Has website design been something you have wanted to get into, but were unsure how to start? Maybe you have dreams of becoming an online entrepreneur but your finances prevented you from having someone else build your online presence. This article will help you make the website you want.
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.
Always mark files that must be opened in an external program with an icon. Many sites host PDF files, and less commonly, DOC files, that must be opened in Foxit Reader and Microsoft Word/OpenOffice, respectively. These files should be marked with an icon representing the file type, and a link to download the appropriate viewer if the user does not have it.
Design your page so that previously entered information is saved and automatically used to fill in informational boxes. For instance, if someone filled in their name and address when creating an account, pre-populate this information when the customer fills out an order form. Creating transferable form information will make the overall process simpler and quicker for your visitors, and they will be happy with the time you have saved them.
Pop-ups should not be used on your site. There is little worse than visiting a site and being attacked by pop-up ads or newsletter sign-up boxes. The majority of people will leave a site if it contains pop-ups, even if these sites are very large ones. Avoid annoying your customers, by staying away from these irritating advertisements. If you are required by your hosting service to have pop-up ads, you may want to consider obtaining a new web host.
Do keyword research. While your primary focus is to offer customers information that is up to date and relevant, the first order of business is to form a customer base. Understanding what keywords will bring people to your site from a search engine is a needed step to becoming a successful site.
Photoshop is a great tool that novice designers should invest in to help make better looking web designs. Photoshop really speeds up the development of even complex websites. Not having this software can lead to a design which looks amateurish and untrusthworthy.
If you want more visitors to your site, you need to design it in a way that makes it easy to update content. If your site can be easily updated it helps you to be able to quickly add new and relevant information. A site that is constantly updated will keep your visitors coming back for more.
Use what you learned in this article and create a site that exceeds your goals. Whether you are promoting a product or yourself, having a website is a great strategy to market yourself online. Well wishes!