There are many people showing interest in web page design. This means that you have a lot of competition if you are trying to earn a living designing webpages. So go through this article and learn what you can to stay ahead of your competitors.
Pay attention to color combinations in your design. Your text should be easy to see against your background. Dark text colors on light backgrounds are usually easier to read compared to the other way around. If you’re unsure about the color combo you’ve used, solicit feedback from a trusted friend before the site goes live.
Check your copy for broken links before you publish your page. There is not much that is more frustrating for visitors than to click a link and get an error page. Use a program to scan your site to get the job done automatically.
Set up your site so that visitors can cancel actions they initiate if they change their minds. For example, put a “clear” button on a form, an unsubscribe link on all newsletters and a “cancel” button on orders. If you do not give visitors the option to get out of an action they do not want to continue with, you are pressuring them into something. This makes them less likely to come back or buy from you in the future.
Choose a good background. Some sites use moving GIFs in the background, but that can make text hard to read. Choose a background that is not too distracting for your readers, and that goes well with the rest of your design.
Do your best to store any personal information of your users so that they don’t have to enter it over and over again on your site. When a visitor fills out a registration form on your website, for instance, your site should hang onto that information, and use it to fill out data fields for the visitor on subsequent interactive pages ahead of time. 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.
Regardless of your target crowd or your site’s purpose, you always want to aim for a ten second loading time or better. A well designed website will show up on a browser within moments. Most online users want to be gratified instantly and you need to be sure you can do this for them.
Always keep your opening page simple. Those who are shopping the web will make snap decisions about a site based off its front page. Provide a good description of your business and its function. Minimize other information. This will reduce distractions.
Stay away from pop-up windows as part of your design. While these might seem valuable in some instances, most people think they are rather annoying. When you add pop-up windows to your website, you run the risk of frustrating people to the point that they won’t come back.
Don’t forget about Internet Explorer 7 and 8. Many people still use old IE versions. These do not render the web elements to the web standard, so there must be workarounds. An example would be the vexing “box model bug” which troubled IE for quite some time.
File types have a lot to do with the speed at which your website loads. GIFs and JPGs are your best choice for graphics. PNG and BMP may work better for graphic creation, nut they usually have larger files sizes. Make your files manageable to keep loading times down for visitors.
Always check for links that are broken. Do this each time you upload new content to your site. You need to check links frequently because visitors will click on your links. If many of your links are broken, visitors will give up on exploring your site. Ensure everything works before making your website public.
If you find yourself stuck in the design process, remember that you have the entire Internet at your disposal to look for examples. A plethora of websites are available that can help spark your inspiration. Look for a website that is appealing and decide on the factors that make it appealing. Remember that if you want your website to succeed, you will need to do more than just borrow an idea. Then, improve on the design elements you like.
When building a website, enlist the help of Adobe Dreamweaver. Even novices can easily use this product. There are lots of features and many layouts and templates for you to use. You can preview your site before finalizing it.
You want to learn as much as you can about web page design so you can be as competitive as possible and be better than everyone else. Apply the tips you’ve just been given, but don’t every stop learning. Every new bit of information you learn will make you better than you were before.