML5 is also quite a bit leaner than Flash, so load times will improve, as well.
Make sure you have a tagline that shows up well on your website. A good tagline is a central motto or exclamation that lets a reader know what your website is focused on. When a visitor arrives at your site, they aren’t going to stay long if nothing catches their eye. Your tagline can help grab their attention.
Avoid using so-called “mystery meat navigation”. This involves using unlabeled images or other elements for the site’s navigation. In many cases, the visitor has to mouse over the buttons to even see what they do. Navigation is best kept simple. Use text links across the top or along the left side of the page.
Make sure that you prune content that is no longer relevant. You will come across as undependable or an amateur if you have information on events that have long passed. Viewers want to know that they are getting up-to-date information, and lack of attention in removing old products will not install this faith. Make sure you regularly schedule time to add new content, and to remove old.
Use images wisely. Bitmap images do not tend to fare well for internet use, and some GIFs do not work well with lots of color. Image size is important as well, as larger images may make your viewers have to wait for them to download. Choose smaller images, and use them sparingly to make your site more manageable.
Regularly distributing a newsletter can help to secure repeat visitors. 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. Track the number of visitors who sign up, and position the sign-up form in your site’s sidebar. Make sure to only deliver the newsletter to people who have requested it!
Wherever your logo appears on your site, you should accompany it with a complementary slogan or tagline. Ideally, this tagline should be catchy and informative, and should offer some basic summary of the purpose of your site or product offering. The combination of your logo and tagline should appear on every page to create a sense of cohesion.
Be sure your website works both with and without the “www” prefix. Some people will type this in before they head to your site as a force of habit, and some may not. You should make sure that customers will be directed to your site either way, or you may have some confused people on your hands.
If you intend to use advertisements on your site as a way to increase your earnings, make sure to maintain an appropriate ratio. Keeping your advertisements at no more than 25 percent of your content ensure your site is not cluttered with too many of them. Just like people would not watch television if it was nothing but commercials, site visitors are less likely to stay on your site if you have too many advertisements.
The general idea here is to get the gist of web design, not to become a pro overnight. Once you begin to learn the different tactics available, you will start to understand the core concepts involved with web design and start translating this knowledge into features on your website. If you get confused, or you aren’t sure what to do next, simply come back and review the tips above.
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