If you want to design a website use Blank Canvas Web as a solid foundation of knowledge to help you get your foot in the door. From learning HTML to knowing search engine optimization techniques, there are many facets to web design.
Read on to find some advice which will cover all of the basics.
Keep the size of your web pages small. A lot of modern web pages are full of unnecessary elements, including huge images, Flash advertising, and lots of AJAX. Many people, especially those in rural areas and other countries with less-developed internet infrastructure, don’t have high-speed Internet and will have to wait forever for a large page to load.
HTML5 video is set to become the next standard for displaying videos on the web and naturally, you should offer both a way in which users can stream your content through an HTML5 format as well as another format such as flash for those who have an older browser version.
Avoid useless scripts. Scripts like counters and date/time scripts don’t really serve any purpose, and since they are all JavaScript, can add a few kilobytes to the page’s file size. Getting rid of these elements also frees up space on the homepage. Replace those useless scripts with useful content that keeps users coming back.
Make sure all of your webpages actually have titles, and make sure they are descriptive. A surprising number of webpages out there are called “untitled document” or “new document”. This not only denies visitors a useful piece of information to remember your site, but also absolutely destroys your SEO, since search engines weight page titles heavily when ranking sites.
Pay attention to your background. Remove obstacles to easy text reading by avoiding things like GIF backgrounds that move. Pick a background that meshes with your site, not against it, and your viewers will have a much easier time understanding what you want to say.
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.
When designing your site, try to come up with three or four keywords that you expect users to input into search engines as they try to find your page. These keywords should then be repeated frequently throughout the title, page body and description meta tag. This will make it easier for users to locate your site on the web.
When designing your website, you should utilize cascading style sheets, or CSS. These style sheets can be applied to every webpage on your website, and will ensure that the user experience is consistent throughout the website. They are also effective for making quick design changes to your website due to the fact that you only need to change the style sheet as opposed to making alterations on every webpage.
To be updated on the new web design tricks, you should join an online forum. When joining these message boards you meet people who usually have an understanding of all the new web design technology. Without this new web design technology you could end up with a site that is completely outdated.
Try to code using only CSS. We’re moving away from table-based sites to only CSS sites because they are reusable, accessible, and they can greatly reduce your file sizes. This allows you greater control of the appearance of your site. There are various CSS resources you can use, therefore, knowing CSS is invaluable to web design.
To help you design a good site, you need to make it so it is simple to navigate. Navigation encompasses everything and is the backbone of your site. So construct a site that flows easily from one area to another, otherwise your site will be very confusing and people will not visit it.
When you do progress through your stages of web design and have a site that is up and running you want to make sure that it isn’t cluttered with ads. People don’t mind ads but they hate it when there are a lot that make it difficult to navigate through your site, and you don’t want people mad.
You may notice interesting web design techniques being used by other web designers, but you want to innovate, not copy. You can improve upon ideas you’ve seen used on other websites, but you should also develop your own website designs. If you do this, you’ll constantly improve your abilities and reach your potential as a web designer.
Before you begin creating your website, it can be beneficial to have your design laid out as a wire-frame image on your computer, or drawn out on a piece of paper. This will provide you with a reference that you can look back to as you begin implementing your ideas. It can be an effective organization tool, and additionally, can serve as a prototype to identify potential problems early on.
Make sure that the computer you’re using is advanced enough to run programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. The last thing you want to do is invest money into buying programs like these then realizing that you’re computer can’t run them, this can save you a headache and time by checking up on this.
Make your design different than that of other sites in your niche. An easy way to watch for this is to check out the websites of your competitors. If you’re too similar visitors might confuse your site with the competition. Your website will just seem like a poor imitation of the original, so be sure you don’t accidentally create a plagiarized website!
You’ve read the advice here and are ready to put it into action, so get ready to design your site! Start by sketching out a design and making lists of the content you’ll need and you’ll have your website online in no time.
Don’t forget to keep reading and learning so you’re never left behind.